AP Statistics Reviews

Best Class Ever

Mrs. Driscoll's AP Statistics class was simply amazing! She organized the course so well and made sure we were learning each topic completely and getting loads of practice. I feel like I have a really good foundation in statistics because of Mrs. Driscoll's class. Also, I felt extremely prepared for the AP exam. Everything you need for the exam and more is covered in this class. We turned in our last assignment at the end of March, and had a whole month to exclusively prep for the AP exam. Mrs. D also provided us with various different options for review that I found really helpful.  Mrs. Driscoll makes sure we have a great understanding of the content that is tested on the AP exam but also gives us a holistic overview of the subject and makes the class enjoyable. She answered all my questions so quickly and was always willing to set up a meeting for any reason. Even though preparing for the exam was a major part of the course, Mrs. D made sure we had fun hands on assignments and did not have to do "busy work." I found all the practice we did very valuable for the exam and just overall understanding of the subject. Even though I typically put in an hour or two per day for this class, she paced out the assignments so well that the class was never overwhelming. I usually do not like math but I loved AP statistics and I think that is largely due to the way Mrs. D taught the subject! I also really liked being able to communicate and chat with my classmates throughout the school year. I would highly recommend Mrs. D's class to any students who are willing to put in some time to truly learn statistics! 

AP Statistics with Mrs. Driscoll

• Did you feel this class prepared you for the AP exam?

I feel this class has definitely prepared me for the AP exam. The way Mrs. Driscoll constructs this course does not allow for cramming which has allowed me to retain the material from each chapter throughout the entire year. 

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into this class?

I would say I spent an average of about 2 hours a day on this class, but I did do some optional work for house points.

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I really enjoyed the stats medic exercises we would perform in class that used real-life situations where statistics were needed. For example, we used a significance test to see if homes in Flint with high-lead content in their water supply passes the EPA threshold for safety.

• Did this class enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes! It has even inspired me to think about a career in data science. 

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes, in class the majority of students were very active learners and discussion in class was highly productive. we all used Discord as a platform to help each other out if we didn't understand something which I found extremely helpful. 

• What sort of student would do well in this class? Would you recommend this class to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

I would recommend this class to other students. Mrs. Driscoll provides many resources for all different types of learners, and as long as a student is willing to consistently put in time and effort they will be able to do well in this course. 

The only note I would like to add is that I would highly recommend that students familiarize themselves with Canvas, College Board, the Textbook, and Discord long before the course starts. As I mentioned earlier this course uses many different resources which is awesome but it was a bit overwhelming at the beginning of the year trying to figure out how to use them all. 

Overall a wonderful course!

~Maggie Fites

Very challenging but worth it!

AP Statistics was my first class with Pennsylvania Homeschoolers and one of my first APs, and I'm so grateful to have taken it! It was immensely challenging but the work paid off. Thanks to the solid course instruction, the resources and extra credit opportunities provided, and the help of Mrs. Driscoll and fellow students, I was able to grasp the concepts and succeed in the class. The course definitely prepared me for the AP exam—once I got to the real test, I felt well-acquainted with it. I was able to finish strong and receive a 5. However, I'd estimate putting in about 15 hours a week for this course, potentially more. Working through the homework, reading through the materials, studying for tests, and extra credit assignments on top of that takes time. It is a very thorough course!

I found the way the course simulated AP testing within usual class testing to be extremely beneficial, as well as the live classes for this course. The way Mrs. Driscoll brought real-world statistics stories into her classes made it interesting and helped me understand why a knowledge of statistics is important. Throughout the course, Mrs. Driscoll fostered a focused and passionate learning environment, and she would spend time with any student in need of help. She is a great teacher! 

I would 100% recommend this course to other students. Statistics is a wonderful subject to be acquainted with, and I sincerely doubt any course could prepare a student better. Given hard work, anyone can succeed! 

Mrs. Driscoll's AP Stats Class

Let me start this off by saying, I felt VERY prepared for the AP exam! 

As a more math-minded person, I soon learned that I was going to be doing much more writing in English than in numbers. Not a problem but definitely something to keep in mind. 

The way that the course is set up is very flexible. You can do the assignments on the exact day suggested or you can play around with the days within a particular chapter (two week period) as all of the homework is submitted in one file at the end of the chapter. There are opportunities for extra credit to make up for the fact that AP Statistics runs on the hard side (about 70% correct will earn a student a 5 on the exam). 

I did not really interact much with the other students or the TAs. My schedule made it a challenge to attend the selected class time. That was ok. I still had all of the lessons and tips from the daily assignment messages in addition to the textbook. 

In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this class.

AP Statistics Review (Mrs. Driscoll Instructor)

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam? I felt very prepared leading up to the AP exam. While I'm not sure how well I did on the exam itself (unfortunately I was sick during AP testing week), I can confidently say that Mrs. Driscoll's course will provide you with everything necessary to enter the exam with a very firm grasp of the material. Mrs. Driscoll provides many opportunities to answer AP-based problems throughout the course (as part of homework and MCQ/FRQ tests), and she also encourages students to complete College Board-produced problems throughout the year on the MyAP website, which I personally found very helpful. 
• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course? It depended on the material—before exams and tests, I would usually spend about 2-3 hours per day on the course. Otherwise, I would generally spend 1-1.5 hours. Most of my time was spent reading the textbook and completing the homework problems.  
• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable? I particularly enjoyed the Hands On Activities—they provided a really fun way to internalize key concepts (and also gave me an excuse to buy a bag of Hershey's kisses—what more can you ask for?). 
• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject? I'm not really a "math person," but this course was by far the best experience I've had in a quantitative course so far. I plan to take more statistics courses in college, something that I definitely would not have planned on previously. 
• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable? Mrs. Driscoll provided multiple opportunities for peer review throughout the year, as well as a forum for general and assignment-specific discussion. I found both to be very helpful in providing multiple perspectives for concepts and problems. 
• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)? I'd say that anyone who is excited and proactive about learning will do well in this course, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone thinking about taking statistics this year! 

This class couldn't have been taught by a better teacher!

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes!!! Mrs. Driscoll is an absolutely amazing and thorough teacher; every day, she would post an instructional "Daily Message" (DM) that contained both important class reminders and helpful, easy-to-understand breakdowns of the day's assigned reading. The DMs often clarified more dense parts of the textbook and offered additional information we needed to know for the AP exam. There were also numerous opportunities to earn extra credit "House Points" (HP) which allowed you to both boost your grade and get plenty of practice answering AP-style MCQs and FRQs. I became so familiar with both the content and the question styles that the actual AP exam was a breeze—it was more a matter of pacing myself and fully understanding the questions than of recalling the material.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I usually spent about two hours a day on this course. If we had a test coming up, I would often spend up to an additional hour reviewing with HP activities such as the AP Classroom progress checks.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

My favorite assignments were definitely the hands-on activities (HOAs)! Not only did they allow me to collect my own data and apply what we were learning to actual real-life scenarios, but they were also much more fun and much less time-consuming than traditional science labs. Who wouldn't want to spend no more than half an hour dropping Hershey kisses on the table or counting M&Ms for schoolwork??? A word of caution about the M&Ms: try to get a bag that weighs closest to Mrs. Driscoll's minimum accepted bag weight. One HOA involves counting all of the M&Ms in a single bag, and when your bag contains more than a thousand M&Ms, that can get really tedious really fast…Basically, as long as you don't go overboard, you should enjoy the HOAs as much as I have!

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes! As a math lover, I was actually a bit nervous taking a class described as a "math class for non-math people," but I can confidently say that this class enhanced my interest in both math and statistics! If you love algebra and probability, you'll definitely have a blast in this course, and it's just amazing to see how statistics is in literally everything.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

While this class doesn't have as much interaction as some other online classes I've taken, I did find my communications with other students valuable. There were plenty of discussion boards for us to ask and answer questions, as well as a meme board and a "Student Spotlight" board where we could have fun and celebrate each other's accomplishments. Sometimes, we would also peer review each other's HOA results, which helped solidify our understanding of a chapter and strengthen the class's sense of community. My favorite interactions with my classmates, though, came from the live classes! Mrs. Driscoll always made her classes fun with interactive Kahoots and collaborative worksheets, and we were able to laugh about each other's mistakes while still encouraging each other on. I remember one class where Mrs. Driscoll had a classmate give her step-by-step instructions on how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and the results were…hilariously disastrous, to say the least (and don't worry, we were not just goofing off—that sandwich actually taught us an important Stats concept!).

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

I'd recommend this course to pretty much anyone! Statistics is so applicable to the real world and is just a great skill to have, even if you don't plan on becoming a statistician. However, you definitely need to have good time management: Mrs. Driscoll is very strict about deadlines, and she will not accept disorganization or procrastination as valid excuses for extensions. That said, she was always happy to accommodate my family's travel plans and give me extra resources so I could work ahead. Mrs. Driscoll enforces deadlines for your own good and accountability, but as long as you inform her well in advance of scheduling conflicts and do your own part in planning around them, she is very willing to modify the course to suit your needs.

Statistically significant level of awesomeness!!!!

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Absolutely! On the AP test, there wasn't anything I hadn't covered in the class. 

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

On average days (including weekends), I spent close to an hour on homework, videos, reading, and the various learning resources that Mrs. Driscoll provided.  On weeks when we had tests or cumulative FRQ exams, my time spent studying sometimes exceeded 2 hours a day preparing and reviewing for the tests.  Be prepared to spend a lot of time practicing!!  The formulas used in stats aren't that hard, but they are easy to mix up.

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

The hands-on activities were particularly insightful - not only did I get to apply the statistics concepts I had been learning, I also got to use a little of my coding expertise to research even further into the question at hand by automating repetitive tasks.  

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes!  I approached this class with a level of wariness, convinced that statistics was one of the skills that are nice-to-have-but-not-necessary for progressing in various fields like computer science, etc.  However, after understanding the ways statistics affects nearly everything we do, and how efficient it is at modeling the world around us, I'm fully convinced of the usefulness of statistics!! I absolutely credit this class with developing my interest and knowledge of probability and statistics, and any further research I do into this subject in the future.  

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

This was arguably one of my favorite parts of this course.  Classes were entertaining, with the input of other classmates, and the discussion boards were also frequently active as I or other students posted examples of statistics we found in newspapers or books or questions we had from the homework.  As the owner of the Discord-based study group, I was also able to forge friendships with my fellow statisticians.  Communicating with other students and taking study breaks together was one of the best parts of this class!! 

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

Any student would do great in this course!!!!  Mrs. Driscoll's resources provide context and easy-to-read introductions to the subjects.  Even if you think you don't like math or hate calculations, you may find this course to be changing your mind. 

Phenomenal Course with a Patient, Friendly Teacher!!

tldr: AP Statistics with Mrs. Driscoll is AMAZING. If you're on the fence about taking this course, go for it!! 

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam? 

Yes, absolutely! I have taken many APs through PAH, and I can honestly say that this course did one of the best, if not the best, jobs preparing me for the exam. There are plenty of practice materials, guided lessons, interactive Zooms, and extra credit (known as House Points) in addition to the usual homework, which helped keep my knowledge fresh throughout the entire year! 

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course? 

It does vary based on the assignment, but I would say I put an average of 2ish hours a day of work in! In order to best understand the mathy material, you do have to be disciplined with studying, but the time does fly by when you become enveloped in a problem. 

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

My favorite assignments were definitely the House Points, which I sought after by completing extra FRQs and daily multiple-choice questions! Those were specially tailored to help you understand the concepts you were currently going through, with past material sprinkled in to aid statistics retention. I also found the weekly live Zooms very helpful, as they provided opportunities to ask questions and complete practice problems with the teacher! 

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

YES. I really don't like math, and took this course to get out of taking calculus -- totally worth it. It definitely has a foundation in math and critical thinking, and you do have to know some basics of algebra, but it felt like so much more than solving equations! The real-world applications were evident, and fostered a love of statistics that I didn't even know I possessed! 

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Most definitely! I really didn't chat a whole lot with my fellow students, since I don't think there were any group projects, but the discussion boards were constantly active. In addition to boards about the current material and places to go for help, there were also threads about memes, jokes, and a spot to share our accomplishments - a very nice touch that gave the class a close-knit feel! 

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

If they are willing to work hard, any sort of student can succeed in this course! One of my favorite things about AP Statistics with Mrs. Driscoll is that there are lots of different methodologies if one type of learning is better than another for you. There's videos, discussions, live worksheets, homework, FRQs, RMCQs, tables, and a bunch more. You don't have to be a math genius, or even particularly enjoy math, in order to do well and have fun! The emphasis has always been on learning and improvement, never perfection, and Mrs. Driscoll made sure to constantly remind us throughout the year that our worth was not tied to test performance. 

Just a few other random asides from my own experience: Mrs. Driscoll is SO easy to connect with, and is quite friendly and understanding! For example, when I couldn't make it to either of the final exam review sessions, she graciously set up a separate meeting and spent over an hour with me reviewing the test, which really aided my understanding and was very thoughtful! When I would answer a question incorrectly in class, I was never made to feel bad about it, but instead mistakes were used as a teaching opportunity. There was also a board for sharing our personal accomplishments, so us classmates got to celebrate with each other and share special moments in our lives.

Overall, I could not recommend this course enough; between the intriguing subject matter and the wonderful teacher, AP Statistics was my favorite class this year and I would encourage anyone to take it too (: 

NOTICE ABOUT FOLLOWING REVIEWS

[Note: Reviews prior to the 2021-2022 school year were posted while Carole Matheny was teaching the class. However, Jen Driscoll is using Carole Matheny's syllabus and curriculum.]

Please continue.

Best AP class out there

This class was simply amazing. I have never taken an AP class (and this was my 9th) that came close to this class in terms of thoroughness and preparation for the AP exam. Furthermore, the content was constantly connected to real world examples and hands on activities.

All aspects of this course are unrivalled by the online AP classes I've done so far. Teacher interaction? Constant, quick, and thorough. Clear textbook? Very clear and connected to the real world. Classmate interaction? Frequent and useful. Review materials? Absolutely astounding, way too many to possibly use. Practice tests? Besides having chapter tests that followed AP regulations carefully, there were 10 MCQ tests. 10. Not to mention over a dozen full FRQ tests. Not to mention thousands of Random MCQs spread throughout the year, fueled by competition. 

Mrs. Matheny is a great teacher and I enjoyed her teaching and guidance and interaction so much. She has built an outstanding course and her students enjoy the material and achieve great results. 

I studied AP Environmental Science last year with Mrs. Driscoll, and I think that she will be a great successor to Mrs. Matheny. She pays attention to detail and gives thorough feedback. She has control over the material and designs good materials. Her skill as a teacher combined with Mrs. Matheny's great materials should make for a great class again in 2021-22. 

This class almost made me reconsider my major, and I think that although I did not major in statistics in the end, I see how it can enhance all other areas of study. Statistics is so relevant and so fun. 

I highly recommend this class to all students-- not just math lovers! 

My one warning is that statistics does take time. I spent on average 1.5-2 hours per day on this class and easily could have spent more. With all the extra materials it's easy to spend too much time. Use the materials wisely and don't take this class thinking it will be easy or not take much time. But if you do invest yourself in this course, prepare to be amazed. There's not much better out there than this class, by my experience. 

Friendly Competitive Environment

The course completely prepared me for the exam. There were literally more resources than I could possibly use. Also there was a lot of access to practice questions, FRQs, and tests.

I didn't do Statistics every day, but I averaged out doing about an hour and a half to 2 hours every day; however, you only really need to put in about an hour per day. This is because I was more involved in trying to earn as many extra credit points as possible in the first semester which required me to spend quite a bit of time.

The assignments were almost all problems from the book so no assignment really stood out to me as particularly valuable. There were occasional Hands on Activities, but I wouldn't say they were my favorite.

The course did enhance my interest in the subject. I think statistics is very useful if you understand it well enough; I want to learn more and be able to apply this in my life one way or the other.

I think one of the most brilliant parts in this course is the CPP board. The CPP (class participation points) is an extra credit leaderboard which ranks everyone in the class based on their CPP. This fosters a competitive environment which encourages students to work hard. I really enjoyed aspect of the class. At the end of the first semester I was at the top of leaderboard, and the sense of satisfaction is unmatched.

I would recommend this course to anyone who's interested. All things considered it isn't mind-boggling complicated. Just spend a decent amount of time with it, and you'll understand it.

I will say if you want to be at the top of the CPP board you have to act quickly. As soon as the class starts you have to start earning CPP or you will fall behind. Of course it's completely optional.

AMAZING AP Statistics Course!!!

I really enjoyed this AP course, and I felt like it prepared me well for the AP exam! Even though the AP exam was online this year, Mrs. Matheny still did an excellent job in preparing us for what to expect and how to achieve a great score! Even though the course was supposed to end two weeks earlier, once AP exams were rescheduled, Mrs. Matheny spent extra time conducting FRQ review sessions and answering our questions so that we felt confident for the test! 

I think I probably spent two - three hours each day (on average) on course work, not including extra work on weekends or extra time spent on review towards the very end of the year.

I really liked our hands on activities and our case studies! I found them extremely helpful in applying the concepts we were learning to real-life situations.

This course really did enhance my interest in statistics! I was amazed at how much statistics can be applied to real-life situations, and I especially enjoyed learning about significance tests and confidence intervals!

