Final Project Assignment For the final project you will have to construct scatter plots of the relationships

between ISAT scores, income, and operational spending per pupil from the Illinois school district of your choosing. You will be using the Illinois Interactive Report Card website to achieve this. Specifically, you will need to gather this information from at least ten schools. After constructing these graphs and using line of best fit and slope to determine if any correlation exists, you must take a position on the controversial issue of high stakes testing in the form of the ISAT test and develop a strong persuasive essay arguing your stance. This essay needs to be at least 2-3 pages long, double spaced, with 1 inch margins. Your target audience for this essay will be the school district officials from the district in which your information is based. The purpose of this project is to assess students ability to interpret statistical information and present it in graphical form. Specifically, this final project deals with real world probability and statistics of high stakes testing. Moreover, this will further enlighten students of the impact that poverty, funding, and race may have on high stakes test evaluation results. You are allowed to use the readings and activities as sources for your essay. In addition to these, you need to use at least two other written sources from either a periodical or credible online source. Overall, this essay should answer the essential questions that were posed at the beginning of this unit. This assignment is very important because it is teaching you statistics and probability, which you will use in the real world. Also, it gives you a chance to take action and to see what happens in communities other than your own. Additionally, it gives you a chance to have a voice and speak your opinions about standardized testing. Many students and parents feel that they do not have a say in how the schools should operate, however, this assignment gives you that opportunity. This is a learning process and the goal is to speak up and teach others what you

have learned from this unit and assignment. Hopefully, by looking at your essays, school district officials will be inspired by the students and either maintain or amend policies regarding high stakes testing based on social justice.