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they fared on the Math SOL test from 2015 - 2018 (see Figure 4 for 2017 - 2018 data). This presenta tion could have been more effective if they used three pie charts, one for each school district, al lowing for a direct visual comparison of Math SOL performance for the Hispanic population (see Figure 1). PST B chose to use line graphs to show how the female population across the 3 school districts fared on the math SOLs from 2015 - 2018 (see Figure 2). Using line graphs in this case was not the best choice as the PST want ed to provide a district comparison. Line graphs would have been a good choice if the PSTs want ed to track changes over time for each of the 3 school districts. PST C chose Bar Graphs to show how Economically Disadvantaged students fared across the 3 school districts (see Figure 3 for 2018 data). Showing data for all 3 districts on the same graph does not allow the reader to visually identi fy any key takeaways. All three graphs suggest the need for guidance on effective use of graphs for data representation.

Collect/Consider and Analyze the Data

Each group selected a different school district and demographic focus. The PSTs selected the data, analyzed it, and then made sense of it. For exam ple, one group selected gender, socioeconomic status, and students with disabilities and com pared data across 4 districts, Rockingham County Public Schools, Arlington Public Schools, York County Public Schools, and Pulaski County Pub lic Schools. One PST in this group compared the passing and failing Math SOL scores for male stu dents only and compared them by districts. In comparing the data for male students, they found that “ York County had the highest number of Caucasian males pass the SOLs ”, and “ Pulaski County had the lowest number of males passing the test ”. They also found that, “ In the 2017 - 18 year, all the scores dropped a bit. I thought this was interesting because the rate of failure went up and the passing rate dropped ”

and

“ In the 2018 - 19 year, the scores went back up and the rate of failure dropped. ”

PSTs hypothesized the reasons for this change considering district or state level changes.

Interpret the Results

Figure 1 . Hispanic Population

The PSTs were asked to use multiple graphical representations to present their data. This experi ence allowed for comparison between features of various types of graphs. They were able to con sider the visual impact of different graphical rep resentations for the same data. However, there were limitations in their presentation when select ing the best graph to effectively share their find ings. For example, PSTs in one group chose Har risonburg City Public Schools, Fairfax County Schools, and Virginia Beach Public Schools. The demographic areas they chose were the Hispanic population, Female students, and Economically Disadvantaged students. Each group member chose a different way to represent their data. PST A chose Pie Charts to demonstrate the Hispanic population from the 3 school districts and how

Using multiple types of graphs in the same group had the potential for the group members to see the differences between the graphs. This was an opportunity for PSTs ’ learning that should be reinforced by highlighting the differ ent features of each type of graph. This experi ence may help the PSTs understand why using one type of graph would be beneficial versus another. The goal of the presentations using var ious graphs was to clearly communicate the findings. However, PSTs were unable to make the distinction between the various types of graphs. This suggests that the MTE needs to fo cus on the features of various graphs and their strengths and weaknesses when presenting data.

Virginia Mathematics Teacher vol. 48, no. 1

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