Recommendations

Particularly at this time of change in the organisation of assessment, and anxieties about the decline in standards of mathematics, there would seem to be renewed opportunities for the RSS to speak out on the subject of statistical education. It appears that what is currently offered as statistical education at A- and AS-level, as well as its style of delivery, serves neither those who need it for their user-discipline studies, nor those who will specialise in statistics, nor those who wish to specialise in mathematics. Within the membership of the RSS, there is considerable expertise in the field of statistical education. Pressure by such individuals’ for change, though, cannot match the level of influence that a united professional body could, and should, exert. The following would appear to be immediate priorities for the RSS to propose.

The removal of statistics and probability from the core mathematics syllabus(es) is a matter for concern. However, it is also an opportunity to argue that it was not appropriate or adequate in the first place, being essentially a somewhat trivial re-visit of GCSE content.

The mathematical community needs to be persuaded to re-consider the nature of ‘mathematics’ at A-level. It is not only the statistical content of these syllabuses that is inappropriate. The emphasis should not merely be on students being able to carry out the steps of a memorised (or given) algorithm with accuracy. Rather, it should it be on students being able to use appropriate tools to shed light on (and thereby help to solve) realistic problems.
Real coherence and progression within the subject of statistics can only be achieved by a rethink of the content and approaches of most of the available A- and AS-level syllabuses. Progression is not achieved by the acquisition of more techniques, but rather by the development of skills and conceptual understanding.

Depending on the government’s response to Dearing, the recommendation that the Committee made for broader-based patterns of post-19 education (including GNVQS) could be helpful for promoting the AS-level study of statistics. The reality is that this would be likely to be within a mathematics context. This is less than ideal, but with appropriate changes in content and more emphasis on principles of statistical methods and concepts, this could work. NEAB have already shown something of what can be achieved. The other Boards should be encouraged to follow their example.
Changing the way statistics is taught within the context of mathematics would not only be better for statistics. It would also benefit mathematics (by introducing more meaningful, in intellectual terms, work), and user-disciplines (by focusing on relevant, and usable, content).

Examinations should reflect available technology. Other forms of assessment of statistics are more appropriate than those currently used. At present, the real intellectual demands of the discipline of statistics are lost, because the available technology makes the objects of the assessment process trivial exercises.
To implement changes effectively, support for teachers needs to be integrated into the syllabus documentation, the assessment guidelines, and the recommended teaching materials. More particularly, appropriate initial and in-service training courses need to be developed. Funding will be needed for this.