Exam scores in Mr. Hanley's class:40-50,70-80,70-80,80-90,80-90,80-90,80-90,90-100,90-100,90-100,90-100,90-100.

Exam scores in Ms. Balch's class:40-50,50-60,50-60,60-70,60-70,60-70,60-70,60-70,80-90,80-90,90-100.

Mr. Hanley and Ms. Balch gave an identical Algebra final exam to their classes. The histograms show the distribution of the scores for each class. In 3–5 sentences, compare the histograms and explain which class you think performed better on the exam. Use information from the histograms such as data skew as well as median scores for both classes to justify your response.

1 answer

To compare the exam scores of Mr. Hanley's and Ms. Balch's classes, we note the distribution and performance indicators in the histograms. Mr. Hanley's class has a higher concentration of scores in the upper ranges (70-100), particularly with several students scoring in the 90-100 bracket, suggesting a strong performance overall. In contrast, Ms. Balch's class shows a more varied distribution with significant representation in the lower ranges (40-70), indicating that more students struggled with the exam. The median score for Mr. Hanley's class is likely higher since most scores cluster in the 80-90 and 90-100 ranges, while Ms. Balch's class has a lower median due to a greater number of lower scores. Based on this analysis, Mr. Hanley's class performed better on the exam.