6.SP.B.5.c — Mean, Median, Mode & Range

What 6.SP.B.5.c Covers

Grade 6, Statistics & Probability, Cluster B (summarize and describe distributions). The standard asks students to summarize a numerical data set by giving quantitative measures of center (median and/or mean) and variability (interquartile range and/or mean absolute deviation), and to describe any overall pattern with reference to the context in which the data was gathered.

Scope note: this generator reports mean, median, mode, and range for each data set. Range is a simpler measure of variability than the interquartile range (IQR) or mean absolute deviation (MAD) named in the full standard — IQR/MAD aren't computed on this page yet.

Where It Fits

Follows 6.SP.A.2/A.3 (recognizing that center and variation can each be described with a single number) and leads into Grade 7 work comparing two data distributions and drawing informal inferences.

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting to sort the data set before finding the median.
• Averaging the two middle values only when the data set has an even count — not needed for an odd count.
• Reporting "no mode" when every value appears the same number of times, instead of listing all values as modes.
• Confusing range (max − min) with the count of data points.