Numbers 3: Describing Descriptive Stats...and some other stuff

It's getting easier! Excel and I are slowly building our relationship. This is now the 3rd time I've used the average, standard deviation, maximum, and minimum formulas. It's very comfortable to use and paint these functions into other columns and sheets. I also noticed we were able to download the spreadsheet from a App known as Dropbox. From what I understand and have heard from other people, this is a great way to share files. And it seems to be slightly less complicated than a Google drive. Something I'd like to look into a little more.

I am also familiar with using a data sort function with my spreadsheets. My school is using Excel to progress monitor our students throughout the year. We have a spreadsheet for reading and math. Using the data sort tools we can easily identify the lower half, 10%, etc. of our students in report card grades, unit tests, or any other data point we use. This has been a very helpful way to promote discussions between teachers about struggling students and interventions being used. That being said, I still had a few difficulties when creating my scatter plot. Take a look below:

You'll notice my X-axis has a numerical value for the state names. It took me a minute to figure out why it happened-the program used the cell number to identify the states. I tried various ways to alter the design, layout, and format tabs with Excel charts, but still could not figure out how to have the state names show up. Anyways, Virginia is #27. Dead average between the states. This was fascinating to me because I've always considered Virginia's schools, most notably, NoVa's school systems, to be up and coming and very good. Average is certainly better than below average, but knowing this is going to have an impact on my decisions for my future. I am a young teacher who does not have my own family to consider when moving. However, theses statistics could impact my choice of a possible new state to move. I've been really pulled towards North Carolina, but unfortunately, this state has a reputation of poor school systems, poor teacher benefits, etc. This spreadsheet lists North Carolina at #40...significantly lower than most.

This activity addresses ISTE's 1b:Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources. This spreadsheet lists NAEP scores on reading tests for 8th graders and the assignment asked us to consider the difference in male and female averages as it relates to testing. I also felt I met 3a,c,d and 5d with this activity. Self renewal in the teaching field sometimes requires a move...system within the state...or perhaps a new state altogether.