Florida B.E.S.T. MA.912.DP.1.4
The Standard
Estimate a population total, mean or percentage using data from a sample survey; develop a margin of error through the use of simulation.
Florida B.E.S.T. Standards for Mathematics
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students use sample survey results to estimate a population total, average, or percentage. They run repeated-sampling simulations and use the spread of results to choose a margin of error.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students calculate a reasonable population estimate from sample results. They use simulation results to state a margin of error and interpret the resulting interval in context.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often treat a sample estimate as the exact population value. They may confuse percentage points with percent or use a biased sample to simulate random sampling.
How to Assess It
- Give students this prompt: “In a random sample of 80 from 500 students, 52 prefer a later start. Simulations suggest a margin of error of 11 percentage points. Report the estimated percentage, interval, and estimated number of students.”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Fill a bag with two colors of counters, draw repeated samples, estimate the hidden proportion, and graph the errors.
Ask students to write whether 48% ± 6 percentage points supports a claim of majority support, then defend their answer.
Play Margin Match, pairing survey estimates with simulation dot plots and choosing a reasonable margin of error for each.
Use a school lunch survey to estimate how many students want a new menu item, then report a simulation-based interval.
Free download
Printable MA.912.DP.1.4 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to MA.912.DP.1.4, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
Download the worksheetKeep exploring
Related Standards
- MA.912.DP.5.4
Generate multiple samples or simulated samples of the same size to measure the variation in estimates or predictions.
- MA.912.DP.2.3
Estimate population percentages from data that has been fit to the normal distribution.
- MA.912.DP.2.2
Use the mean and standard deviation of a data set to fit it to a normal distribution and to estimate population percentages. Recognize that there are data sets ...
- MA.912.DP.1.5
Interpret the margin of error of a mean or percentage from a data set. Interpret the confidence level corresponding to the margin of error.
Turn this exact standard into a lesson
Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.