"Josh did a great job explaining PBL and the changes to the CED. He did an excellent job of making the work we did meaningful and valuable for the up coming year. I would recommend him to others interested in learning about PBL."

J"osh was super kind and humble. He made it feel feasible to implement the PBL model to my AP classroom. I've taught AP Stats before but now I feel even more confident to teach it going into this school year."

- APSI participants

Josh Argo
Josh Argo teaches Mathematics at Leeds High School in Leeds, Alabama. Josh has been teaching AP Statistics for 8 years, participating in the PBL series for AP Statistics for the last two years.  Prior to participating in the PBL Pilot and curriculum revision program for College Board, Josh worked as a consultant with A Plus College Ready in Alabama training new teachers for teaching AP Statistics for the first time. Josh has also worked at the AP Reading as a reader since 2022. Another professional passion of Josh’s is the National Boards Certification process. Josh has been National Board certified since 2015 and has also helped numerous teachers achieve National Boards Certification locally by serving as a Candidate Support Person. Most recently, Josh renewed his certification by displaying his knowledge of statistics across the curriculum with the PGE title, “Increasing Statistical Literacy Across the Mathematics Curriculum”.

WHY IS PROJECT BASED LEARNING

Project Based Learning (PBL) is a teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects.

​Project-based learning (PBL) in statistics improves student learning outcomes, such as academic achievement, statistical literacy, and critical thinking, by making statistics more relevant and engaging through real-world problems. Studies show PBL increases student motivation, interest, and the ability to apply statistical concepts, with many students perceiving the method as more effective than traditional approaches. 
Course Description:During this AP Statistics APSI primarily aimed at the Project Based Learning series, you’ll explore the 7 elements of well designed PBL instruction, how they fit into instruction for the AP Statistics course, along with exploring the new ideas in the course framework and exam in preparation for the newly designed exam in 2027. You will also be given the necessary resources to implement the 5 projects that were designed for the AP Statistics course framework and the chance to calendar these projects within your individual school calendar. As with any APSI, you will also be given the materials necessary to participate in the course audit, access examples from AP Classroom, promote diversity and equity in your classroom and review grading procedures for future AP exams.

Agenda
Day 1
  • Introduction to Project Based Learning
  • Difference in “Dessert Projects” and “Main Course Projects”
  • Project 1 Materials for Collecting and Analyzing Data
  • PBL Design Elements
  • Discussion of new Course Framework and Exam Design

Day 2
  • Critique and Revision in a PBL Classroom
  • Project 1 Materials for Collecting and Analyzing Data
  • Discussion of new FRQ Task Models/Scoring Guidelines for 2027 AP Statistics Exam
  • Introduction to AP Classroom
  • Calendaring for Project 1
  • Introduce Project 2 Materials for Probability

Day 3
  • Project 2 Materials for Probability
  • Discussion of new MCQ Set Questions
  • Discuss Mini Unit to Cover Topics not addressed in Project Materials
  • Introduce Project 3 Materials for Inference with Proportions
  • Discussion of new FRQ Task Models for Inference Based questions for 2027 AP Statistics Exam

Day 4
  • Using the Instructional Planning Report and Chief Reader Report
  • Building a PBL Culture in your Classroom
  • Brief Introduction for Projects 4 and 5
  • Overview of Support Sessions
How the PBL Series Works
  • 4 days of online or in-person professional learning during an AP Summer Institute
  • Up to 5 online support sessions throughout the school year
  • Access to project implementation guides aligned to the course framework
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