This documentation is part of a series of technical assistance ​resources for bringing data science education programs to your community, intended for school, district, and state leaders.

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This alignment matrix was developed to demonstrate mathematics concepts covered in three high school data science curriculum, in a simplified format, in comparison to a number of established benchmarks. These comparison benchmarks include 1) components of Common Core Math Standards, used in California and several other states for aligning content expectations 2) AP Statistics, a widely offered high school course intended to replicate college-level statistics curriculum, and 3) UC Berkeley’s Data8 curriculum, a popular and highly successful undergraduate course in introductory data science intended to equip students for a wide variety of STEM and non-STEM majors, in which modern data analysis is increasingly employed. 

 

For some concepts (or row), a perfect comparison is not possible due to pedagogical and design differences in how content is presented to students. Even the benchmark comparisons themselves may approach content in slightly different ways. For instance, when creating and carrying out a test for the difference of two population means, AP Statistics relies on expressions for Standard Error, t-tables located in a textbook or other reference table, and a two-sample t-test with hand-derived estimates. In contrast, the UC Berkeley Data8 curriculum relies on software-assisted resampling techniques to empirically model probability distributions. Both curriculum would ask a student to employ a null and alternative hypothesis to justify their conclusions for whether the difference between two populations is meaningful, or due to random chance. No two courses with well-designed pedagogy, coherent sequencing, and evolution of conceptual complexity can be reduced to a table; this guide is an imperfect simplification.

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Any errors are attributable to DS4E; requested corrections are encouraged and should be directed to info@datascience4everyone.org.

*The alignment tables for AP Statistics were updated in June 2024 after coding errors were identified for the Data8 curriculum, affecting the UC Berkeley "Data8" column. In this guidance, the Data8 curriculum is intended as a "gold standard" comparison benchmark representing a challenging, engaging, and relevant college-level introductory course in data science and modern analysis techniques. Data8 can be considered as one of several college-level exemplars to inspire high school course development, with additional age-appropriate modifications necessary.