I found the WWW board very helpful in that I could post questions and get feedback from Mrs. Matheny, TAs, and students who might have been having the same question. I liked being able to have that collaboration with other students so that we could help each other out when we were confused.

I would absolutely recommend this course to other students if they are willing to work hard and ask questions! Statistics is really fun and interesting and can be useful no matter what you are planning to study in college. Also, if you are planning on taking a psychology course, I would definitely take this class as well! It will help you understand some of the statistic-related parts of psychology. The workload was really not too much, and statistics is a really different type of math than calculus or algebra; so if you are not a math person, I would still really recommend giving this course a try!

Mrs. Matheny was a wonderful teacher! She was always willing to answer questions, and she graded things in detail, giving helpful comments so that we knew how not to repeat our mistakes. I am really glad that I got to take this course!

Take. This. Class.

This course was wonderful! I wouldn't consider myself a "math" person, but I gained so much from this class. Mrs. Matheny is an amazing, patient teacher and is always an email away. When I asked a question, she or one of the (amazing!!!) TA's would answer within 20 minutes. Though the AP exam was significantly altered this year due to COVID-19, I still felt ready for the exam. Mrs. Matheny was wonderful at hosting Free Response Question reviews a few times each week leading up to the exam and that, coupled with the live classes, did a great job of ensuring her students grasped the material. She is always willing to take any questions and is wonderful at explaining things in a new way if you don't understand how the textbook phrased/defined something. She also provides a wonderful, all-encompassing list of YouTube videos that can help explain all the concepts.

Within the class, I found the hands-on activities to be most helpful because I could apply the concepts we were working on for homework to real life. Plus, the activities usually involved candy. 

The TA's in this class were beyond fantastic, and I could always count on Mrs. Matheny, them, or my classmates if I found myself confused with a concept. We had a rather active wwwboard (main discussion board) and I always felt free to ask any questions. Mrs. M values class participation, too, so you never have to be afraid of reaching out asking for help, or helping another student! That said, this course is rigorous and somewhat self-directed. If you're not good with time management and plan on taking this class, I recommend you get good: it's crucial that you space apart your homework so you don't end up scrambling at the end and stumble over concepts (not like that would EVER happen to me, of course)  I spent about 7 hours a week on this class, but that would vary if we had a test that week or not.

I have never enjoyed a math class more than I enjoyed this one. I highly recommend it. Thank you so much, Mrs. Matheny!

One of the top PAH classes to take

With online courses, communication is key, and Mrs. Matheny is one of the most engaged, available, and responsive teachers in PAH. Aside from weekly live Zoom class sessions, Mrs. Matheny is available for additional help via Zoom and/or Skype. Plus, she responds quickly to emails. Mrs. Matheny has a commanding knowledge of statistics, so not only are students' questions answered, but they are thoughtfully answered. Also, feedback on student work was always given in a timely manner. The workload is adequate and appropriate - Mrs. Matheny seems to put great care in planning the curriculum and syllabus, giving students enough time to do the work, understand the material, and be able to review, too. The class was run smoothly, the wwwboard was extremely organized and useful, and the preparation for the AP test was more than sufficient. Both of my children took this class (together they have taken a wide variety of PAH classes), and I would recommend it as one of the top PAH classes to take, not only because it is a superbly run class and your child will be in good hands, but also because statistics is something all high schoolers should take. My eldest took this class later in high school and my youngest took it earlier in high school - I would recommend having your child take it earlier as it would definitely help with their understanding of other AP science courses, or perhaps their performance on the SAT/ACT, or even just their ability to objectively decipher all the data around them.

Highly recommend!

I definitely feel that this course prepared me well for the AP exam. I went into the online exam feeling confident in my statistical abilities, and, having just recently taken the test, I felt very prepared to answer each part of the two questions. I typically put around 45 minutes per weekday into this course between answering Random Multiple Choice questions each day, reading Mrs. Matheny's Daily Messages, reading the textbook, and doing homework problems.

I really enjoyed all of the Hands On Activities Mrs. Matheny included, as well as the extra multiple choice and free-response questions students can do for extra credit. I loved the participation (CPP) aspect of this class, and found that the CPP leaderboard helped motivate me to do extra practice, which in turn helped prepare me for the exam. 

I would say that any student willing to work hard would do well in this course. It's not very math-heavy, and success is more reliant on your willingness to complete extra practice and understand the statistical tests you're performing, rather than any complex math skills. While I don't plan to major in statistics, I look forward to taking statistics courses in college now, as well as using these skills to better understand statistics I see in the news.

Great class for both math and non-math people!

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

I felt extremely well prepared for the AP exam; actually, I was a little bit bored when taking the exam because I had so much time left over!

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I generally put in around 6-8 hours a week into the course.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I found the RMCQs to be very useful; by doing a couple multiple choice questions each day, I ended up very comfortable and confident with multiple choice questions :) The practice FRQs were also extremely helpful since by writing my responses and then grading them with the rubric, I could really see what I did wrong and how to improve my future responses.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Definitely! I think statistics is a fascinating subject, and this course definitely made me learn a lot more about it and become more interested.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes; the class has lots of opportunities for communication, between the WWWBoard, a skype group, and several live sessions run both by Mrs. Matheny and TAs.

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

I think a student who's interested in learning about statistics could definitely do well in this course! Attention to detail is definitely a useful skill to have since you need to learn how to distinguish between scenarios that can seem very similar at first glance.

Even if you dislike math, this could still be a good course for you! I've taken both AP Chemistry and AP Calculus, and this course definitely felt more like the former than the latter; while math skills are needed and appreciated, lots of the math is plugging in numbers into a formula on your calculator, and so I don't feel that a strong math background is necessary or even that useful for this course.

And for those who like math (like me!), I think you'll definitely enjoy this course!

Superb class and outstanding teacher

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes, absolutely! I felt that the whole class was structured in a way which allowed me to prepare for the AP test, including the problems and the extra credit (CPP) opportunities. The 4 weeks of review at the end of the year were invaluable in preparation. They also provided flexibility, as none of the review material was "required", allowing me to manage my own time. However, working through the review material allowed me to hone my weaknesses.

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

Generally, about 6-8 hours a week. During the review in April-May, I put in about 10 hours a week, but it really can vary from student to student since all the review was optional.

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

All the assignments in the class were extremely fun and valuable at the same time. I think this speaks to the genius of Mrs. Matheny, in the way she allowed assignments to be both fun and valuable. I would say that the case studies were extremely valuable, as they helped with inference procedures and mimicked some of the hardest FRQ from the AP Stats exam. Also, the optional daily RMCQ's allowed me to gain CPP and also prepare for the AP exam, working just five minutes every day.

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes, it did. Surprisingly, I found that the SAT has increased its focus on including statistics, as I encountered multiple problems that I would not have been able to solve without this course (such as confidence intervals and IQR).

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

The live review sessions with the TA's were very helpful, but the discussion board wasn't very active with questions but rather with extremely helpful tips from Mrs. Matheny. When I did ask a question, Mrs. Matheny would answer within 20 minutes.

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

I would definitely recommend this class to a hard-working student. If you follow Mrs. Matheny's schedule, you will be prepared for the AP test. 

Wonderful Class!

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes! The class definitely prepared me for the AP exam - because although I haven't received my score yet, I feel pretty confident I got a 5. Mrs. Matheny gives us the chance to solve problems from previous years, and during the review, we solve whole tests from previous years.

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I generally put in 6-7 hours per week during most of the course, but during the final few weeks when doing the review, I put in about 12-13 hours per week.

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

To be honest, the hands on activities and case studies were really cool because you applied statistics to situations in real life. The daily RMCQs were also extremely valuable.

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Very much! Not only am I planning on taking more advanced statistics in college, I am also planning on hopefully having a job related to statistics - like maybe an actuary or something.

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes, the students are really nice and help each other.

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

The students that would do the best in this course would be those that like working with numbers and are willing to work hard and not give up. Mrs. Matheny is a great teacher and I would definitely recommend this class to other students!

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes! The class definitely prepared me for the AP exam - because although I haven't received my score yet, I feel pretty confident I got a 5. Mrs. Matheny gives us the chance to solve problems from previous years, and during the review, we solve whole tests from previous years.

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I generally put in 6-7 hours per week during most of the course, but during the final few weeks when doing the review, I put in about 12-13 hours per week.

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

To be honest, the hands on activities and case studies were really cool because you applied statistics to situations in real life. The daily RMCQs were also extremely valuable.

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Very much! Not only am I planning on taking more advanced statistics in college, I am also planning on hopefully having a job related to statistics - like maybe an actuary or something.

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes, the students are really nice and help each other.

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

The students that would do the best in this course would be those that like working with numbers and are willing to work hard and not give up. Mrs. Matheny is a great teacher and I would definitely recommend this class to other students!

Highly recommend!

I felt very prepared for the AP exam after completing this course.  I not only memorized the applicable formulas but internalized the concepts.  This was by far my favorite math class.  I loved the way statistics were related to everyday life, and I now find myself looking into the validity of experimental data instead of just accepting their face value.  After taking this class, I have a large interest in statistics and plan to take additional courses on this subject in college.  I did spend a good amount of time each week in this class; I suggest dedicating two hours a day.  

Very Useful and Interesting Class!!!

The course definitely prepared me for the AP exam. The review we did in class seemed very helpful and after just reviewing the majority of the content, the AP test seemed to go very well. 

This course also made me very interested in Statistics. It is very fascinating and connecting it to life, in general, has been great!

Any student who is interested in statistics, mathematics, research, and related fields would do well in this course as long as they stay on track and are self-motivated.

Take this course!

I usually put in about half an hour a day, six days a week. I did more when we had tests and during the last few weeks of review. My favorite assignments were definitely the ones with the candy :). Mrs. Matheny is great about not assigning busy-work, and I thought that all of the assignments directly helped me understand the material. Do all of the extra credit work, especially the random multiple choice questions, released questions from former exams, and the review materials available during April and May! I had a word document where I recorded what I learned from all the mistakes I made on the free response questions and multiple choice tests, and that was really helpful for learning and reviewing before the exam.  I don't think there was a single topic on the exam that was unfamiliar, and we did so many practice exams that the exam itself just felt like another practice session.

Although I think that my interest lies more in the area of the humanities, statistics is really a skill that is applicable to just about every domain. I have found it to be useful in my everyday life as well. I hope to take some more statistics classes in the future.

The class is mainly self-taught, so our discussion board wasn't very active. However, when students did post questions, Mrs. Matheny and the TAs were great at responding promptly, and I learned a lot from their answers. 

This is a great class that could appeal to any student willing to work hard. The math requirement is only Algebra II and quite honestly succeeding in this class requires less mathematical skill than diligently learning how to interpret statistical data and conduct tests and experiments. The workload is very manageable, especially if you practice stats daily through extra credit opportunities; I don't think that I could have done as well on the exam if I had only done the required work. Since I am a freshman, this was my first year taking APs, and AP Statistics was one of my favorite classes. Mrs. Matheny is an amazing teacher, the assignments are so much fun, and any student willing to work hard would get a lot out of this class!

Great Course

I would definitely recommend Mrs Matheny's AP Statistics course. I felt absolutely prepared for this course. Mrs Matheny did an incredible job of preparing hard quizzes that tested our knowledge. In the second half of the semester. we took MANY practice exams. This is what prepared me the most for the AP test. Going into the test, I didn't feel as worried like I did for other courses I had taken. I felt prepared and ready to do my best. Every day, I spent about 1.5 - 2.0 hours reading and studying. AP Statistics was a very difficult course for me and I would recomeend that it be taken if the student is willing to put in the time to truly understand the material. Many of the concepts/equations are complex and confusing at first. If the student has enough motivaiotn to break past the initial difficulty.  

My Favorite AP Class

I felt as if this was the perfect course for learning Statistics. It covered every single topic I needed to know for the exam and put less emphasis on topics that weren't on the exam. In this course, I put around an hour and a half a day of work in, and I felt like that was plenty. My favorite assignments were the case studies because they gave real-world application and enhanced my grasp of the topics. Throughout my middle school and most of my high school years, I have never had an admiration for the art of statistics. I found it boring and tedious. When I signed up for AP Statistics, I thought these feelings wouldn't change. Boy, was I wrong. I have developed a love for the subject and am now strongly considering it as a potential career path in it. Communication with other students was probably the most valuable part of the distance learning experience. It made it possible to both ask for help when needed, and bounce ideas off of others. I believe that, if you put in the work in this course, not only will any student excel, they will soon develop a passion for the subject. I'd recommend this course to anyone wishing to challenge themselves, and I believe it would work best as an introductory course for AP students.

Review of AP Stats

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam

YES. Not only was the course was extremely thorough, it was also fun and engaging. I received a 5 on the exam which I felt like anyone could achieve (with some hard work) through the class.

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I usually put in around 2 hours or less on weekdays and about 1 hour or less on weekends. 

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I loved all the Hands on Activities we did. It really made the online experience feel more like a class room.

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes. I am planning on majoring in economics in college and I think the course will really help me in that major. 

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

If you're remotely interested in research in any social sciences or even hard sciences, you should definitely take this course. It is certainly not an easy class (it's an AP after all!), but Mrs. Matheny does a great job of giving you the information and resources that allow you to succeed. I would definitely recommend! 

Well-organized class, Supportive enviroment

This course is very well-organized. Despite the breadth and depth of this statistics class, this course provided the best environment to keep everything clear in my mind by dividing the concepts well. As the last math class I took was in calculus, I found this course very valuable because it taught me how to apply concepts to large amounts of actual data.

Mrs. Matheny, as well my fellow students were always there to help when I needed it. Determined students with a passion for numbers and a willingness to keep going even when things seem repetitive will do well in this course.

I can already see how this course has allowed me to understand scientific research much better. Even in the independent reading I have done since finishing this class, I'm surprised by how much I understand, and which I would have given up on reading before, now that I've taken AP Statistics.

Awesome Class!

This was a great AP Stats Course! Mrs. Matheny gives you all the materials that you need to do well on the exam and succeed in class. There was not a single topic on the exam that hadn't been covered in detail this year. Mrs. Matheny was also great on the personal level, as she was willing to work with you, the student, whenever the necessity arose. If you're looking to both understand Stats and do well on the AP Exam, this is the place to come!

Overall, the AP statistics course was amazing. The teacher was awesome, responding to any questions I had in a timely manner. The assignments were effective at instilling the needed information into my mind. 

The course effectively prepared me for the exam. All the necessary information was provided. The assignments did a great job of preparing me. The tests and exams provided a realistic scenario of what the exam would feel like. The review period near the end of the course was quite effective. The teacher gave us plenty of previous tests to help us learn. More than enough information was provided and I felt quite prepared for the AP exam.

I spent, on average, 10 hours per week, going through this course, though occasionally, I did have to work a bit more to catch up on assignments. 

While there weren't any particular assignments I liked the most, some were extremely useful. Specifically, all of the extra credit assignments were amazing. I wasn't doing the greatest in the class and my score was trending towards a B, but all the extra credit assignments cushioned my score and gave me an A. Do the extra-credit assignments. It will help if you aren't doing the best and they really do a great job of ensuring that you know what to do.

Personally, I didn't interact with the class as much as I could've. This doesn't mean that you can't participate in your class. There is an area of the website that makes it quite easy to ask questions and interact with others. I even saw study groups forming on the discussion board, so if you're the type of person that wants to study with others, it should be no problem to get into contact with other students.

I would definitely recommend this course to any student who is willing to put in the needed effort. The design of the curriculum properly prepares you for the AP test and my interactions with my teacher were great. 

It was helpful.

As someone who has taught herself two AP classes, taking this class was refreshing. I enjoyed being able to talk with other students taking this course and  questions were immediately answered. Not only did it offer a great classroom setting, but the case studies and Hands on Activities taught concepts in a way that helped prepare for the AP test. I spent 1.5 hours a day on average working on this course which includes my time getting Class Participation Points. I would reccomend this course to anyone who is willing to put some time into it and wants to learn with some special Hands on Assignements and Case Studies.

AP Stats Review

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?
  Very well! No topic on the exam was a surprise or something we hadn't seen at least once during the year. Some of the information we needed to know felt very specific, so a note to future students to really understand all the details (even if they don't seem as important).
• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?
  It varied depending on the week. If it was just reading and homework, about 5-6 hours, but when the chapters got harder or we had a test/case study/longer assignment due then about 8 hours a week.
• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?
  Not an assignment, but I really appreciated the last month set aside for review. Ms. Matheny gave us resources for each day but also gave us the freedom to tackle and focus the areas we were weak on. It gave us a chance to breathe and apply everything we'd learned throughout the year within a reasonable time. 
• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?
  Yes, it gave me a new look at a lot of the data and articles we see on an everyday basis, and to stop and think what is behind all of it. The chapters on sampling procedures, experiments, and tests were especially interesting since they focused on other influencing factors besides just the numbers.
• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?
  Somewhat. Although we had a skype group with all the TAs and the Discussion board, this class is mostly self-taught aside from the case studies and feedback from practice FRQs. The skype group died down over the year and most of the time any questions on the discussion board were answered by Ms. Matheny herself or the TAs instead of another student. They were very valuable resources (shout out to Ms. Matheny for responding so quickly and clearly!) but I never got to know the other students that well.
• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?
  This is a great course suitable for any hardworking student who is willing to learn. I would say to not be afraid to ask questions and use all the resources provided—for me some things only clicked when I had it explained in a different way or was walked through a problem. This material learned in this class can definitely be applied outside the classroom, so anyone who has the slightest interest in how to understand and process data should take it. 

