Maryland Math 7.DS.A.1

7.DS.A.1 is a cluster heading. These are the individual standards under it.

• 7.DS.A.1.a

  Decide whether a sample is representative of a population by explaining how it was selected and how that selection affects the accuracy of conclusions.

• 7.DS.A.1.b

  Explain how a random sample increases the likelihood that the sample represents the population.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students decide whether survey results can describe a whole group. They check how people were picked, who had a chance to be picked, and who was left out.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

Given a survey, students name the group the claim is about and explain whether the selection method could leave out certain people. They explain why drawing names at random from the full group makes a fair sample more likely, but does not guarantee one.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may think a large group of friends automatically represents the whole grade. They may call a sample random because they asked whoever was nearby, or assume random selection guarantees an exact match.

04

How to Assess It

Exit ticket: A student asks 20 friends whether seventh graders want longer lunch. Can their answers describe the whole grade? Name someone they might miss and suggest a better way to pick students.

1. 01

   Draw eight names from a class roster, collect their lunch votes, then compare with votes from the first eight students to arrive.

2. 02

   Ask students to explain why basketball players' votes on a new gym might not represent the whole grade.

3. 03

   Give pairs four survey cards: names drawn from the grade roster, friends, volunteers, and one homeroom; sort them by usefulness for a grade-wide claim.

4. 04

   Display a mock school-news poll claiming most students want later start times, based on 20 newsletter replies; ask who might be missing.

• 7.DS.A.2.a

  Use data from a single random sample to estimate an unknown characteristic of a population.

• 8.DS.A.1.a

  Determine whether observed associations in sample data justify generalizations about a broader population.

• 7.DS.A.2

  Use data from random samples to make and evaluate estimates or predictions about a population.