Peter, a sixth-grade mathematics teacher, recently administered an exam. He wants to report a measure of central tendency but he doesn't know what to do with the fact that two students have much lower scores than anyone else. What is the best measure of central tendency for Peter to report?
A) Range
B) Standard deviation
C) Median
D) Mean

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The median is the best choice of central tendency because it is not affected by extreme values or outliers in the data set. Since two students have much lower scores than anyone else, they would be considered outliers and could skew the mean towards a lower value. Therefore, the median, which is the middle value when the scores are arranged in order, would give a more representative measure of the typical score for the class. Range and standard deviation are measures of variability, not central tendency.

Peter, a Sixth-Grade Mathematics Teacher, Recently Administered an Exam