Review: AP Statistics

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

This course did an excellent job challenging and preparing me for the AP exam. The resources provided made review easy. All the practice tests are what really helped me.

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

During the week, I spent about an hour a day on statistics. If it was a test week the number generally increased and I ended up having to do some cath up work on the weekends. The course load is not overwhelming but be prepared to put some time into it.

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Definitely!! I came into the year knowing nothing about statistics and came out with knowledge, confidence, and a newfound interest in statistics. I've also become a lot more suspicous of all those stats people throw around (they're probably biased!! Thanks chapter 4). This course helped me realize how applicable and useful statistics is. It was a great class and I'm so glad I took it!

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students?

I really enjoyed statistics and would defintely recommend it! If you are looking into taking statistics be prepared to work hard and take initiative. The materials are all there for you but you are the one who has to take advantage of them. I think it took me the first couple weeks to figure out where everything was and how it worked. When I did, I found (and used) the resources that worked well with me. That is the nice thing about this class, it allows you to learn in your own way and makes you take control of your homework schedule. The one requirement is that you work hard and stay dedicated.

     P.S. Do the extra credit work. It was one of the best ways I learned.

Mrs. Matheny's AP Statistics Class

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes! Throughout the year, Mrs. Matheny gave us great homework assignments that helped us remember the material. She linked great Youtube videos and powerpoints related to the chapters. She was always available to answer any questions we had. During test prep, she made 8 full past AP exams available to us. When the time came to take the exam, I felt very confident that I had learned the material well. 

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I generally put about an hour an a half per weekday into this course. 

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable? 

The class's FRQ board was very valuable to me. Mrs. Matheny posted FRQs from real AP exams for each chapter, so that we could practice taking them throughout the year. Taking these throughout the year helped me to not be nervous about taking them on the exam. The Random MCQs were also extremely helpful. Mrs. Matheny posted hundreds of multiple choice questions so we could practice taking some every day. 

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes! This is my favorite AP class I have taken so far. Statistics is now #1 on my list of possible college majors. This is an amazing class!!!

Stats Review (Oskroba)

—I feel like this course did a great job of preparing me for the AP exam. I felt super confident from start to finish on the exam. The practice exams really helped.

—Not sure, it definitely varied. Maybe and hour to two hours a day? It certainly wasn't overwhelming, which allowed me to focus on other things as well as I took on a challenging courseload this year.

—The whole course was awesome for me. Considering I'd love to go into statistics, I enjoyed every bit of new material.

—Absolutely. I really look forward to being able to apply the skills I've learned to a subject I already love.

—The WWW Board interactions were really helpful. Commenting on the HOA and stuff wasn't as helpful, but it was a good check I guess.

—I would reccomend this to anyone who has an interest in the field and is willing to work hard to understand stuff. CPP, FRQ's, and Class Review were largely optional, as were the videos and stuff. A student who only did the DM's and HW would not succeed, especially with no live componant. But anyone who works hard and asks questions can really benefit from this course.

Forgot to add.......

I forgot to mention in my former review how amazing the teacher was. Her explanations and dedication to the class were wonderful, and greatly appreciated. She truly heped this class to become a worthwhile and memorable experience.  Thank you Mrs Matheny!

AP Statistics Course Review

I felt that overall, this course was definitely a huge help in preparing for the ap exam. Besides all the course work given, all the extra credit acyivities and review materials given to us, the students, were great tools that had a lot of benefits. On average I probably spent at least and hour to an hour and a half on the course work per day. Unfortunately, the way my brain is wired, I am just a more of a creative, hands on type of person, so i feel that my relationship with statistics from the beginning was a little rough, but it was interesting how the course opened my eyes to the statistics that were being used around my on a day to day basis. 

I didn't communicate all that much with the other students in my class, but i will say it was nice having the board were the tas and some of the other students would post tips and interesting facts. It was also nice knowing that if I needed hep I could easily reach out to the other students, TAs and the teacher to ask my questions and get the help I needed. 

I would reccommend this course to a student who has the drive and motivation, and who would'nt mind writing more than normal for math. 

Excellent Class

I came into this class with no statistical knowledge and, I'll be honest, not much interest in it. I didn't expect it to be such an interesting class! Mrs. Matheny laid out a very good course, and made learning statistics fun. The most fun activities had to be the Hands-on Activities where we applied our new statistical knowledge to a real-world scenario.

The workload is managable, with about an average of an hour per day of work. The longest of days were the days with tests, and these took me a couple of hours to complete. The discussion board was very active and very helpful, since it enabled me to hear confusing concepts worded differently and make more sense.

Overall, this was an excellent course, and Mrs. Matheny was an excellent teacher. She was extremely fast to respond to questions and issue grades. This course definetely increased my interest in statistics, and I felt well prepared for the AP exam. If you want something interesting to learn about or how statistics work, I'd say this is a good course for you.

AP Statistics Review

Students who are willing to work hard, stay focused, and ask questions will be able to thrive in this class.  There are a lot of extra credit point oppurtunities, all of which help prepare you for the AP exam and the chapter tests, while earning you extra credit to help your grade.  Anyone who is willing to put their best effort forward and dedicate focused time and effort on this course should be able to do very well in the class and on the AP exam.

I especially enjoyed to HOAs(Hands on Activities), Random MCQs, and the Youtube Videos.  The HOAs were really fun and helped me to grasp topics I was sturggling with by applying them to real life scenarios, and at the same time prepared me for the FRQs in the AP exam, which I didn't realize until we had finished with most of them.  The Random MCQs really helped me to get practice for the exam and the Chapter tests, which is very helpful.  The youtube videos were very fun to watch and useful for helping me reinforce ideas and graspe concepts I didn't initially understand.

My Favorite Math Class in High School

When I signed up for this class, I knew I had to work hard. I am not a math person. To be honest, I was a bit scared the first couple weeks of class, but that didn't last. This being my senior year, I wanted to challenge myself by taking AP Statistics. I am so glad that I took this challenge! I spent around 2-3 hours of work a day on this class. Some days I only spent 1 hour on this class A typical day of stats for me would be reading the daily message, getting my 5 CPP with the RMCQs, watching a youtube video or powerpoint, reading the assigned textbook pages, and then doing the homework problems. My favorite assignments were the hands on activities, especially the ones with candy. 

This was my favorite class that I took for senior year. Thanks Mrs. Matheny for being a wonderful teacher!

A Worthwhile Challenge

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?                                                                       I think pretty well. I know compared to the others at my location who took the exam I seemed more confident. Most of what was on the exam I knew how to do without a doubt.
• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?                              I am really bad at knowing this, but I think 7 or more hours per week.
• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?                            The case studies. They were very helpful in learning how to do an FRQ.
• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?                                                                     Yes, I am now considering adding a stats minor to my engineering major!
• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?                        Yes, we were really able to help each other learn and understand.
• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?                                                                                  If you are willling to work hard you can do it! I think you don't even have to be a "math" person because this math is very different from all others.

A great class!

Overall, I really enjoyed this course! It prepared me very well for the exam.  Mrs. Matheny has us do lots of MCQ and FRQ practice throughout the year, so I didn't even need to review much by the time the exam came around.  I reviewed notes a couple of times, did some more practice FRQS, and I was all set.  

I probably did 6-7 hours of work per week.  I enjoyed doing hands on activities and RMCQs each day.  There's not a whole lot of class interaction, but the WWWboard provides space to ask questions or respond to people's questions.  This class didn't feel too rigorous to me, but it teaches skills that very relevant! I highly recommend the course.  Mrs. Matheny is a fantastic teacher!

AP Statistics with Mrs. Matheny

Mrs. Matheny puts an incredible amount of effort into the classroom, and it definitely shows! She's organized and gives plenty of extra credits opportunities that just ensure that you are even more prepared for the exam. The text book wasn't my absolute favorite, but I definitely had mastery of the material by the time the exam came around and there technically wasn't anything wrong with it. The work load is definitely manageable, and Mrs. Matheny gives a recommended weekly schedule that breaks the readings and assignments down into very manageable chunks. I'd say the most time-consuming things were the chapter quizes and question sets. It's also definitely important to review everything in the chapter before the tests and make sure you understand it all completely (which I definitely did not do enough). It's also scored without a curve as far as I'm aware, so even though the exam is curved, you have to know the material if you want to do well. This class is also not just a "teach to the test" kind of class, and it does incorporate fun activities (like the M&M activity that ALL these reviews mention). 
Although statistics can be confusing and difficult, after this class I actually found the AP exam itself one of the easiest I've ever taken; I've taken 10 of them, so that definitely counts for something!

AP STAT Class Review

1. Even though I take the exam tomorrow, I do feel like the course prepared me well for the final and has prepared me for the AP exam. It is really up to the students to put the time in to really study the material offered. 

2. Per week I probably spent around 3-5 hours depending on if there was a test/case study/HOA or just homework 7 reading. 

3. I really enjoyed every HOA, they all added an informative & fun activity to your week that helped illustrate concepts you had been learning. 

4. It definitely did! I did not know much at all about statistics prior to this course, and it definitely opened up my eyes to a whole new concept. 

5. I did not utilize communication with students as much as I probably should have during this course but I did make a friend and through social media we were able to talk and study!

6. This course is good for students who can balance both math and english as well as critical thinking. This course really needs for you to think outside of the box and use the formulas you are given to come to well thought out conclusions. 

New Appreciation of Statistics

To Those Who Love Math

When I started AP Statistics, Mrs. Matheny said something like this, "Those who dislike math tend to love statistics, while those who love math tend to dislike statistics." 

I took Calculus AB the year before I took AP Statistics. I loved calculus. It is so elegant and basically hinges on two concepts. Having done that, I was often frustrated by how statistics seemed more like rote number-crunching than elegant problem-solving. Also, statistics has a lot of concepts, though the concepts are not that hard. On the other hand, statistics is very practical, since all the problems deal with very real situations (Two treatments are administered to two groups of 12 people...), as opposed to calculus (Find f'(x) if f(x)=x^2+x-1). 

Even so, I did enjoy statistics. It challenged me in my verbal skills, as statistics involves a lot of writing along with number-crunching. I'm not sure if I ever want to take more statistics classes, but the statistics I did take this year helped me in a lot of other ways. This past year, I also took AP Psychology and the SAT Math 2 subject test, both of which covered basic statistics. Because of AP Statistics, I didn't even need to study or review the statistics parts of AP Psychology and Math 2 in preparation for the tests.

For AP Statistics, I did 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours of work a day, including taking notes and posting on the class discussion board. Those discussions with classmates were probably my favorite part of the class. They helped me solidify my understanding of statistics while also earning extra credit points. :D I was definitely well-prepared for the AP exam. 

10/10 Would take again

This course did an incredible job of preparing me for the AP Statistics Exam. Going into the test, I felt prepared for anything!

I spent about 4-5 hours a week, generally on the higher end for the first week of a new topic, on the lower for a review section.

The Case Studies and RMCQ's could be the class by themselves, they were that good.

I came into APS curious and very excited for Stats, but no more than any other class. Now I might major in it.

Interactions with fellow classmates were helpful, and appreciated, but not a predominate part of the class. It is possible (though very unwise) to go long portions of time without looking at the WWW Board.

A student who likes math and who is ready to committ to the class will do well. Above all, be prepared to do a lot of work. Think about how much work you did for a Calculus class, and realize it's about the same. Completely worth it though!

Great Teacher, Great Class

This class was awesome, and I think a lot of that was due to Mrs. Matheny's expertise. I'd never been in a class where a teacher wasn't directly teaching or giving an online lecture, and I was surprised that I learned so much from Mrs. Matheny's daily messages, which are just composed of text. She also was great at answering questions, and you could tell that she knew exactly what her students needed. She makes the class. 

Another thing to note is that I'm definitely not a "math person", but this class was insanely fascinating for me. It involves more analysis than actual math work (you do most of your calculations on a calculator), and the real world application was a huge factor in the way I enjoyed the class. So many of the things we learn are directly applicable to real life, and I find myself thinking about data in the news differently than I had before. 

This class was also excellent preparation for the AP exam. I'm not even one of the top students in this class, but I'm confident that I got at least a 4 (maybe I'm wrong, but we'll see :P). It did take a lot of hard work, but I'd recommend it to almost any student, math person or not. 

Thank you so much Mrs. Matheny! This class has given me a much greater interest in Statistics. 

This course is amazing for AP Statistics. It didn't move too fast, but we finished in time to review tons before the test. There were so many great opportunities to practice as well throughout the year, that when the time came to put my knowledge to use, I felt very prepared and ready to do my best. I would highly recommend this course to anyone looking to understand more about how statistics works, not only in theory, but also through real-life examples and activites!

Great Course, Large Time Commitment

This is a great course, and Mrs. Matheny is a great teacher. I have learned so much this year, and have found that I really enjoy statistics. I felt very well prepared for the exam, and was able to do quite well with it. Starting a month late, I had to invest a little bit more time each day than I otherwise would have. On average, I spent probably about 20 hours per week on this course. I would highly recommend this course, but it is a substantial time commitment. If you're looking for an easy course, this isn't the one for you, but if you want a challenging course that will provide you with an adequate knowledge of a useful topic, and will help you earn some college credit, then I would suggest this course. 

Suggestions:

Don't underestimate the importance of extra credit (CPP) 

If you can get an A+ in this course without extra credit, good for you. Now, once you wake up from your little dream, you will realize that you need extra credit. I didn't do nearly enough to earn extra credit the first semester, so I ended up with a poor grade for the semester, and had to work really hard as the second semester drew to a close in order to get a good grade. Answer RMCQ's do the practice FRQ's, explain the MCQ's, and anything else you can do for extra credit. Not only will this earn you the extra credit it also really helps to prepare you for the exam, as well as the chapter tests and FRQ's.

Make sure that you have a computer that you can use for an hour or so each day

You will do much better in the class if you can access the site frequenly, and discuss the topics with your classmates, it will make you feel like a part of the class, and like you are not alone in it. You will also need the computer for practice FRQ's and MCQ explanations. The computer is very important.

Asolutely outstanding class!

If you're looking for a course that will prepare you for the AP Statistics exam in a thourough, yet creative and enjoyable way, look no further!  Mrs. Matheny's AP Stats class was definitely my favorite class that I took this year.  It was fun, original, and yet still rigorous enough that I learned everything that I needed to know for the AP Statistics exam.  This course prepared me extremely well on the exam, and I felt very confident and relaxed before and during the exam itself.

At the beginning of the year, I think I put in about 2-3 hours of class time each day, but after statistics managed to "click" with me, I was spending about 1 hour on homework and tests, and then an additional hour on extra credit work if I had the time.  However, the class due dates are extremely flexible and are easy to fit into a busy schedule.

I found the daily RMCQ's (Random Multiple Choice Questions) to be SO helpful in keeping all the material we'd learned fresh in my mind.  It was also awesome that these questions counted for extra credit, because boy did doing them ever boost my mark at the end of the year!  I also really liked doing the hands-on activities with candies.  Those assignments were both fun and tasty!

I'd never taken a statistics course before I took AP stats.  In fact, I didn't even really know what statistics was or how it worked.  But, after taking this class, I'm seriously considering a career in statistics!  This class made me fall in love with stats and all that it holds.  Sometimes I'll start explaining some statistical concept to my friends, and not realize that 20 minutes go by in which I'll do nothing but talk about stats!

The other students taking this class were amazing.  They're a wonderful, smart, supportive group of people that will always be there for you when you're struggling with a stats concept.  This class does have a discussion board, and I would highly recommend using it.  Sometimes, you'll get more than one response to a question and realize that there's multiple ways of finding the answer you're looking for!

Finally, any student that is determined, ambitious, self-motivated, and hard-working would thrive in this class.  As long as they're willing to put in the work to truly excel in the class, then they will excel on the exam.  I would most definitely recommend this course to other students.  It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get acquainted with the wonderful world of statistics!

Take this class!!

This is a great class! Statistics is a subject I think everyone should take, not only STEM oriented people like myself. After all, we all should be able to understand how studies, opinion polls, etc. work. I really enjoyed the class all year long. Mrs. Matheny is an excellent teacher. The schedule is very flexible and well-organized, and I felt really confident going into and during the AP exam.

The distribution of my daily workload had a mean of around an hour with a standard deviation of... wait that's what statistics does to you! I did spend more time during the month of April, when we reviewed previous APs (90 minutes per section). Doing RMCQs for a few minutes each day for bonus points became part of my routine (even on the weekends). Really, they're excellent practice for the multiple choice section of the test and get your grade up. Reading comics and doing hands on activities (with candies!!) were some of the highlights of the class.

I believe that students who are motivated and willing to put in the work will succeed in this class and on the AP exam.

Class Review

I thought that Mrs. Matheny did a fantastic job of preparing us for the exam all year long - I didn't realize just how helpful the style of the class had been until I started taking practice tests in April. 

