Addressing the Standards

Data and Analysis

There is considerable overlap between the treatment of data from all sources, including NGSS, CCSS-Math, MA DLCS Frameworks and the CSTA K–12 CS Standards.

Not surprisingly, of the three sets of standards, those from CSTA are the most explicit in their call for the use of technology to collect and analyze data, and the spreadsheet is perhaps the most pervasive data analysis tool used throughout industries today. It provides relatively simple tools to sort, summarize, and graphically represent data, and does so quickly. And it can be used to create complex models. But in addition to the emphasis on technology, the CSTA standards for elementary grades are more explicit in their emphasis on the predictive aspects of data analysis more than NGSS or CCSS-Math; taking an integrated approach to CT within the context of science and mathematics, therefore, offers the opportunity to further enrich students’ experiences with data.

MA DLCS Curriculum Framework

Topic: Data

Grades K–2

K-2.CT.c.1. Identify different kinds of information (e.g., text, charts, graphs, numbers, pictures, audio, video, collections of objects.)

K-2.CT.c.2. Identify, research, and collect information on a topic, issue, problem, or question using age-appropriate digital technologies.

K-2.CT.c.3. Individually and collaboratively propose a solution to a problem or question based on an analysis of information.

K-2.CT.c.4. Individually and collaboratively create information visualizations (e.g., charts, infographics).

K-2.CT.c.5. Explain that computers can save information as data that can be stored, searched, retrieved, and deleted.

Grades 3–5

3-5.CT.c.1. Describe examples of databases from everyday life (e.g., library catalogs, school records, telephone directories, contact lists).

3-5.CT.c.2. Collect and manipulate data to answer a question using a variety of computing methods (e.g., sorting, totaling, averaging) and tools (such as a spreadsheet) to collect, organize, graph, and analyze data.

CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards

Grades K–2

CSTA 1A-DA-05. Store, copy, search, retrieve, modify, and delete information using a computing device and define the information stored as data.

CSTA 1A-DA-06. Collect and present the same data in various visual formats.

CSTA 1A-DA-07. Identify and describe patterns in data visualizations, such as charts or graphs, to make predictions.

Grades 3–5

CSTA 1B-DA-06. Organize and present collected data visually to highlight relationships and support a claim.

CSTA 1B-DA-07. Use data to highlight or propose cause-and-effect relationships, predict outcomes, or communicate an idea.

CSTA K-12 Computational Thinking Progressions

DATA COLLECTION: The process of gathering appropriate information.

Grades Pre-K to 2. Conduct an experiment to find the fastest toy car down an incline and record the order of cars across the finish line in a chart.

Grades 3 to 5. Review examples of writing to identify strategies for writing an essay.

DATA ANALYSIS: Making sense of data, finding patterns, and drawing conclusions.

Grades Pre-K to 2. Make generalizations about the order of finishing a toy car race based on the characteristics of the car, with a focus on weight. Test conclusions by adding weight to cars to change results.

Grades 3 to 5. Categorize strong and weak examples of writing samples to develop a rubric.

DATA REPRESENTATION: Depicting and organizing data in appropriate graphs, charts, words, or images.

Grades Pre-K to 2. Create a chart or a line drawing that shows how the speed of a toy car changes when its weight is changed.

Grades 3 to 5. Match each writing sample to the rubric and create a chart showing which example best fits in each category of the rubric.

Next Generation Science Standards

Science and Engineering Practice: Analyzing and Interpreting Data

Analyzing data in K–2 builds on prior experiences and progresses to collecting, recording, and sharing observations.

  • Record information (observations, thoughts, and ideas).
  • Use and share pictures, drawings, and/or writings of observations.
  • Use observations (firsthand or from media) to describe patterns and/or relationships in the natural and designed world(s) in order to answer scientific questions and solve problems.
  • Compare predictions (based on prior experiences) to what occurred (observable events).
  • Analyze data from tests of an object or tool to determine if it works as intended.

Analyzing data in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to introducing quantitative approaches to collecting data and conducting multiple trials of qualitative observations. When possible and feasible, digital tools should be used.

  • Represent data in tables and/or various graphical displays (bar graphs, pictographs and/or pie charts) to reveal patterns that indicate relationships.
  • Analyze and interpret data to make sense of phenomena, using logical reasoning, mathematics, and/or computation.
  • Compare and contrast data collected by different groups in order to discuss similarities and differences in their findings.
  • Analyze data to refine a problem statement or the design of a proposed object, tool, or process.
  • Use data to evaluate and refine design solutions.

Science and Engineering Practice: Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking

Within the overview of the Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking practice are explicit statements regarding the role of digital tools in analyzing data:

  • Computers and digital tools can enhance the power of mathematics by analyzing large data sets available to identify meaningful patterns.
  • Students are expected to engage in computational thinking, which involves strategies for organizing and searching data.

Examples from the Content Standards

Moreover, embedded in several areas within the NGSS content standards are descriptions of collecting and interpreting data within specific scientific topics. For instance, in Grade 3, three standards include mention of using data to promote conceptual understanding:

3-LS3-1. Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exist in a group of similar organisms.

3-LS4-1. Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity. Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago.

3-ESS2-1. Earth's Systems. Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.

While only these Grade 3 content standards explicitly refer to data representation and analysis, the practice of using data to understand science concepts and phenomena is, of course, fundamental to the whole of science.

Common Core State Standards for Mathematics

The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics include several standards for measurement and data that also involve gathering and interpreting data.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.B.3. Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step “how many more” and “how many less” problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. For example, draw a bar graph in which each square in the bar graph might represent 5 pets.