Donna LaLonde, ASA Associate Executive Director
A new ASA report on the way this year aims to answer a question the question, “What, exactly, should a pre-K–12 teacher know to teach statistics and data well?”
Statistical (and Data) Education of Teachers (SET) II is a comprehensive framework for preparing teachers at every grade level, across every subject that touches data, to teach statistics and data education with confidence. Following the original SET report published in 2015, SET II addresses the evolution of school level statistics and data education over the 11 years. The report is in its final stages and will be released soon.
Data now shows up everywhere in the K–12 curriculum. Science standards lean on statistical reasoning to build evidence-based thinking. Social studies standards ask students to interpret data about civic and economic life. Yet mathematics courses still carry most of the responsibility for teaching students to collect, analyze, and draw conclusions from data.
That imbalance makes teacher preparation difficult. In many states, elementary teachers are certified as generalists and may teach data concepts in any subject. Secondary teachers are certified as specialists, and the statistical depth they need varies by subject. Combine that with widely varying teacher-preparation program structures and it’s easy to see why there is a need for clear guidance on what teachers need to know.
The SET II report organizes teacher preparation around three interlocking pillars: the content students need to learn; the subject-matter expertise teachers themselves need; and the teaching practices that make that content land in the classroom. The framework draws on research into Statistical Knowledge for Teaching, which separates the subject knowledge and pedagogical knowledge teachers draw on simultaneously in the classroom.
From there, the report builds out several practical components:
- Seven cross-cutting big ideas: Foundational concepts from the statistical problem-solving process to statistical habits of mind that apply across every grade band and anchor teacher preparation at every level
- A tiered outcomes framework: Building on the ASA’s Pre-K–12 GAISE II framework, SET II adds a parallel structure for teachers across three levels: A (elementary), B (middle), and C (secondary), spelling out what teachers need to know and do at each stage
- Recommendations by career stage: Specific guidance for initial teacher preparation at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, plus recommendations for continuous, career-long professional learning
- Field-tested examples: Eighteen examples of teacher preparation activities drawn from programs around the world, giving teacher educators concrete models to work from
SET II is written for teacher educators designing certification programs, administrators shaping professional development, policymakers setting standards, and teachers who want a clearer picture of what strong statistical teaching looks like. Because data touches every subject area, the report makes the case that this isn’t only a math department concern. Teachers across the curriculum need to be equipped to help students work with data appropriately for their field.
The report also lands at a moment of growing national interest in K–12 data science, as state education agencies test new pathways into teaching and national bodies continue studying how data and computing competencies should be built into the K–12 experience. SET II is meant to give that momentum a research-grounded foundation.
The full report will include five chapters covering the motivation and framework, the seven big ideas, the tiered learning outcomes, detailed program recommendations, and the 18 illustrative examples, together forming a roadmap that teacher educators and administrators can use directly.
Watch for a webinar supporting the full release in the coming weeks.
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