I especially thought that the April Review Plan was incredibly helpful to prepare for the exam. During this time we had a schedule of practice MCQ and FRQ sections to complete. A certain number were required, but beyond that they were optional to do at your own pace and contributed extra credit points to your grade. This was so helpful for me, because otherwise I probably wouldn't have had as much motivation to complete practice tests. A lot of other classes don't mention practice exams, or don't count them towards your grade, but this course did. By the time I took the actual exam, I felt comfortable with the timing and style of both portions of the test.

Besides this, Mrs. Matheny provided many opportunities for extra credit by complelting more work throughout the year. The assignment schedule was flexible, but it also had specific breakdowns for each day, which I thought was helpful. Instead of getting assignments in one big chunk per week, Mrs. Matheny broke down which days were suggested to do which assignments. However, these suggestions were just suggestions and thus the assignments were not due on those days and instead you had the freedom to complete them at your own pace. 

I think that students who are willing to work hard, commit time, and are self-motivated would do well in this class. 

Thank you Mrs. Matheny for a great year!

AP Statistics

I thought that AP Statistics was a great course! I loved the discussions on the board that were posted, and that all the kids could answer each other's questions. I definitely felt prepared for the exam after the course; I was scoring higher than I thought on all of my practice tests. The workload is very flexible; I am often gone for a week here and there for some of my robotics competitions, and I could still keep up with my work. I would say that I spent about 7-9 hours a week on statistics, more when big tests aproach. The most valuable assigments are those that are not required; the extra credit really helped me to cement concepts, and it also boosted my grade signifigantly! My interest in statistics definitely increased after this course, and now I can look at graphs and numbers and see the statistical data in them. This course is great for anyone interested in statistice, and is very flexiblle, so even people like me with a lot of stuff can do it. I highly reccomend this course.

AP Stats with Mrs. Matheny

I just finished the AP Statistics Exam and I feel energetic and generally great! If you like that kind of feeling after a 3 hour exam, and are looking for an enjoyable course, look no further. Because of this course, I know I will be taking more statistics-related courses in college.

A truly excellent math class! Everybody should take this.

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

I came into AP Statistics with no particular strong interest in math. I just knew that I wanted to take an upper-level math course and AP Statistics seemed interesting and a valuable finish to my education in high school mathematics. From this class, I've noticed a distinct change in the way my brain handles numbers and concepts in statistics. I now have a firm grasp on the concepts in statistics and, for the first time in high school, I feel confident and calm with mathematical concepts. Going into the exam, I was even a little bit excited to see what kinds of questions I would get. 

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I spent about 2 hours a day on this work, sometimes a little bit less. Most days, we had a reading assignment and several homework problems to complete, with specific days carved out to study for and complete chapter tests and free response questions. At the end of the year, we spent the month of April in exam prep. During those weeks, Mrs. Matheny did an excellent job of guiding us through the exam prep process. 

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

While I certainly didn't enjoy every second, I found the last month of exam prep particularly valuable. In many AP classes, students are expected to plan their own exam prep time and how they are going to study. While Mrs. Matheny stressed the importance of student independence, she was quick to explain n the best way for us to go about preparing for the exam. When it came time to take the exam, I was calm and sure that I was completely prepared. 

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Definitely! I've found that statistics has entered all areas of my life, from the way I read the news to family conversations around the dinner table. I feel that I am better able to handle information that I recieve from data and I look forward to seeing how my future studies in college intertwine with my study of statistics this past year. 

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

This is not a communcation-heavy class. While students are definitely encouraged to participate on the WWW Board, it is definitely possible to be successful in this class without heavy communcation with students. Most of the work revolves around homework, reading, and tests - none of which rely heavily on student interaction. However, I was always encouraged and excited by what my fellow classmates were learning and posting about and I really benefitted from weekly study buddy sessions with another classmate. 

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

Being a math genius or a die-hard math enthusiast is not required for this course. However, you should be willing to try new subjects and fully devote yourself to working hard. This is a difficult class, and there came a point around January where I felt completely swamped. However, if you push through this, you will begin to realize the incredible value that this AP Statistics class will have in your life. 

Challenging & Rewarding Class!

Mrs. Matheny required a high level of excellence and commitment and provided many opportunities for learning and understanding the material! I spent an estimated ten-fourteen hours on the course each week on homework, class participation, and tests with an average of two hours per day. The course is very much self-run, and you, the student, are in charge of understanding, mastering, and getting the grade you want using the opportunities she provides. I would recommend this course to anyone who has strong analysis and writing skills and who is ready to be challenged and master discipline. If you do not have a natural aptitude for critical thinking/analysis, like me, this course will most likely be very challenging, but if you work hard and are ready to put in the hours, she makes it possible to get the grade you want.  In conclusion, Mrs. Matheny's AP Statistics course greatly challenged me and prepared me well for college level courses as well as the AP exam! 

Fantastic AP Stats class!

First of all, I would like to thank Mrs. Matheny for being such an excellent teacher.  She always responded to my questions in a timely manner and helped make sure that I understood everything.  She did a great job designing the syllabus, and I found that I was always more than capable of completing the assigned tasks.

I generally put about 2-3 hours a day (not working on weekends) into the class, but I'm not exactly the fastest worker.  The numerous Hands on Activities were a big help in demonstrating the ideas from the textbook in an interactive way.

I loved the WWW Board where students could ask and answer questions about statistics, homework problems, tests, and concepts, or share a funny statistics joke.  I felt that the class was very social and everyone was supportive of everyone else.

I was very surprised to learn that there was more to statistics than just a few math problems.  This class was an intense course involving inference, probabilities, and much more.  I would not recommend this course to anyone who isn't willing to work, only because you need to be willing to put in an effort and learn the material to do well.

Overall, I could not have been more prepared for the AP exam, with Mrs. Matheny's brilliant teaching and the intensive review we had.  I came away from the exam feeling like I had done my very best, and I was pleased with my work in both the class and the exam.  This course made me think about oppurtunities and applications for statistics in college and beyond.  If you are really interested in statistics or maybe you're just looking for a cool class to take, I guaruntee you, you will not be disappointed with Mrs. Matheny's AP Statistics class.

Great Stat Class!

Mrs. Matheny ran a well-organized and rigorous statistic course. The textbook problems and question sets were challenging and left me well prepared for the AP exam. Also, the hands-on activities were fun, and helped me see the connection between the concepts we were learning and their applications in the real world. Overall I enjoyed the course and would highly recommend it to other students. 

Skills not just for High School

Calculus, geometry, trigonometry, and physics, are all great for specialized study. But outside of that, no one really uses those subjects. Statistics, on the other hand, is a topic that is commonplace in everyday life. Mrs. Matheny's class opened my eyes to the statistics we use and apply in the world around us. Not only did this class prepare me for the AP exam, but it also equipped me to analyze everything from a statistical perspective. Everything from surveys to bogus claims, statistics has allowed me to find both the truth and the meaning behind data gathering and analysis. In short, AP Statistics prepares you not just to graduate high school, but also equips you with an awareness that is essential for your life and beyond.

AP Statistics

Hey Everyone!

I got the opportunity this year to journey into the land of Statistics through the online course taught by Mrs. Matheny. Although Statistics isn't my forte, Mrs. Matheny prepared me well beyond belief for this exam. Now on to the burning questions you all have for this course:

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam:

Yes! Over the year we systematically went through the entire book. The last month or 2, all we did was review, and by review, I mean massive review. Mrs. Matheny gave us multiple choice and FRQs from previous tests and gave us mini lessons on each major unit of the AP course. The nice thing was that the review homework was all optional, meaning, if you knew the material well, you could move on. If you had no idea what you were doing, you could practice some more.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I'd say about 1.5 to 2 hours every day, including Saturday.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found interesting or valuable?

I absolutely loved the RMCQs!!! They were the best!!! Basically, they were multiple choice questions that would come from the material you were learning now or that you already learned. They were a great review tool. I probably spent way too much time doing these. 

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes! The WWW board is essentially a discussion board for all the problems you encounter in statistics. The classroom also has a bunch of wonderful TAs or teacher assistants that help out. Typically a question posted on the discussion board will be answered within a day. Many times, multiple students will join in on a thread to give their input or tips, furthering knowledge and understanding of the material. 

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students?

Absolutely! This course does require a lot of work (or maybe it was just me since I wasn't particularily good at statistics), so be sure to expect to put in time and effort into knowing and understanding the material. In the beginning, it might seem slow, but at the end of the school year, you can look back and proudly proclaim that you are 95% confident that the interva... whoops almost launched into a statistic joke. In all seriousness, at the end of the course everything melts beautifully together and you'll gain a deeper appreciation of statistics. I had no idea what I was doing till about 2 months ago. Once you get to that point, everything will seem crystal clear, you just have to keep on working at it.

I highly recommend this course to all prospective students. Not just because Mrs. Matheny does a great job of preparing you for the exam, but also because she really cares about the students. The course is designed in a way so that students will truly understand and grasp the material. Good luck future students!!!

Not what I was expecting

 When I took the AP exam I felt really prepared and knew that I was more than capeable of getting a 5.  Mrs. Mathaneys tests were harder in my opinion than the actual exam so I felt like I not only knew the material but that I knew it better than the AP exam expected me to. I finished the Multipule choice section and Free responce Question section of the exam with pleanty of time to spare because I knew the material so well. 

I usually came into the classroom everyday and spent 5-10 min on the Random Multipule Choice Questions and then spent about an hour everyday on reading the textbook and doing the homework problems. 

I really enjoyed the hands on activities. ( but that might have just been because several envolved candy)

I decided I do not like statistics at all during this cource. So while it did not make me want to take statistics it was just as important because it let me know that I did not want to be a statistician. 

The WWW board was a great way to conect to other students. If you posted a question at least one of your classmates as well as Mrs. Mathaney would reply. This really helped my understanding on subjects I got stuck on. 

Students who like math as well as english would do well in this cource. Their is a lot of writing and infrence envolved in statistics so if you don't like explaining your math this class might not be the right one for you. I would recomend this course to other students it was a valuable learning experience even though it turned out it wasn't my favorite subject. 

A great class taught by a great teacher!

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable? 

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable? 

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

Would Recommend!

First off, statistics is such an interesting and important subject, and I am so glad I got to learn about it this year! I find myself using when evaluating data on websites, studies, etc., and would recommend that everyone take it!

I felt this course really prepared me for the AP exam. I never came across anything on the test or the practice tests that I felt hadn't been covered enough or covered at all. Also, Mrs. Matheny gives lots of helpful advice on how to approach the test. The choice of textbook is really solid as well--the homework problems really prepared me for the free response section of the exam. Mrs. Matheny's lectures are very clear, and she also posts lots of other links (such as videos from AP stats guy) to compliment the course material.

I probably spent about 1.5 to 2 hours a day on the work. It took me a longer time to read through new concepts, so if one of the days had a lot of reading I would spend closer to 2 hours while if the day had light reading, I could finish in about an hour or so.

The assignments I found to be the most valuable were Mrs. Matheny's Hands On Activities. She would have us collect data, record it, and do various statistic methods on them. They were the most valuable to me because it gave me a better understanding of how everything worked because I was doing everything by hand. Also, they often involved candy, so that was great too. 

The course definitely enhanced my interest in the subject. It is so important to know statistics! I've been told that so many times throughout high school, but only after taking this class did I realize how important it is. It is incredibly applicable and I will definitely be using what I learned in this class for the rest of my life.

I would recommend this course to other students, but only if they're willing to work hard. I was expecting statistics to be very much like traditional math (which I don't have to spend nearly as much time on) but it is very different! In order to understand concepts, I would have to read the textbook several times, watch videos, read Mrs. Matheny's lectures, do the practice problems, and all kinds of other things. This course is not a course where you can just read the assigned textbook pages and breeze through the homework (at least, that wasn't how it was for me). I would say it's hard work but definitely worth it.

My favorite AP course!

      Wow, where do I start? First of all, Mrs. Matheny was my favorite AP teacher this year. Her daily messages were extremely detailed and informative, and she would always answer any questions I had about the course material and the exam as quickly as she could, whether through email or through the WWW online discussion Board. In addition, Mrs. Matheny provided links to numerous websites and videos that helped clarify what I had learned. During the final month before the AP Exam, Mrs. Matheny gave us invaluable tips and exercises to guide us as we practiced for the exam. As a result, I felt extremely prepared and comfortable during the AP Statistics Exam.

     However, having an awesome teacher and numerous resources to help you study doesn't mean that I was able to get away without studying. The mean time that I spent completing homework and other course activities was approximately 2 hours per day (there's some statistics for you!). But don't despair, among the class assignments I enjoyed were the hands-on activities (which include counting M&Ms for about 30 minutes). I also had a fun time competing with other students to get the highest score on the class participation list, while contributing to my grade at the same time. 

     Before taking this AP Statistics class, I had no clue what statistics was all about; I thought it had something to do with calculating batting averages and drawing bar graphs. While statistics does involve sports and drawing, my eyes were opened to a new world of inference, confidence intervals, and significance tests, concepts I'd never heard of before. Statistics has allowed me to have a greater appreciation for scientific experiments, political polls, and surveys. Although I can't say that statistics is my favorite subject, I have definitely gained a greater interest in the subject and will probably use it in the future. 

     The discussion Board was perhaps my favorite feature of the class. Any questions I had were answered by my classmates, and if not, Mrs. Matheny herself. In turn, I enjoyed answering questions that my classmates posted and reading any suggestions provided by Mrs. Matheny. Out of the AP Classes I took this year, the AP Statistics board was probably the most interactive and helpful.

     As with all other AP classes, AP Statistics requires much dedication, time management, and hard work. A student who is willing to fulfill those three obligations will undoubtedly succeed in the AP Exam. Also, a decent knowledge of mathematics would definitely help a student understand many of the concepts. I would absolutely recommend this course to students considering taking the AP Statistics exam.

If you want a new perspective on the world.....take this course

This was a really great class: it was interesting and challenging, but also flexible enough that I could work it around my schedule.  I felt very prepared when I took the exam; we had a solid month of review that definitely helped me know what to expect from the exam, and how to answer the different types of questions.  This course was a bit challenging for me at times, but there were lots of helpful videos and explanations provided by Mrs. Matheny to help us understand the concepts.  I would say any student who is okay with a daily mental workout will do great in this class.  Statistics is a fascinating study.  Now that I understand some of the techniques for gathering and testing data, I am able think critically about various statistics I encounter in everyday life.   

Super Course!!!!

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

I felt this class prepared me for the AP exam completly. Mrs. Matheny could not have done anything more to help me feel ready and familiar with the test format and material. The course uses FRQ questions just like the AP exam early on in the year, so I was familiar with them quickly. also the countless practice MCQ and FRQ near the end of the year were so helpful, and even more Mrs. Matheny's feedback. 

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I spent around 2-3 hours daily on this subject, more when studying for a test.

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

As hard as they were, the FRQ's were incredibly helpful in preparing for the AP exam.

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes. before I thought this would just be a boring math class, but this course showed me so many real life applications that statistics have, making it my favorite class all year.

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

YES! the www board is so helpful, and when learning online, it is so valueble to be able to communicate with other students who are learning the same things and having the same problems as you. other students in the class helped me so much when i couldn't figure something out, and just to know that I had classmates added a lot to the class.

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

This course was pretty hard for me, but also really fun. I think a detail oriented, hard working student would do well in the class. Start learning and taking notes early on in the class, and it will help tons when the exam rolls around and your're reviewing. I would most definetly recommend this course to others.

Thank you so much Mrs. Matheny for teaching and helping me through the year. You have been an amazing teacher, always there to talk to if I had a problem or question, and you are very understanding. This class has been my favorite course this year by far, and you did a great job of engaging the class. And your review for the AP exam is unparralleld!! Thanks for a fun year!

AP Statistics - fantastic class!

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes, I felt extremely well-prepared for the AP exam. I didn't need to do any cramming because I'd been learning the material so thoroughly throughout the year. Mrs. Matheny also assigned many practice free-response and multiple-choice questions in the month before the test. 

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

About 1.5 hours a day. The material wasn't extremely challenging, but many of the questions involved much writing, and I also tried to do random multiple choice questions and post on the board daily.  

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

Yes, the random multiple choice questions and practice FRQs were especially helpful! 

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Definitely! I'm tentatively planning to major in economics and computer science, and both subjects use statistics. I was also taking Coursera's Machine Learning course concurrently, and statistics helped me understand the material in that course much better. I'm looking forward to learning more statistics - for its own sake, and for its applications in other areas.  

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes. Mrs. Matheny encouraged students to post and answer each other's questions on the board, so there was a strong sense of collaboration. 

 • What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

Anyone who wants to understand the statistics that show up in newspapers, debates, and just about everywhere. I think this could be an especially good first AP class, because there is less material to learn than in many other APs. 

I also wanted to mention that Mrs. Matheny is an exceptionally well-organized, responsive, and thorough teacher. I can see just why her students do so well on the AP exam! 

Great Class

This class helped me so much as I prepared for the AP test. I felt extremely prepared for the AP test and always knew or recognized the concept for each question in the test. Mrs. Matheny really helped by giving us lots of practice tests and helpful hints as we got into the month of April. Also, the textbook was great and always was telling us how to say certain things or how to respond on certain types of free response questions. There ended up being less math and a whole lot more writing than I expected in a Stats class, but I feel that I have gained so much good knowledge through the concepts and ideas that I was taught. Also, I feel that this class has tested my communication skills. It made me put into words what was in my head.

