Across all social science disciplines, but in particular public administration, there is a shared concern about the costs of using traditional random samples to generate data, and its impact on researchers' ability to engage in "quality" research. As a result of these costs, more academics, practitioners, and students are turning to…

This guide was created as a resource to help families better understand "Measures of Academic Progress"® (MAP®), and their child's results. The guide provides answers to a variety of questions such as: "What is MAP?"; "What does MAP measure?"; "How do schools and teachers use MAP scores?"; "Can MAP tell…

This seventh in a series of articles discussing expert system construction focuses on two ways to create a structure that determines a decision: (1) rule-based, or deductive, implementation; and (2) example-based, or inductive, implementation. Probability factors and confidence levels are discussed, and an example is given for selecting an…

Using license plates and telephone numbers for teaching probability ideas involving counting rules is suggested. How each is useful is illustrated in some detail. (MNS)

A number game, used with sixth- and seventh-grade students, involving place value is described and discussed. (MK)

This teacher's guide provides background information, lists of needed equipment, suggestions for instruction, and answers to student exercises. The unit is designed for elementary school students as a supplement to other SMSG volumes; it can, however, be used in any program. It is designed to make mathematics enjoyable, promote systematic…

This is a manual for teachers using School Mathematics Study Group (SMSG) primary school text materials. The commentary is organized into three parts. The first part contains an introduction and a section on mathematical comments relating to background knowledge needed by the teacher. The second and main part consists of a chapter by chapter…

How probabilities change when playing the game of craps with dice having 8, 12, or 20 faces is discussed. Five challenge questions are also included. (MNS)

Writing short computer programs can help students to develop an understanding of random processes in probability. Three sample programs are included. (MNS)

This twentieth unit in the SMSG secondary school mathematics series is the teacher's commentary for Unit 18. For each of the chapters in Unit 18, the goals for that chapter are discussed, the mathematics is explained, some teaching suggestions are given, answers to exercises are provided, and sample text questions are included. (DT)

Activities involving spinners and dice are presented. Making the materials is noted, followed by activities on counting, computation, probability, fractions, and other ideas. (MNS)

Included in this section are brief articles on making up a story to explain a graph, the inverse of a function of a single variable, and exotic horse-race wagering and combinatorics. (MNS)

Several common errors reflecting difficulties in probabilistic reasoning are identified, relating to ambiguity, previous outcomes, sampling, unusual events, and estimating. Knowledge of these mistakes and interpretations may help mathematics teachers understand the thought processes of their students. (MNS)

This unit deals with the concept of probability, the use of probability to make predictions, and procedures to gather and display probability data using graphs. Fractions are used to express probabilities. Instructional objectives for probability and for graphing (circle, bar, and line segment graphs) are contained in the booklet as well as…

This pamphlet recommends that elementary-school teachers be provided with inservice courses which deal with probability concepts. The recommendations are based on the experiences of 120 teachers who taught probability in elementary school as part of a project of the National Science Foundation. The authors observe that probability is important…