Maryland Math 8.DS.A.1.b
The Standard
- 8.DS.A.1
- Evaluate predictions and conclusions drawn from bivariate data.
Identify limitations or potential bias in data collection or interpretation when analyzing trends in scatter plots.
Maryland College and Career Ready Standards for Mathematics (2025) · MAKE SENSE OF STATISTICAL INQUIRY. NEW CLUSTER
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students describe a trend in a scatter plot and check how the data was collected. They look for small or selective samples, unusual points, and other factors that could explain the pattern.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can describe a trend without claiming that one variable caused the other. They can point to a reason the data may be misleading and say what more they would need to know.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat an upward or downward trend as proof of cause. They may assume a few volunteers represent everyone, or ignore an unusual point that changes the pattern.
How to Assess It
- Draw six points trending down for screen time versus sleep hours, labeled “six volunteers from one class.” Ask, “What trend appears, and why can’t this plot prove screen time causes less sleep for all eighth graders?”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Measure classmates’ hand spans and heights, plot the pairs, then discuss how measuring only basketball players might change the results.
Show a scatter plot of ice cream sales and beach visits, then ask, “Does buying ice cream cause beach visits? What else changes?”
Hand out three scatter plots with a small sample, an unusual point, or a narrow data range; have pairs flag shaky claims.
Post a mock ad plotting study hours and test scores from ten honors students; ask whether its claim applies to the whole grade.
Keep exploring
Related Standards
- 5.DS.A.1.c
Evaluate whether a data visualization accurately represents the data and allows for accurate interpretation given the context.
- 3.DS.A.1.c
Identify patterns in the data and evaluate whether these patterns might apply to different contexts or situations.
- 8.DS.B.3
Compare the fit of different linear models shown on scatter plots of the same data by describing the overall pattern and the closeness of data points to each li...
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