In general, the more time you are willing to give to this class, the better you will be. If an average person just skims through the textbook and hardly ever reads what Mrs. Matheny had to say about anything, then this person will not do very well. But, if the average person spends time carefully reading the textbook and takes advantage of the tools that Mrs. Matheny provides, he/she can definately do well. So basically, the more work you do, the better you will learn stats. Mrs. Matheny really helps you along through the work and wants you to succeed. In general, it was a great stats class.

AP Stats with Mrs. Matheny

I had the pleasure of taking AP Statistics with Mrs. Matheny this year. I've taken many PA Homeschoolers AP classes over the years, and Mrs. Matheny gave us all the experience that I've come to expect from the best online classes. She provided excellent daily messages, great personal feedback, a rigorous (but not overly so) course load... I thoroughly enjoyed the class.

Although sickness caused me to miss to the AP test itself, I do know, based on the class final and multiple practice tests, that I mastered the course material very well. I would definitely recommend Mrs. Matheny's AP Statistics class to anyone who wants to learn Stats and is willing to work hard!

Most engaging math class I've taken

For anyone who thinks advanced math is too abstract and not very useful to the average person--have you tried statistics? Mrs. Matheny's course taught me about the laws of probability and data, and how to apply them to real-life problems about inference. Among other things, I learned:

--how to describe a data set and find patterns in it

--what probability really means and how to use probability laws to make the most efficient choices in situations involving chance

--how to make inference about a whole city from a sample of just 30 people, and predict how accurate the result will be

--how to find evidence that a die is weighted

--how to write survey questions that give fair results and whom to give the survey to

For me, a usual day in class involved self-paced reading and homework problems, posting or answering a question on the class board, and answering review questions online for extra credit points. Every two weeks or so I answered actual past AP free-response questions.

In this class I really learned the material! Mrs. Matheny posted explanations of the lesson every day that clarified concepts, warned against common errors and misconceptions, and offered advice for the AP exam. When I got questions wrong on tests, I could write and post explanations of the correct answer after the test, so that I wouldn't repeat my mistakes on future tests and the AP exam. Every day I could answer a few quick review questions to keep the material fresh in my mind the whole year. I could even write my own review questions for other students to answer, which really solidified what I was learning. Having so many interesting opportunities to review (not just drills) was probably my favorite aspect of the course.

In this class I was able to interact with the other students more often and more productively than in all other online classes I have taken. I and my classmates posted helpful questions and answers every day, and occasionally graphs and studies we found in the news.

Mrs. Matheny is a superb teacher, too! She visited the online classroom every day to answer questions and to keep us posted about important upcoming events. Communication was always clear, she always got my grades back fast, and always answered emails promptly. She provided plenty of resources and supplemental materials, and wrote practice tests for the class. She made sure the class was well informed about the AP exam and what would be expected of us on test day, helping us to set up a testing location and review exam rules.

When I took the AP Statistics exam, I was confident about almost all of my answers and had lots of time left to check my work. I felt that my answers were not only correct, but showed mastery of statistics. I think this can all be attributed to the excellent, thorough test prep in the class.

If you are interested in taking this class, I think you have to be an independent worker in order to keep up with assignments and should be willing to participate in online interaction with other classmates.

Thank you Mrs. Matheny for my best course all year! I highly recommend this class as a valuable learning experience and preparation for the AP exam.

The best course I've ever taken

This AP Statistics course with Mrs. Matheny was the best class I've ever participated in! I thoroughly enjoyed and learned from the Hands on Activities, which gave me a chance to practically apply the skills I had been developing. As a result of the Random Multiple Choice Questions, the very AP exam-like chapter tests, and the willingness of the entire class to answer stumping quesitons, I felt immensely prepared for the real AP exam. If you are willing to work hard, challenge yourself, and enjoy statistics, then this is the class for you!

AP Statistics Class Review 2015

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

The course prepared me quite well for the AP Exam. Mrs. Matheny provides the students with a lot of released AP exams and other resources to help us study and get used to the types of questions you see on test day. 
How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I put two hours a day, every day, on average into this class. It goes through a lot of matierial and it can be hard to understand at times. 
Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I really enjoyed a lot of the Hands On Activities. They were a fun way to apply and reinforce the concepts. And it was a great excuse to buy candy. 

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

It did. I learned a lot about statistics and it has changed how I see the world and current events. This is especially true with the 2016 presedential election coverage starting. 
Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

My communications with other students were quite helpful. We could help each other work through confusing stuff and also collaborate on several different HOAs.
What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?
Any student who is willing to work hard and write more than is usually expected for a math class will do fine. This student should also be willing to get help as they need it because the entire course builds upon each chapter.   

AP Statistics Review

I have to admit, I've never been the most talented student, and when I first took this class, I was wary that I wouldn't have the skills to excell. I couldn't have been more wrong. I was amazed to find that learning complicated material doesn't have to be a complicated process! Through clear and simple explanations along the way, a supportive teacher and classmates, and many hours of hard work, I went into the AP exam feeling more prepared than I ever would have thought possible, and I'm so glad to be able to feel a sense of pride in myself for doing that. I hope every student can have that same experience.

Generally, I put in about seven hours of work each week during the first semester and ten hours of work each week during the second semester, since I found that the second half of the class was a bit more demanding. Also, the favorite assignments that I found especially valuable were the Hands on Activity assignments, because those helped my communication skills with my other classmates, and solidified my understanding of the material.

The course definitely enhanced my interest in the subject of statistics. This class helped me realize just how fascinating the science of observing data is, and I'm very excited to take more courses later that go in more depth in the subject. I also wanted to mention that I found that communicating with other students to be incredibly valuable, because it helped me become a better student, and it also reassured me that other classmates were also struggling to initially grasp some of the same concepts I was. One of the things I liked most about this course was how easy it was to share ideas with other students, and start discussions with my classmates.

All in all, I feel so lucky to have been able to participate in this class and prepare for my future, and I highly recommend this course to any student who feels ready to start working toward their goals.

AP Statistics Review

I  am so glad I took this course!  Not only did it prepare me well for the AP exam, but it also increased my appreciation for statistics.  I now see all the important applications statistics has to so many real life situations, and I can also see through poorly-conducted studies and decide for myself whether or not certain data is reliable or deceivng.  Mrs. Matheny is a wonderful teacher who provided many resources and opportunities to help us learn the material in addition to the textbook, such as powerpoints, hands-on activities, Youtube videos, and a ton of quiz questions that resemble the questions found on the AP Statistics exam.  I especially appreciated that we finished the textbook a month early and had the entire month of April to review.  This allowed me to cement concepts from earlier in the book that I had forgotten in my mind before the AP Statistics exam, as well as to pick up on details that I had missed the first time around.  Mrs. Matheny also provided a ton of practice AP exams from past years, which helped me become familiar with the AP Statistics exam, find areas to review, and get an idea of how well I'd do when exam time actually came around.  The WWWBoard was also extremely useful; whenever I had a question I could post it on that and Mrs. Matheny or another student would help me with it.  This course is very challenging, but if you are an independent learner who is willing to work hard and take the initiative then I think you will do well.  Even if you do not plan on doing anything in math or science, I think an introductory statistics course like this one is extremely valuable because of the subject's huge effect on daily life.

AP Statistics Review

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes! The course materials covered well the material on the exam, and Mrs. Matheny's comments on FRQ essays, as well as the practice FRQs and multiple choice questions, were valuable in learning how to answer the questions and apply what we learned. I felt well-prepared for nearly every question on the exam.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I would estimate that I spent about an hour to an hour and a half each day on the course, so about 6 to 8 hours a week.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I enjoyed the hands-on activities (including eating M&Ms :)), as they helped serve as an introduction to explore and understand the basic principles of certain ideas. Additionally, the graded Question Sets with every other test, though not as enjoyable as the hands-on activities, were valuable, as they provided practice for FRQs and Mrs. Matheny's comments were valuable in learning to improve in answering the questions.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes, it did! I came into the course knowing little about statistics, not knowing much about what I would be learning. However, I found the material quite interesting and have even been able to apply it to my life.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes, they were valuable. Often students (including myself) posted questions about problems on the WWWBoard. Answering some questions forced me to consider the material and make sure I understood it as I communicated it, and, when I asked a question, I always received helpful responses.

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

As with any online AP course, students must be willing to work hard and have some self-motivation to follow through with the coursework. Mrs. Matheny, however, does any excellent job of providing instruction, materials, and feedback, so as long as you are able to complete the work on time and work hard to learn you would be able to do well.

I would recommend this course to other students. Much of the subject matter is not covered in any other course but is applicable to the world and, from what I can tell as a high school student, to college and many careers as well.

AP Statistics

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes! I went into the exam feeling extremely well prepared and I am confident I did well on the exam. This class covered every topic I saw on the exam extremely thoroughly and I was familiar with the format of the exam because our tests throughout the year were based off MCQ's and FRQ's and we did numerous released MC tests and FRQ sets as review at the end of the year.

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

On average, I spent five to six hours a week on this course.

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Definitely. I feel like understanding statistics has helped me evaluate news articles, science articles, and just general life. I realized statistics were easy to manipulate before this course, but I didn't understand how to evaluate statistics for bias or other bad statistical practices, and now I do.

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

There was not a whole lot of communication in this class. The class WWW board was, however, extremely helpful when I had a question. I usually had my question answered within a couple hours of when I posted it, and Mrs. Matheny also responded to questions to clarify any explanations given by classmates if needed.

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

AP Statistics 2014-2015

*Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?*

Yes! The extensive practice I performed through this class greatly prepared me for the AP exam.

*How many hours of work per day did you generally put into the course?*

Per day, I generally spent about 2-3 hours per day in this class.  Some days, especially test days, this class could take up my entire school day, sometimes having me working into the evening.

*Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?*

I enjoyed the sections that explained how to do certain tasks on your calculator but then still show all your work on a free-response question

*Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?*

Before this class, I was not quite sure what all statistics encompassed, so working hard through this year has definitely taught me a lot about the subject and sparked an interest of the logic behind statistics.

*Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?*

Through this course, there were many sections I did not fully understand in the beginning, however, asking questions on the WWW Board normally resolved these issues easily as Mrs. Matheny or another student could explain a subject to me.  Communication with other students was very valuable.

*What sort of student would do well in this course?  Would you recommend this course to other students?*

I would recommend this course to other students if they are highly independent learners, as most of the class is you simply learning from your textbook or from the teacher's daily messages.  Sometimes, it is very difficult to fully understand a certain topic, and simply trying to word a question to ask for a solution can be challenging as you aren't sure exactly what to ask.  These "speed bumps" along the road can be very frustrating, but I definitely learned from them.  To suceed in this class, a student must be able to learn topics by independent study.

This class thoroughly prepared me for the AP Exam! :)

"Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?"

- This course made me very prepared for the AP Exam!  Throughout the last month of the course, we reviewed each of the book's units by doing individual FRQs. After that, many MC quizzes and FR sections were open to us to complete at our own pace. Although none of those quizzes or sections were mandatory, we were given a TON of class participation points for doing them.  I enjoyed this because I was able to review what I thought I needed to review, at my own pace; but I was encouraged to do as much as possible to get points for it all!

"How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?"

- This course was extremely time consuming for me. I often spent half my school day on this class, reading the lesson and the Daily Message, doing the homework problems, taking notes, asking/answering questions on the Board, doing RMCQs, doing the Hands-On Activities, etc...I'd say I spent at the very least 2 hours a day on the class, but most frequently I spent 3 to 3.5 hours per day on it. It wouldn't take as long if I did the 'bare minimum' and skipped the extra stuff (RMCQs, asking/answering questions on the Board, etc.) but that extra stuff helped me understand the lessons better and boosted my grade overall.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?"

- I enjoyed the Hands-On Activities that used M&Ms to learn about proportions. I especially liked the activities pertaining to probability (the assignments where we dropped the Hershey Kisses, or where we used playing cards to estimate the probability of an event).

"Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?"

- I had never taken any sort of statistics before this class (not even probability), but I really enjoyed it! Despite how time consuming this class was for me, I really liked learning statistics and, at the end, realizing how much this course taught me throughout the year and how far I'd come. It was difficult and I often struggled, but the work was definitely worth it.

"Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?"

- Communicating with the other students was also valuable.  Often when I was stuck on a concept, another student was able to explain it to me simply and clearly on the WWWBoard.  It was also comforting to see and know that I wasn't the only one who struggled on certain areas or chapters, and to learn from the questions/answers other students were asking/answering, even if I wasn't taking part in the conversation.

"What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?"

- I would only recommend this course to students who are willing to WORK HARD and BE VERY DEDICATED to this class! There is so much to do, mandatory and extra-credit, in this class; despite all the time I spent on it, there was plenty more I could have done and didn't get to do. I wouldn't recommend this to just any student because, unless they're willing to put in a lot of work, time, effort, and concentration, they will be wasting their time.  But any hard-working, motivated student will definitely be rewarded in taking this course! :)

- Lastly, I just want to thank you, Mrs. Matheny, for all the work you've done for us students.  Between answering our questions, posting assignments, and most of all, grading our FRQ sections, I know you put a lot of time into this class, and I greatly appreciate it. Any time I had a question about the lessons or a concept I didn't understand,  you always got back to me promptly - within a day or so. With all the practice tests you did with us, I think we all felt very prepared for the AP exam.  I can't wait for the class to receive all their test scores of 4's and 5's! It was wonderful to have you as my teacher, and I know that anyone else who chooses this class will greatly enjoy and benefit from learning from you, too! Thank you so much!

AP Statistics with Mrs. Matheny - awesome!

The course prepared me very well for the AP exam throughout the year. Even from the very beginning of class, there are daily multiple choice questions I did each day that are exactly like multiple choice questions on the AP exam. Especially in the last few weeks of class, doing practice multiple choice and free response sets that Mrs. Matheny looks over really helped prepare me for the real AP test. I spent about an hour each day doing Stats work (except towards the end of the year when I did more review and timed practice tests that take longer). Some of the readings and hands on activities will take longer also. This course really peaked my interest in the more practical side of mathematics and has influenced what I want to study in college!

Other students in the class ask and answer questions related to the course material and the WWWBoard, which helps you connect with your classmates and helps you be an active learner. It's also nice when you're just not understanding something and you go to the WWWBoard and find that someone else just asked a question about that very thing! It helps keep it in perspective so you don't get discouraged trying to understand it all at once. Mrs. Matheny posts messages every day and is very active on the WWWBoard so you won't have to wait long if you ask a question about the material. Most often your questions get answered the same day. Mrs. Matheny is a wonderful teacher and very clear in all her explanations!

I would definitely recommend this class to other students! If you write notes about key things from each chapter, do the daily multiple choice questions every day, and keep up with the assignments you will do great! If you fall behind it is hard to catch up because each chapter builds on the previous chapter. Try to do the Hands-On activities ahead of time so you can focus on studying for the chapter tests! You will be surprised at how much you've learned by the end of the year - this class is definitely worth the work!

Great Class!

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes, I felt as if the course prepared me for the AP exam. We did a lot of review and took old, released exams to practice.

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I put about 2 hours a day into this course (except when reviewing of course!). I spent around 10 hours per week working on it.

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable? 

While not my favorite, the FRQs we practiced were very helpful.

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes, it did. Originally, I thought I would not like it that much because it was math, but it really is more applied math. 

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable? 

Yes, communicatin with other students was valuable. I posted questions on the discussion board when I had trouble with a problem or concept and the other students and the teacher always responded with helpful explanations.

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

A student who is willing to put time and effort into a course would do well in this course. It is not an easy class (at least not for me!) and one needs to really understand the concepts.

Review

1. Very much so. After taking practice AP tests, and the real thing, I felt like our in class tests were much more difficult. 

2. I spent, on average, probably 2 hours a day on Stats. Some days less, as I had two other APs to work on.

4. To take this class a student must be okay with learning out of a textbook, as that is what mostly happens. This means you have got to keep up and be able to do some independent research on sites like YouTube to find what you need to learn the material. 

Put forth the work and you can expect results

Mrs. Matheny is an outstanding teacher.  Through her class, I learned so much more about statistics than I even knew existed, and I felt quite prepared for the AP exam.  While some AP classes suffer from undercoverage, PA homeschoolers' AP Statistics course thoroughly addresses all relevant material. 

This class was challenging, but manageable; I think I spent about 3 to 7 hours a week on the class (the time spent on the material tended to vary based on whether I had to study for a test).  In general, the assignments seemed to alternate between textbook reading + homework and leftover homework + chapter test.  Every other test, Mrs. Matheny included 5 to 6 free response questions, which forced regular review of cumulative topics and provided experience with problem styles we would see on the AP exam.  The class was self-paced, which provided helpful flexibility when completing homework and assigned readings. 

One particular aspect of the course I enjoyed was the layout of the topics.  The information built upon previous chapters, making it easy to establish connections between the concepts and see how the information and skills relate.

Through this course, I have learned much about statistics, and I hope to continue exploring this subject in college.

To students considering taking this course, remember that the class and Mrs. Matheny provides you all the tools necessary for success (and also provides numerous opportunities for extra credit) but it is up to you to decide how you will leverage those tools.  If you work hard through the class, know that Mrs. Matheny's method works!

-Michael Marriott

Highly recommended

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Definitely. We did lots of practice MCQ and FRQ, and some of the questions on the AP exam were nearly identical to those on practice tests.

