AP Statistics Quarter 2 Project
Exploratory Analysis
Description, Deliverables, Steps, Requirements, and Sources
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Description :
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The purpose of your project will be to investigate a research question related to the mission of a U.S. Federal Agency by exploring and analyzing a bivariate data set that you create from a U. S. Government data source that you find.
Note 1 :
Your data exploration and analysis will answer a specific analysis question that must be related to this research question. However, your analysis is not expected to answer the broader research question related to the analysis question. For example, if my agency is The Army Corps of Engineers, and my research question is, “What has been the impact of recreational use on the navigability of the Missouri River?” One specific analysis that might inform this research question is looking at the relationship between the # of barges and # of boating permits for the Missouri River during every month in the past 10 years. Exploring the # of barges vs. # of boating permits data will answer the analysis question (what is the relationship between the two) but will only be one contribution to the research question.
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PROJECT STEPS :
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Select a unique U. S. Federal government agency from the following list to use for this project.
Governmental Agency List
United States Department of Agriculture
Agencies within the Department of Agriculture:
United States Department of Commerce
Agencies within the Department of Commerce:
National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
United States Department of Defense
Agencies within the Department of Defense:
United States Department of Education
Agencies within the Department of Education:
Office of Postsecondary Education
List of agencies within the Department of Energy:
Main article: United States Department of Health and Human Services
Agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services:
Also controls the Caribbean Coast Guard
Main article: United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
General Land Office
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (formerly Minerals Management Service)
Office for Oil Spills
Executive Office for Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces
Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking
United States Parole Commission (Scheduled to expire in November, 2011)
Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (DOL)
Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
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In Schoology, submit as part of a class discussion a log entry including your name, US Federal Agency, Research Question, and source of data (i.e. specific webpage/site)
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Note that many of the agency names in this list are “hot linked” to the Wikipedia page for that agency.
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Also note that many Wikipedia articles have an External links list at the bottom which includes a link to the agency’s official website.
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You MAY use a U. S. Federal government agency not on this list.
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If the US Agency is already on the discussion/log for the class, go back to the previous step.
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For your agency, create a bivariate set of data to explore and analyze from a U. S. Federal government source (you might search your agency’s web site, www.data.gov or http://fedstats.sites.usa.gov/). Your data must inform a research question related to the agency’s work that you are interested in investigating.
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No later than the 2nd Tuesday in November (around Week 14, 10Nov), turn in the planning document for your 2nd quarter project.
Your Exploration and Analysis should include:
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A univariate exploration of each variable.
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A pre-LSRL bivariate exploration that addresses linearity of any relationship.
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A use of the LSRL to model the bivariate relationship.
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An evaluation of how reasonable a linear model might be.
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Document your exploration and analysis in your project Written Report by the 1st Monday in December (around Week 17, 2Dec) and upload to Schoology.
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Quarter Project Scoring Rubric to be Printed Out
(100 possible points)
1. Professionalism & Format (20 points):
q Timliness (November & December due dates met)?
q Correct grammar use.
q Neat and legible with 1 inch margins and 12-point Times New Roman font.
q Graphs are easy to read and labeled appropriately.
q Header contains your LAST name in upper left corner and page number in upper right corner.
q Sources other than US Agency referenced (data source)?
2. Quality of Data Exploration & Analysis (30 points):
qA univariate exploration of each variable. (10pts)
qA pre-LSRL bivariate exploration that addresses linearity of any relationship. (10pts)
q A use of the LSRL to model the bivariate relationship. (5pts)
q An evaluation of how reasonable a linear model might be. (5pts)
3. Sections included in the Project's Written Report (50 points):
Introduction that provides an overview and summarizes the purpose of your report. (5pts)
Background that briefly describes your agency’s mission.(5pts)
Research Question Description that clearly states the research question you are investigating and how it relates to your Agency. (5pts)
Description of data that describes the source, units, format, file location, etc., for your data. (10pts)
Exploration and analysis that describes your efforts to inform your research question. What that means is you must specifically state an analysis question your work answered and how your analysis relates to the broader research question you described (see above). This narrative of your analysis must contain supporting data summary tables and graphs (either imbedded in document or referenced in specific attached figures). (15pts)
Findings that you discovered in completing this project. What part of your research question were you able to inform or answer? (5pts)
Conclusion that summarizes key findings in your report and recommends future study or analysis tasks for your research question. (5pts)