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

Perhaps 5-8 hours per week on average. The second semester (January to the AP exam) was far more demanding than the first.

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes! I plan to take Statistics II in college and likely more statistics after that.

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

For the most part, the only required communications were for hands-on activities (short "hands-on" demonstrations of statistical topics). No one is required to post on the web-board, but it pays off if you take the time to ask and answer questions.

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

Students who are strong in English & math will probably enjoy AP Statistics. It isn't purely mathematical—many of the FRQs require strong communication skills (which will be developed throughout the course, so don't worry). I highly recommend AP Stats to motivated students.

A Very Well-Taught Class!!!

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

I felt very well prepared for the AP exam. We did plenty of review, and many practice tests were at our disposal.

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

It would vary depending on the week, but I would say I put in about 5 hours of work in a week. On weeks when tests were assigned, I put in more work than on weeks when there were not tests.

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

You could decide how much communication that you wanted with your fellow classmates. I personally did not communicate with other students that much, but many of the other students in the class asked each other questions and helped each other out quite often, which seemed beneficial.

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

I would definitely recommend this class to other students! It is extremely thorough, and I feel like I have a very good understanding of statistics from taking it. The only thing that I would say is that, since homework is never required and you only have to turn in big assignments like tests, any student who takes this class must be driven and self-motivated enough to complete the work on time. Also, Mrs. Matheny is almost always available to Skype or answer questions and always responded quite quickly.

Awsome class!

Initially, I was very unsure about an online class, but after getting used to the format, it became one of my favorite classes. My favorite part about this class was the amount of resources it offerered such as practice tests, youtube videos, power points, and general chapter notes. With all these tools available, I felt very well prepared for the AP exam. Putting in about 7 to 8 hours a week of AP stats work, I developed a strong interest in the subject. My favorite assignments were those with candy, not only because we were allowed to eat it, but because it got the point across in a fun way. For the communication I did have with other students, it was always helpful. Students who will hold themselves accountable and will be diligent in checking the website at least once everyday will do well in this course. I would definitely recommend this course with Mrs. Matheny to other students. I seriously loved this class!

Wonderful course!

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes, I felt very prepared for the course. We had lots of practice with the format of the test and the type of questions that were asked on the test. On the actual AP test, I did not find anything unexpected, and there were very few questions I did not know. 

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

Usually I spent a little more than 2 hours per day on this class. It often varied, though. During the review, I probably spent about 3 hours a day on stats. 

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I really appreciated the RMCQs. They were great review, keeping old concepts fresh in my head, and reinforcing important concepts. The tests were also very helpful because they were always MCQs and FRQs. 

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Before this class, I had very little knowledge of stats. I really enjoyed the class, I gained a much greater appreciation of statistics, studies, and polls. I believe my new knowledge of statistics will be helpful in my planned career field. 

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

I felt like I did not communicate very much with the other students, but when I did have questions or problems, I was glad I could go to them as well as to Mrs. Matheny. A couple times I had some really interesting conversations with another student; he brought up some very different ideas about problems, and I enjoyed discussing them with him. 

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

I would definitely recommend this course. Everything we do in the course is geared to prepare you for the test, so you become very comfortable with it. I had a firm grasp of AP stats knowledge, and did not feel nervous about the test at all, because I knew just what it would be like. If you are a student who needs lots of review and reinforcement of concepts, you will do well in this class. The class will ensure you know and remember concepts from the beginning of the class to the end. 

Thank you, Mrs. Matheny! You were always there to answer my questions and to ensure that we were fully prepared for the test. I feel like I also gained a firm grasp of statistical knowledge. I am very glad I participated in this course!

Great AP Course

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

I did. I knew what sort of questions would be on the test, how to approach the questions and use my time properly, and what was important and not important for scoring well on the test. I felt very comfortable on the test.

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

It definitely depended on the day. Some days I could be done in less than an hour, but most days it took me closer to two hours. It was certainly rather time consuming for me, and often I could easily spend 3 hours a day on statistics.

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I found the You-Tube videos to be extremely helpful and often entertaining. I also liked using the power-point presentations for review. The number of practice tests that we did were an awesome preparation for the test and Mrs. Matheny broke them down into different assignments so that we weren't overwhelmed but still learned a lot.

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Actually, it did. I am not much of a math person and taking Statistics did not make me wish to take any extra math classes in college, but I found the concepts in statistics to be applicable to my life and I really enjoyed learning about it. AP Statistics is probably the most enjoyable and useful math course I have taken.

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

I found it to be quite valuable. I liked being able to ask the other students about questions I had, especially when it was something rather simple that I just couldn't remember but that I knew someone else could easily help me out with. It was nice to be able to work with other students on a subject and I enjoyed hearing other's opinions and explanations on different concepts. I especially liked the multiple choice question explanations we would do after each chapter test. It was also really helpful for me to be able to answer and respond to the questions of other students. 

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

I think that any student would do well in this course. I has aspects that appeal to everybody, so while you will have one chapter that you will struggle with, you will be answering everyone else's questions in another chapter. Also, statistics is extremely applicable to our lives so once you see that it will spark an interest in the subject that will carry you through the course. Also, Mrs. Matheny provides all sorts of assistance so if you don't learn well one way you can explore it another way and thus succeed no matter what your learning style. 

I would definitely recommend this course. As I have said multiple times already, statistics is the most applicable advanced math course I have taken. Working in this online classroom setting also sets you up for success because you can work with other people and have more resourses readily available to help you. So, yes, you have to be willing to put some hours into it, but this course is certainly worth it. 

AP statistics

Yes I do feel the course prepared me for the exam
I spent about 5 hours per week on this course.  Occasionaly I would slack on doing the daily lesson and would have to make up multiple days work the days before a test in which case I spent only 2-3 hours a week.  Sometimes the assignments for a day were broken into such small incriments that I thought it would be better to just do a few days work at once to save time and not go through the trouble of pulling up the website and finding the text book every single day.
There did not seem to be much student communication in this class which also aided my procrastination since there was no one I was required to communicate with.
I think anyone can learn statistics, but they need to be aware that there are many small tedious details that require repetiton and practice and can sometimes get frustrating.
Overall it was a good class and I would heed any new students to keep on track early on even with the easy stuff since that you may feel you can skip over because there are lots of little details that are easily overlooked when studying.
Thank you!

AP Stats

AP Statistics was a really great experience for me. I can't say I'm not a math person, but this math is not completely difficult and even if you struggle in math, statistics will make you stronger. One nice thing about Stats is that it is not "just" crunching numbers over and over again. There is a lot of analysis required to see if certain conditions hold, etc.
The class is very beneficial in that it will cause you to look at the world around you quite differently. Those "studies" and "statistics" shown on TV? You'll subconsciously wonder how they were found- if it was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind experiment, or if the true details were just omitted.
Mrs. Matheny was a really good teacher as well- although there were a lot of students in each class, she still took the time to respond to individual questions promptly. The class was a very supportive environment in which all questions were treated respectfully, even if everyone knew that the question's author had just misread something. Having a positive environment around me was really encouraging as I set out to learn a subject I had previously known nothing about. Mrs. Matheny also makes class fun but incorporating statistics with "hands-on" activities, which can include anything from MMs to decks of cards. They very vividly illustrate the world of statistics. My other favorite part of this class was the renewed respect I gained for my graphing calculator. Although we had spent long hours together before this year, statistics will open a whole new world of things your graphing calculator can do.
Stats is not an easy class. Although it may not be the difficulty level of Calculus, it is still a college level math class and you will have to put a lot of time into it. However, it is thoroughly worth it and I hope you decide to take it!

Great course for hard workers!

I took Mrs. Matheny's AP Statistics course this past year and it was a challenging but growing experience.  A little about me: I'm a senior in highschool and am very academically focused, taking on a heavy workload this year.  This was my third AP and second through PA homeschoolers.  Both this course and the AP exam went well for me (though I don't have the score for AP yet).

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam? --  Yes, I did feel the course prepared me well.  The course covers all 12 chapters of an AP textbook, and a test (AP format, though shorter) corresponding to the current and past material is given at the end of each chapter.  Mrs. Matheny provides many resources (many years' worth of FRQ's and several MC's, along with two full-length previously released AP exams) as prep for the final (which is another fully released AP exam.)  There was much more preparation than I could possibly do, and I went into the AP exam very familiar with the format.  (As a side note, I did not use any outside test prep books and did not need them at all. Then again, I have taken many many standardized tests as well as two other AP's so this was not necessary for me.)
• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course? --Oh my, this course will take as much time as you give it!!  There will always be something more you can do and you could easily spend hours and hours on it.  I personally probably spent a good 10-15 hours per week on the course, and still did not find time for all the opportunities. 
• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?--  We did some fun Hands-On Activities to learn about probability and outcomes, and these experiments required large bags of M&M's and Hershey's Kisses!! ;)  You will need that chocolate energy for the course ;)
• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?-- I never knew there was so much to learn in Statistics. This course is not just reading bar graphs and figuring out the probability of an outcome (which is not always as easy as you might think!).  Oh no, the intricacies, inference, confidence tests, probability tests...are all tricky subjects.  This is NOT a course to breeze through or take on as a "light" course.  I plan to use AP credit to get out of Statistics in college, and I am comfortable with that as I felt like I've learned a huge amount in this course alone.
• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable? -- Communication with other students was my life-line in this course.  I got into a great Skype study group, and we worked together weekly.  The camaraderie was a tremendous help to me in the course and having some study buddies to go to with questions or empathy was wonderful.  I also learned the material better through helping others (even skype calls at midnight!) and explaining concepts to peers.  Those students are now good friends of mine and I don't think I would have made it through the course very well without them. Bottom line: If you do this course and there is not already a study group set up....set one up!! :)  Additionally, Mrs. Matheny is always happy to meet with students over Skype to talk over concepts and help with problems.  She gives great help and you will understand so much more than just the concept you needed help with after talking with her!
• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)? --A hardworking, dedicated student would do well.  I would recommend it to students who have some extra time as well to devote--I took a very heavy course-load this year and wasn't able to take full advantage of the course and sometimes had a very large amount of work. 

All in all it was a very challenging but growing experience (with a fabulous teacher!!!).  If you're ready for a very difficult but worthwhile course, go for it, and I wish you the best along the way!! :)

Review for class from 2012-2013 :)

This course opened my eyes greatly to the assumptions we make on a daily basis regarding statitistics and information in general. The most fascinating section for me was learning about how statistics can be manipulated, how to guard against misleading statistics, and how to conduct expiriments and surveys that can actually be used to convery meaningful information. Honestly speaking, some of the material was a challenge for me-- I'm not a mathematical person, so some of the formulas and math lingo were hard for me to learn, and there are a lot of rules for performing that calculations that I sometimes had trouble memorizing. But in the end of the day, I felt extremely well prepared and pretty confident when I actually sat down to take the test. The extra things really helped me understand the course material-- reading the textbook is great, but at least for me, in order to really have a solid grip on the material it was very helpful to do things like post on the WWW board, look at practice questions, do chapter reviews, watch youtube videos, and do the random multiple choice questions. 

I would definitely recommend this course to other people. If you aren't a very mathematical person (like me :P), certain chapters may be more of a challenge, but I promise that if you really take the time to go over the materials, ask questions, and use all of the many wonderful resources that Mrs. Matheny makes available to us, you will be very successful in this class! Sending email questions to Mrs. Matheny and reading through her responses is also very helpful :) In short, statistics is a very useful subject to understand, not just for calculating probabilities and using formulas, but for understanding the world, conducting expiriments, and analyzing some of the rather "fishy statistics" that the media puts out there. 

Great class!

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes! I actually didn't feel that confident in April just after we finished learning all the material, but after the very comprehensive review we did the weeks after that, I felt much more prepared and very confident when I walked into the AP exam room.  One thing I really liked about the course is the fact that the chapter tests are basically modeled after the FRQ section (free-response question) of the AP exam, and the random multiple choice questions we had to do every day are also from previous AP exams.  Because of this, I was very familiar with the format of the AP test by the end of the year. 

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

The class was one of the heavier courses I took, and I think I spent around two-three hours every day on the material, maybe more if there was a test coming up. 

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I really liked the hands-on activities, especially the ones involving chocolate... ;).  But in all seriousness, I think that every assignment was quite valuable, especially the daily random multiple choice questions, since it tested concepts from previous material, ensuring I didn't forget anything I learned in earlier chapters.

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Definitely. I'm not a math person at all, but this course really opened my eyes to the practical and real-life applications that statistics is being used in today.  It was particularly interesting for me when we were discussing "bad statistics"-- there are so many inaccurate statistics, graphs, and surveys that are being shoved in our face daily by the media today that I think it's essential to being able to have a working of knowledge of statistics to be able to discern between truth and skewed falsehoods. 

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

There wasn't as much interaction in this course as compared to some others I took, but there was still quite a lot of communication on the WWWboard. I especially liked how other classmates, the TAs, and Mrs. Matheny were constantly available and willing to answer questions people had on MCQs or assignments. 

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

I highly recomend this course to anyone who has an interest in statistics and is willing to open their minds to new ways of thinking about the facts and figures presented daily in our world.

An excellent course for the overachieving AP student

This is a great course. I have been involved with PA Homeschoolers the last three years and have taken 5 AP courses (Lang & Comp, Chemistry, Psychology, Macroeconomics, and Statistics). AP Statistics was a great addition to my high school transcript and hopefully one less class to take in college. I have taken AP courses for the main reason of getting college credit. Statistics is not only a great course to "get out of the way", but it is also a very fun course taught by a great teacher. 

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)? As said before, I highly recommend this course, especially for those who take more than three AP courses with PA homeschoolers in high school. It is challenging in certain chapters, but it is easier enough to still enjoy the course and get a high grade. Really, anyone can do this course if they put in the effort to learn. The math is not hard at all. Don't be scared by the daunting title "STATISTICS".

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable? The communication in this course between students was more than expected from a "math" course. We had hands-on-activities that we did on our own and with other classmates. It was fun to interact together on the WWW board, where we posted problems we faced in the course, funny statistics jokes, or cool articles that relate to stats. 

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject? Well, yes and no. I did enjoy statistics more than I did before this course, because I learned more about graphs and inference. However, I am more of a science type of guy. This course gave me a great feel of the topic of stats. I am just not personally interested in statistics. 

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable? As I said before, the hands-on activities were great. (SPOILER: we used M&M's as "subjects" for many of our projects. Another reason to join the course.) They really put the concepts of the course in an easy-to-understand format. They were a lot of fun too. Another valuable assignment was under the Testing-Explanation Board, where we answered questions from the test that we just took and analyzed the correct answer. This helped me to further understand the material.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course? I worked on Stats about 1-2 hours a day. You really need at least an hour a day. During the year, we went through a Stats book twelve chapters long. We completed one chapter every two weeks. The first week we read the chapter and do homework problems. The second week, we take practice tests on the chapter and finally take the test. 

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam? The course prepared me very well for the exam. The tests we take for every chapter resemble the actual exam very closely. Also, the last six weeks of the course is dedicated to preparing for the exam. Mrs. Matheny has plenty of released AP Statistics tests from the past years. She gave me great advice on using your time wisely, what to study, and how to write out the Free-Response Questions (FRQ). Mrs. Matheny has plenty of study materials and tests to practice. It is up to the student though to fully take advantage of the resources provided. 

All in all, a great course! The teacher is very smart and helpful. A must for the student who likes to take multiple AP tests in high school.

Great course, great teacher

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Definitely! Mrs. Matheny extensively covered all the subjects featured on the exam and gave the class ample time and guidance for studying leading up to the exam. She also provided multiple practice exams to aid with studying.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I usually spent around 1 to 2 hours a day, though there were many days with more or less.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I thought the hands on activities (actually using the statistics skills in different "real" scenarios) were enjoyable and helped in gaining a familiarity with the material. The tests after each chapter were also extremely helpful in practicing for the exam.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Not particularly, but only because I'm hardly a fan of math to any extent. Anyone with an interest in the field will certainly have their interest further piqued by this course.

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students?

Anyone willing to put in the time and effort needed to learn the material would excel in this course. I'd definitely recommend it; it's a different experience than the typical math course.

Would recommend to even a non-math person

The course prepared me very well for the AP exam.  I also appreciated the many practice tests Mrs. Matheny provided.  I usually spent 1-2 hours per day on statistics.  There's usually a reading assignment and homework problems, while once per chapter there is a hands-on activity (which sometimes involves mnm's) to help supplement the material.

lThis course does NOT involve hard math - the math is at most Algebra 1 level.  A lot of it is comprised of analyzing and comparing data.  One chapter is about determining probability.  The latter chapters concern taking a sample of a population and using it to determine facts about the entire population.  I'm glad I took this course because now I know what goes on behind studies that I read about in the newspaper and I can also pick out areas which could undermine the validity of a particular statistic.

TAKE THE COURSE

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Absolutely, the course definitely prepared me for the exam, which the 5 I got proves .There was not one question on the exam that I was unable to answer or work through.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

This was my first year taking AP classes. I took this course along with AP Human Geography. I was not used to the workload and ended up spending around 3-6hrs a day the first semester. The second semester I was able to cut the time per day by about half usually spending 1-3hrs a day.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I found all of the assignments helpful but I enjoyed the hands-on-activities the most especially since some of them used m&ms for data :).

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

This course was primarily a self-study course but when we, the students, did interact through comments and questions the feedback was almost always helpful  

What sort of student would do well in this course?

This is a difficult question because the course incorporates both math and writing, putting  your conclusions on paper. I would say the type of person that would do well and learn the most depends more on the desire to learn about statistics than their individual mathematical or writing skills.

Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

Most certainly.

PS Mrs. Matheny is a great teacher and always responded to my questions very quickly.

Class Review

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes, for sure! If anything, the 5 on the test is proof of that. I especially liked frequent tests throughout the year in the same format as the AP tests (I think they were past AP tests?), they boosted my confidence and meant that the AP test was nothing new, format-wise, for me.

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

About 5-10 I think.

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I don't know if they're assignments, but I liked the Random MCQ's.

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes!

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Not really. The way the course is structured, it's more of a self study. At least, I treated it as more of a self study.

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

Self motivated students would do well in this course. I struggled a bit throughout the year, but generally did well. I would definitely recommend this course.

Fantastic class!

Whew! I finally got this review up! My computer has been crashing on me the last three times I tried to post this, deleting everything I wrote! :-(

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Definitely! There was nothing on the test that took me by surprise. One thing that helped a lot is that Mrs. Matheny gave us a sort of mini version of the AP exam as our test for each chapter. There were two parts for each test: a multiple choice section and a free response section just like on the AP exam. The only thing different is they were both about half the length of their exam counterparts and they were spread out over two school days. At the end of the course, we had a practice test that was a full-length, previously used AP exam. Our final exam was also a released AP exam.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

For me, the amount of time spent studying varied by the difficulty of the topic being covered and the effectiveness of my own learning methods. It ended up taking me most of the school year to figure out how my brain absorbed Statistics best. Because of this, I ended up taking a bit longer than most of the students. On harder topics, I spent about 3 to 4 hrs. per day and on easier topics, 2 to 3 hrs. per day. Throughout the year, we had projects (or hands-on activities as we call them). These typically take a long time to complete as they usually involve doing something repetitive like counting every single M n' M in a 16 oz bag and recording the number in each color, or flipping a coin 50 times and recording the number of heads and tails.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

As a chocoholic, my favorite assignments were the three that, naturally, involved chocolate. We had two projects that used M n' M's and one that used Hershey's Kisses. Aside from the chocolate factor, these projects (and all the others) helped cement the concepts we were learning and show how they are applied in real life. I cannot think of one assignment that was not valuable in some way.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes!!! Through this course, I found myself seeing and, to an extent, using Statistics in my day-to-day life. AP Stats has also opened my mind to a whole new way of thinking and analyzing information.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Interesting? Yes. Valuable? For the most part yes. If I asked a question on the board either a fellow student, teacher's assistant, or Mrs. Matheny would answer it. To be honest, most of the time Mrs. Matheny answered my questions.

What sort of student would do well in this course?

Any student who is willing to work hard and has a genuine interest in learning about Statistics would to great in this course. AP Statistics is a college-level course so if this is your first AP or other college-level class, do not be disheartened if your grade is a little lower than usual. That said, if you are determined and work hard, you can still get a great grade in this class.

Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

Absolutely yes!! I am so glad I have taken this course! Now whenever I am looking at the latest presidential election poll results and read the fine print at the bottom, I can determine how accurate (or inaccurate!) the data presented actually is. After taking Statistics, I truly believe that everyone should take it at some point in their lifetime. As I said earlier, it has opened my mind to a whole new way of thinking and analyzing information. I even found myself trying to convince a good friend of mine who rather dislikes math (she is going into music performance) to take some sort of Statistics class even if it isn't the AP version. One thing that I discovered about Statistics, is that it really isn't all that hard to crunch the numbers and get the correct numerical answer once you have the right formula. A good portion of it is a matter of correctly explaining your reasoning process. In effect, Stats is one part math and one part writing.

Review of AP Statistics

This class was very helpful to me. Mrs. Matheny was a wonderful teacher and very helpful. I felt that I was somewhat prepared for the AP exam though when I sat down to take it I realized that I might should've studied one or two things a tad bit more. I was working roughly 4-6 hours per day on this class (it depended on the day.) Thus I was very thankful for the hands on activities. Those helped solidify some of the concepts for me. The course really enlightened my thinking on Statistics and Statisticians. I have a new respect for them. I don't know if my interest was enhanced, but I am very thankful for the people who spend their lives doing this. I found communication with students to be interesting when there was communication. Students definitely need to take statistics in college or high school. Students who are math minded will do well in this course, yet I do think many should have an understanding of Statistics. 

You know you want to do it...

Going into the class, I really dreaded the idea of learning about statistics... Snooze, right? But the class was actually incredibly interesting for a bunch of reasons, but most importantly because it was sooooo applicable! Every problem has a real world example, so it doesn't just feel like you're doing obscure math stuff for the sake of it. I felt that Mrs. Matheny did a great job of preparing me for the AP exam, simply by following the course plan laid out. It might be an adjustment at first if you've never take a math class online, but she shows a really genuine interest in helping you learn the subject, not just flinging information at you and rushing on. I would highly recommend this course for anybody looking for an AP math or an AP course or just an interesting, practical, and challenging class!

Strongly Recommend

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?'

• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

Parent Review

This was Micah's first AP class. He learned so much besides just statistics from this class. It taught him the importance of scheduling his time wisely and how to interact with someone besides me for his school work.

While  there was no real time class , Mrs.Matheny's detailed daily messages really helped explain the concepts like a class room lecture. Mrs. Matheny was very accessible and always answered his questions in a timely manner. Micah liked earning the class participation points every day. My role was just to give him the printed out messages and ask him if he'd completed that day's work.

 When Micah took the PSAT in October  he answered all of the stat questions correctly.

 Thank you again Mrs.Matheny for all of the work you put into this class.

Micah and I would recommend this class to  everyone.

Great Class

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?  Definitely, I knew the concepts behind every question on the exam.  I felt very relaxed during the test, and there was no one question that completely threw me off.
• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course? I spent around 3 - 5 hours every week on this course, so about 25 to 40 minutes each day.
• Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?  There was no one assignment that really stood out, but I really enjoyed the Hands-on Activities.  They were always fun and fascinating, and they helped drive home whatever concepts we were studying at the time and emphasize the practicality of the subject.
• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?  I've always been interested in math/science, but I absolutely loved this class.  I now would want to go into a career that uses statistics if possible, the more the better.
• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?  There wasn't a huge amount of communication between the students, but whenever someone posted a question that the TA's and Mrs. Matheny didn't answer fairly soon, one of the students would usually answer it, and then either Mrs. Matheny or one of the TA's would follow up about if the answer/explanation was right or wrong.  There was one activity that we had to work together on, but it didn't require a whole lot of communication.
• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?  I think any hard-working student could do well in this course, but I think to enjoy it, he/she should be interested in math and be able to think outside the box.

The only other comment I have is that Mrs. Matheny is an excellent teacher.  She was very quick to answer any questions I emailed her, and her Daily Messages always explained the new concepts well.

Awesome class!

I'll preface this by saying that I am not really a math person and I was really nervous about taking this class. I am so glad that I did, though, and I think you will be too, if you decide to take AP stats. It is a really fabulous class, you will learn a lot, and it is totally worth all of the work. In an attempt to be more helpful in this review than just telling you how great this class is, I'll answer the questions...

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam? 

Yes, without a doubt. The text was great and covered everything on the AP exam. Chapter tests were kind of like mini-AP tests, with a multiple choice section and several free-response questions as well, so we got practice all year long. Mrs. Matheny also walked us through a very thorough review for the AP test and gave us plenty of practice multiple choice and FRQ sets to do. Reviewing for the AP exam after the course was not at all overwhelming, though, because we learned the material so well during the year. I took the exam on Wednesday and came out feeling like it went really well. There were definitely no surprises.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

On average, I probably spent 1-1.5 hours on AP stats homework each day. Before tests, I spent much more time studying, but there were also days when the homework only took me 20 or 30 minutes. There is definitely a fair amount of work, but it is very manageable and I was usually able to work ahead (which I often did to give myself an extra day or two for studying before tests). I think that time spent really depends on the student, though, and the concept we're learning at the time.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I liked all the assignments with M&Ms... :) Seriously, though, I thought the activities we did outside of text reading and daily homework problems were really valuable. They often took more time, which I sometimes grumbled about, but they did help solidify the concepts we'd learned. Also, chapter tests were really valuable for me; because they were so in-depth, we really had to study and understand the ins and outs of what we were learning, not just know how to plug the right numbers into a formula.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Absolutely. When I signed up for this class, I was pretty much just looking for a 5th math course to take during my senior year, and I really wasn't all that interested in statistics. The first time I got really excited about AP stats was when I was taking the SAT math subject test in October, and a question about boxplots that once would have taken me a few minutes to figure out seemed ridiculously easy to me. During the year, I started to notice statistics in use everywhere -- talking about correlation in my psychology class, in public opinion polls in AP gov, in studies in the newspaper. While I'm not planning a math-intensive career, I think that having a basic knowledge of statistics is really valuable because it is a subject that applies to so many things. 

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

While this class, by its nature, was not as interactive as some other classes I've taken through PA Homeschoolers, students did post relevant articles, cartoons, and questions on the board. Reading and answering other students questions was usually very helpful in understanding the matierla yourself.

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

As I said, I am not a math person -- math has always been my weakest subject -- but I did very well in Mrs. Matheny's class. As long as you are willing to do the work, keep up with assignments, ask questions if you have them, and give it your best, you will do fine. 

I would highly recommend this class! Mrs. Matheny is a really awesome teacher; she's very prompt about responding to questions and is always available to help if you're having trouble with something. Her class is structured, thorough, and she helps you a great deal in preparing for the AP exam. If you take advantage of the resources available in this class and put in the time, I'm sure you will have a great experience.

I highly recommend Mrs. Matheny's AP Stats course

An outstanding course!!

I highly recommend this course. It thoroughly coveres every topic on the AP. There were no surprises on test day. The syllabus is well thought out, and there is ample review time before the exam.  The classroom setup centers around the WWW board, where you can post questions and get responses from Mrs. Matheny and other students. I found it really helpful to be able to interact with the class, as you don't feel like you are on your own while learning. Any questions I had were always well answered. Mrs. Matheny is a great teacher. She is knowledgable, patient, and really takes the effort to clear up all your misunderstandings.

 I found the course fascinating, and having some knowledge of statistics has opened my mind. I'm finding applications of it in all kinds of places, and my ability to judge situations has definitely benefited in a direct way, unlike so many subjects I have studied. 

Great course

You would be surprised at how applicable statistics is to real life.  Mrs. Matheny, in her course, shows her students how to see the connections between statistics and application and teaches them the methods used to obtain useful results.

The preparation for the AP test that I had was extraordinary.  Of all of the AP tests I took this year, I felt most prepared for Statistics.  We did so many practice MC sections and FRQs that I felt very comfortable during the exam.  The workload is about 1-2 hours a day.

I highly recommend AP Statistics with Mrs. Matheny!

A fantastic class with an amazing teacher!

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Absolutely.  Every chapter test was modeled after the AP exam, with a multiple-choice component and a set of past free-response questions.  There were random multiple-choice questions on the website that one can do every day, and in the last month and a half of the class, we did multiple practice free response questions.  Mrs. Matheny also told us what to watch for on the exam, what would likely come up, and how to budget our time.  I felt ridiculously well prepared when I took the AP exam last week.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

It varied greatly from day to day.  On days before tests, I would put in a lot of time studying, and on certain days when we had projects due, I would have to put in quite a few extra hours.  Generally, though, I spent about 60-80 minutes on Statistics per day.  A Daily Message is posted (usually the night before) along with the day's assignments.  Usually this consisted of reading 8-10 pages in the textbook and doing 4-7 problems. About every other week, there would be a call to send in homework from the last four days via scanner.  

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

We did a lot of other projects (though Mrs. Matheny said this would change a little bit after this year) such as determining weather the weather in a certain place in January was unnatural, whether Golden Oreos have more filler than Double Stuff Oreos, and the probabilities of choosing a type of M&M.  These gave me practice actually working with the material we covered and added some variety to the year.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Absolutely.  Previously, I was dead set on a liberal arts/political science major in college, but part of me is now thinking I'd like to do something with statistics.  Mrs. Matheny brings the subject to life; I think the majority of the students in the class found the subject to be fascinating.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

I did.  It wasn't tremendously interactive, but there were a number of interesting discussions on the WWW Board and we did one group project where we were divided into teams.  It's certainly as interactive as you want it to be.

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

I highly recommend this course to anyone who is looking for a higher-level math course that will prepare them for the rigors of college mathematics.  Mrs. Matheny is a wonderful teacher who is very accomodating if you need to work ahead or catch up, and she prepared the class fully for the AP exam in May.  

A great course for "math" and "non-math" people alike!

Have you ever read a newspaper article about a new study that supposedly proves the effectiveness of a new drug, or about a poll that claims to show the proportion of people in America who have a particular opinion, and wondered, "How can they possibly know that?" or "How reliable is this claim?" If so, this is the class for you! 

I will readily confess that I am not a "math" person. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed and truly learned from this course. I was amazed to realize, as the year went on, how absolutely relevant the field of statistics is to so many different areas of study. I found references to statistical ideas popping up in my psychology and AP macroeconomics courses, in newspaper and magazine articles, and in conversations with my dad about his work as a medical doctor. Although math-oriented people will definitely love this course, AP Statistics is the perfect math course for those (like me) who would generally rather avoid it, both because it is so perfectly practical and relevant to everyday life and because Mrs. Matheny is an excellent teacher. She is very good about being available to answer questions, and is very patient and willing to explain a concept multiple times until you get it!

Although it varied somewhat from week to week, I usually spent about 2 to 3 hours on this course each weekday. I usually did not do much work on the weekend unless I was working on a special project or studying for an exam. The daily practice problems were helpful, and the various projects were a good way to change up the schedule and let us learn how to apply statistics to a "real" situation. Due to the nature of the course, there was not as much student to student interaction as in some AP classes, but there was always activity on the wwwboard as students asked questions, remarked on an example of real-life statistics they had noticed, and even helped to answer each other's questions. I felt quite well prepared for the AP exam--Mrs. Matheny did an excellent job of providing plenty of practice problems and helping us to feel confident in knowing how to view a question from the point of view of an AP grader.

I would definitely recommend this course to any students willing to apply themselves--I know that I enjoy being able to confidently read articles about studies or surveys and feel that I have a good groundwork of statistical understanding that will help me in whatever field or occupation I end up pursuing in college!

Excellent Class

I thoroughly enjoyed AP Statistics. I found the course to be loaded with information, and with more than enough practice worked into the course. The workload is fairly high, but shouldn't be too great for anyone willing to put a modicum of effort into the course. And I can personally state that it is easier than Calculus....

Because of my experience with this class I decided to major in Statistics (along with Foriegn Affairs) due to its usefulness and cumulative advantages with Foriegn Affairs. Stats was fun and I learned a lot, not least of which was what a "statistic" actually is. Oh, and though the course will change between years, when I took it, Statistics involved M&M's, Skittles, and Oreos. That in itself is reason enough to take the course.

A fantastic course teaching invaluable skills

I should begin by pointing out that I am not a math person.  You're reading the review of a prospective English major.  But, I am very glad I decided to take this course.  This class has not only provided me with a great knowledge of statistics, but the exercises and assignments (and the study of statistics as a whole) also train the mind to think critically and intuitively – invaluable skills in today's social environment.  Statistics has applied to many other outlets in my life.  I find myself thinking about statistics I see or probabilities of certain events often, but perhaps most striking has been the contribution statistics has made to my performance in team policy debate.  For a specific instance, I was the negative team, and thus had to defend a certain pharmaceutical company.  All that had been presented by my opponents was the higher number of regulatory violations of this company compared to others.  Without my understanding of statistics, this alone would have won the round for my opponents.  But the company I was defending was also larger, so I instead argued a better indication of the companies would be the proportional rate of violations.  Using my statistics book (which I always bring into a debate round now), I proved the proportional rate of violations for the company I was defending was not statistically so different from the other companies that it warranted a fine.  I won this issue, and since then brought my graphic calculator and statistics book into every round.

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

The college I am matriculating to does not accept AP credit well, so I will not be taking the AP exam.  But, the exercises assigned in the course were hugely successful in preparing me, if I had planned to take the exam.  Any student in this course understands how the AP test is graded, what graders look for, the material that will be brought up, and will have sufficient practice to have a great deal of confidence going into the final.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into this course?
It varied on how well I received certain concepts.  Mostly I would spend an hour to two hours on the assignments and reading if the material was easy.  If the lessons were tougher and required more time, I would watch the videos, do extra exercises, and sometimes e-mail Mrs. Matheny for clarification.  Then work might be two or three hours a day.  Overall the course load is very manageable.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Absolutely.  I plan on studying Statistics further in college, as I've seen the impact statistics has on our day to day lives.

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes, we tutored each other and helped each other along with the tougher concepts.  It was a very helpful, relaxed environment where help was always available.

What sort of student would do well in this course?  Would you recommend this course to other students? 

I'd recommend any student to this course.  It really teaches not only about Statistics (a subject with great cross-disciplinary appeal), but develops the mind into a habit of proper reasoning.  For the Mathletes, look no further in finding a quality class.  For those who are apprehensive about joining a math course, I was in your place as well, and I do not regret signing up with this class; it turned out to be one of my favorite and most useful classes I've taken with PA Homeschoolers.  The course provides you with helpful resources if you're struggling, your classmates will be happy to help, and Mrs. Matheny makes herself available for questions and always gives detailed, complete explanations in a timely manner.  Good luck!

AP Statistics

Dear prospective/future AP Stats students,

Last year I nervously applied for AP Statistics. I've never enjoyed math nearly as much as I have my other subjects, so it was with a bit of caution that I decided to take this course. I was looking for a math course that was doable and not completely overwhleming for a non-math person like myself while at the same time a course that would challenge me and stretch me further in this area than I had been stretched before. And that is exactly what I found. This course is challenging and intense, but certainly doable. Mrs. Matheny is an excellent teacher who is always available to answer questions and who works hard to explain concepts clearly. If you're looking for a challenge and a math course that even "non-math people" can do, I'd definitely recommend this course.

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes, I certainly felt like the course prepared me for the exam. The textbook obviously covers all of the material we needed to know for the AP exam. Also, Mrs. Matheny's tests were always in the same format as the actual AP exam, which gave us ample practice and preparation for test day. I also particularly found it helpful that we completely finished the textbook material a month before the AP exam. This gave us an entire month for focused study and review specifically for the exam.

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

It depended from week to week, but I probably spent around 8-12 hours a week on this course. I was surprised that the work itself wasn't that overwhelming (generally 4-8 problems a day); but, it was time-consuming work, at least for me, so I generally spent about an hour or two each week day on statistics. And of course there was always extra-credit work that you could do if you wanted to work extra hard! Also, as a side note, I really appreciated that Mrs. Matheny had us scan and send in our written homework every one or two weeks. This ensured that we were staying on top of our work and weren't getting behind. I found that having that accountability was particularly helpful.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

Honestly, I think I found just the daily homework and tests to be the most valuable assignments. We had a few extra hands-on assignments throughout the year that broke up the daily routine a bit, but it was always the homework problems that helped me understand the statistical concepts the best. While it was just extra-credit, I also found the random multiple choice questions that we could choose to do each day to also be particularly valuable as it helped me practice and review the concepts we had been learning.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

As I mentioned, I was a bit nervous coming into to this course as I really had no understanding of statistics and very little interest in math. But I must say that, late night tests and stress aside, I truly found this course and the subject material to be very enjoyable. It is a very hands-on type of math that applies to everyday situations. And throughout the course and since the course has been over, I have often found myself considering what I have learned when reading about statistical proofs in everyday news articles and the such. The course definitely enhanced my interest in the subject!

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

This certainly wasn't the most interactive online AP class that I've taken, but it wasn't the dullest either. The web boards were mostly used for statistic related questions. Mrs. Matheny and all of the other students were always really prompt, helpful and encouraging when a question was asked. But as always, the interaction between the students is usually dependent on the selection of students in the course each particular year and how much all of them want to interact! This year wasn't particularly interactive, but I'm sure it could change from year to year.

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard)?

Yes, I'd definitely recommend this course. However, it does require a good deal of self-discipline and hard work, more so than other AP courses I've taken through PA Homeschoolers. Mrs. Matheny does hold the students accountable for most of the homework and she is always available to answer questions or work you through a difficult problem, but still . . . the student must have a lot of self-motivation and diligence. And some interest in math is helpful, but again . . . I'd definitely say you could do this course even if you have never been a "math person."

So in conclusion, if you're up for a challenge and would like to learn more about a fascinating subject, I'd definitely recommend this course. Best of luck!

always,
Jessina Leonard

A great class!!!

Hi Prospective AP Stats students,

I highly recommend this class!  I am so happy that I took AP Stats because, having taken the class, I feel that stats is an important subject that everyone should study, especially since it has so much real-life relevance.  Mrs. Matheny is a great teacher, and I felt that I was VERY well prepared for the AP exam.  We completed a lot of practice in class and thoroughly went through the stats textbook, so I went into the exam feeling very confident.

This class did enhance my interest in statistics, and it helped me to discover the areas of math that I am most interested in, as I am planning on majoring in math in college.  However, even if you are not a math person, I still think that you will find this class very worthwhile.  On average, I would say that stats work took me from 5 - 8 hours to complete per week, with the key being staying right on track with the daily assignments.

Whether or not you like math, I highly recommend this class, and I think it is one that every high school student should take.  If you are willing to work hard and keep on top of assignments, you will do well and be happy you took the class.

Hannah 

AP Statistics under Mrs. Matheny

Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes, I felt very prepared when going in for the exam. Mrs. Matheny was always so helpful and had been preparing us for weeks. She'd given a lot of practice tests during the past few months. The Random Multiple Choice Questions that we could do everyday included questions from all previous chapters, which made it a lot easier to review everything at once! I loved how Mrs. Matheny started reviewing early, too. Too often, I start reviewing just 2 weeks before a test. We'd been reviewing for at least a month before the exam!

How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I probably put in about 1-2 hours a day. Some weeks I had to do more, others less. I traveled a lot during the class, however. So I was spending a lot of time working ahead/catching up. I found the course load challenging, but not overwhelming.

Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I loved how our assignments seemed PRACTICAL. We tested whether or not "Double Stuffed Oreos" really have double the stuffing. We also had an assignment testing whether a certain region had experienced an abnormally hot or cold season. Every assignment showed me the practicality and application of statistics.

Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

It really, really did. Towards the beginning of the class, I wasn't at all interested in statistics. However, as the year progressed, we delved into more of the practical applications. I feel like I understand more of the polls, "studies," and reports published now. 

Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

I liked how we used a forum to ask questions, etc. It allowed students to communicate and answer each others questions. We didn't socialize much so I wouldn't call it "interesting" as much as valuable. It was nice to get feedback on a problem I was having or to answer someone else's questions. Everything became more cemented in my mind when I had to explain it to someone else.

What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

I think any student would enjoy this course. A student will have to work hard, but it was never tiresome to me. It's not your typical math course, so even if a student isn't inclined towards math they'll still find things they enjoy in the class. There is a bit of memorization and studying involved, but that comes with any AP course. 

Other thoughts: 

I thought Mrs. Matheny was a wonderful teacher. She was always available to answer our questions, either through IM or email. I emailed/IMed on a number of occasions asking for help. She was always approachable. I even approached her about a few questions I thought were worded oddly on a test (and had thus gotten wrong). Instead of telling me that it was my fault, she understood, changed the wording, and usually gave me credit for the problem (if I explained my reasoning correctly lol). She also gave us a lot of opportunities for extra credit. This is something that I'm very glad I took advantage of. By gaining extra credit, I was able to make up for a rough test, or to better my overall grade. It also helped me review the course and prepare for the exam.

Mrs. Matheny is a wonderful teacher and I'm very glad I had the opportunity to take this course. 

Definitely worth your effort!

First, before anything else, take this class. It definitely helps not only for AP credit and the like but also for actual practical purposes (like examining actual news articles).

I felt like the course prepared me well for the exam. Because of my circumstances, Mrs. Matheny kindly proposed an alternative plan for my study schedule leading up to the AP exam. I am especially grateful for that flexibility.

I spent a fair amount of work on the class. This is a course that requires 1-2 hours a day during the school week to complete the assignments. Once you're in the flow of work, the load appears lighter.

I think the assignments are all very good. They emphasize the practical value of statistics in a way that the book cannot do on its own.

The course really benefited my understanding of statistics. I definitely had a lot of fun going through the course and understanding the various aspects of statistics.

The students that I worked with enthusiastically participated on the Bulletin Board (which is a definite improvement over the original WWW board). This allowed for fun discussions and an easy way to access all the information.

Pretty much anyone is able to take this course and do well, given the commitment to work on the subject. It is very rewarding, not only for math students but for those who are afraid of the subject.

I am very thankful I took the subject, and Mrs. Matheny is an excellent teacher who teaches her material with a lot of passion. She really hopes each student will understand the concepts and do well. Her dedication to the subject is very evident, and I highly recommend this class. Thanks Mrs. Matheny!

An excellent course!

When I first considered taking AP statistics as a way to get out of college math, the idea terrified me. I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a math person. But I went ahead and signed up...and here I am at the end of the year with an entire body of knowledge I did not have before.

This course will prepare you unequivocally for the AP Stats exam. The most intimidating part of the exam is the Free Response Questions section...but Mrs. Matheny has you doing FRQ sets from chapter 1 forward. The "real deal" isn't easy, but it is at least entirely familiar. I felt more prepared in terms of what to expect than I have for any other test. Ever. And this is coming, as I said before, from a non-math person. I think that a math-oriented person could easily do even better than I did on this test with all the prep he or she would receive in this class. Stats is a difficult AP test with a score average of about 60%, while Mrs. Matheny has her students shooting for (and achieving) 80% and higher! 

This is a pretty intensive course as far as workload. At first, I found myself spending many hours every day on the work. Once I got into a rhythm and started "catching on" to concepts, I was able to cut that down to 1-1.5 hours per weekday, with 2-4 hours per weekend. The teacher does a fantastic job of providing many resources for work and learning--more resources than any one person could hope to utilize. Visual learners can watch videos and powerpoints, verbal learners can study her detailed daily lectures, and everyone can use the forums to discuss textbook questions. She even offers extra hands-on activities, supplemental articles and questions, and the occasional fun poem or comic! Students who, like me, sometimes struggled to maintain high grades on the tests can take advantage of many, many opportunities for extra credit. 

Even though I can't say I enjoy statistics, Mrs. Matheny managed to impart some of her enthusiasm. She obviously loves to teach and gives prompt, excellent, clear answers to any question. When you finally "get" a concept, she is just excited as you are, if not more so! A very fun and encouraging teacher, but never sacrificing quality and depth.

This is an excellent class that is well worth the time. The amount that I learned and the degree to which I was prepared completely amazed me.

AP Stats 2010

     Wow, it's been about a week since I took the AP test.  This was my first AP course and test, so I was a little bit nervous when I went in to take the test.  However, this class did an excellent job at preparing me for the AP exam.  The tests we took throughout the year were similar to the AP exam, with the multipe choice section and the free-response questions.  As long as you are a diligent, hard-working student you will have a fairly easy time with the AP exam.

AP Statistics 2010

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

A worthwhile class

I will upfront say that I'm not the most mathematically inclined student (calling all English majors!), but I am still very glad that I decided to take this class. I do feel that the class prepared me for the exam, although, due to a very busy senior schedule, I didn't get to give as much time to it as I would have liked. I would say that I spent about 8-10 hours per week on the class, although I easily could have spent 12-14. However much time you are able to spend, Mrs. Matheny focuses on preparing students specifically for the exam; no project is useless or wasted. Each chapter test includes multiple choice questions and FRQ practice, and the textbook that we used was designed specifically to cover AP exam materials.

I wish I could have had more interaction with my classmates, but I always found their comments and questions to be very intelligent and helpful. Mrs. Matheny really encourages students to answer each other's questions and even grade practice FRQs for each other, which is beneficial for the grader and the student doing the FRQ. Mrs. Matheny herself is always readily available and extremely helpful in answering questions. She takes a lot of time to give helpful comments on everything she grades, and it is very evidenct how much she cares, not just that you do well on the exam, but that you learn the material.

You do have to work hard in this class; don't be fooled into thinking that just because it isn't calculus, it isn't hard. It is a challenging class, and you have to be willing to give the time it takes to complete the work. If you are willing to work hard, then I would highly recommend this class!

Great Course!

• Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

Yes!!  I felt the course was very good for preparing for the exam.  I was quite confident of my mastery of the subject before I went in for the test, and the scores haven't come out yet, but I think I got a 5.

• How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

I generally spent about 2 to 2 and ½ hours per day 5 days a week.  Sometimes a little more.  Someone a little more efficient and on top of things might have been able to do it faster, but that's about how long it took me.

• Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes!!!  During this course I found out that I really like statistics (at least I've generally enjoyed all I've studied so far).  I like getting to apply math to real life situations.  An equation may be nice, but it really gets fun when you can link it to a practical problem.  Statistics does a lot of just that.  Due to a large degree to how much I enjoyed this course, I am presently planning to at least minor in statistics when I go to college.  

• Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

I did not do much communicating with other students.  As I recall, the only time I found my limited communication helpful was when I tried to answer someone's question and improved my grasp of the area while doing so.  Generally, however, I am of the opinion that at least when it comes to me asking questions I learn better when someone with a rather more extensive knowledge of statistics and experience in communicating that knowledge (i.e. the teacher) answers my questions.

• What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

   I would recommend this course to just about anybody willing to put some effort into it.  I think that acquiring a basic knowledge of statistics has been quite 'eye opening', to me.  I no longer swallow reports of statistical studies as easily.  Instead of saying, "Wow, that seems really amazing, but I guess it must be true…" I can immediately think of plenty of ways the people could have conducted the study incorrectly.  It's good to know that just because someone slapped a confidence interval on something, doesn't mean that what their saying is true.

   The other reason why AP statistics a course for anyone to take is that it would be interesting to both math phobes and calculus geeks.  If you really like math, you can delve into the details of it in statistics; if not, you only need to put up with a little bit of equations and numbers.  Maybe I'm wrong about this (I happen to like math).  What did the right-brained folks in the class think?

Finally, I would like to say that one of the things I really appreciated about the class was having a thoroughly knowledgeable teacher to pester with all my questions.  I could get answers about things that weren't even vital to taking the test!  This made the course all the more fun for me.  Not every teacher puts an equal amount of effort into answering student questions, so I especially appreciate the promptness and completeness of the answers I got.  

P.S.

By the way, if I'm correct the bulletin board that we used this year was kind of a new thing for PA homeschoolers.  I just wanted to say that I think it works better than the WWBoard.  The way it arranges the topics and posts makes finding things more simple, clear, and manageable.

AP Stats Review - 2010

This course prepared me very well for the AP exam. While I won't officially know how well I did until I get the exam scores back, I felt I had a more complete knowledge of statistics than my peers taking the AP exam with me based on the comments I over-heard during break and after the exam. Most of the students (who I thought would be very well prepared since I took the exam at the major, well-known, highly praised highschool in the area) expressed feeling lost and confused and described how they primarially guessed on about half of the questions!

While this course does require some more time and energy than most classes due to its AP nature and the subject matter, it is well worth the effort if your end goal is a strong knowledge of statistics and college-level credit.

AP exam prep

This course really prepared me well for the AP exam. When I finally got to it, I looked at it, and felt that it was way easier than the course. All of the review helped a ton, and overall the course was a lot of fun, too!

Recommended

The amount of work that a person had to put into this class varied from week to week. Some weeks there was a lot and others not so much. However, Mrs. Matheny always had plenty of extra-credit available if you were bored and wanted to learn more. I felt that the always available option of extra-credit was on of the best parts about this class. Unfortunately I did not get to use it as much as I would've liked but nonetheless it was always there.

I would definitely recommend this class to anyone who is willing to put the effort into it. At the very least you will be able to determine whether that most recent poll is an accurate reflection. I know that personally I love that statistics has given me the ability to explain that such-and-such statistic is an inaccurate picture of the story.

AP Statistics

Feedback on AP Stats

I felt that I was excellently prepared (note from Mom: Kaleb came into the car with a great big smile on his face and said the test was easy)

2. What might have helped you be more prepared?

Wish there were more classmates participating in feedback and more discussion (another note from Mom: I don't see how he could have been any better ready for this test. The number of practice tests was a HUGE help. The process of doing similar style of testing throughout the class left him unconcerned with the format and focused on the content. It was one of the main reasons we chose to use PA Homeschoolers for this class)

3. Would you recommend other homeschoolers sign up for this course in the future (if they are ready to work hard!!)? Absolutely.

4. What type of student do you think does best in an on-line course like this? Any advice for future students?

Needs to be someone who is willing to share information online and will use the online resources available to enhance their own studying. My advice is to DO RMCQs daily!

5. Do you have any suggestions for improving the course for next year?

Maybe add some kind of mandatory requirement for students to participate online. I thought it was messed up that most of the students in the class were never seen online.

6. How helpful were the extra readings you did, the activities (Skittleium, Dettmer Dogs, M&M, Oreos), videos watched, bonus assignments, RMCQs etc-- all the 'extra credit' options encouraged in the course?

The extra credit is the ONLY reason I got an A so they helped a LOT. The extra activities spruced it up a bit and made things fun.

7. Any particularly favorite assignments, ones that were especially meaningful to you? Not really. They were all pretty good and they all helped. I didn't have a favorite.

8. Anything else you can think of as you reflect on the year spent learning with your virtual classmates.... value of the friendships made, value of the responses you received and gave to the FRQ, value of my input and guidance, whatever... All of your thoughts are VERY appreciated, and will definitely be taken into consideration in planning for next year.

I liked the competitive nature of the RMCQs. That helped me want to do them every day and my mom let me do them even late at night. For the other kids who did participate, it really helped me to hear their problems and solutions. (Final note from Mom: Carole, I'm thankful for your willingness to work with us and answer so many questions along the way. Sending the PDF of the tests was a huge help for Kaleb. And your emails with me were helpful and encouraging letting me know I'm not that crazy . .. LOL)

Have a great summer!

Kaleb