Tim Jacobbe

Dr. Tim Jacobbe is the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Southern Methodist University. He also has a courtesy appointment as a Professor in the Department of Statistical Science at SMU. He holds a B.S. in Integrated Mathematics and an M.A.T. in Mathematics from Bowling Green State University. His Ph.D. is in Curriculum and Instruction from Clemson University. Prior to his appointment as a professor and associate dean of academic affairs for the Simmons School of Education and Human Development, Dr. Jacobbe was a professor and chair in the Department of Teaching and Learning at SMU. He was also a faculty member at the University of Florida and the University of Kentucky prior to coming to SMU. His research focuses on various issues related to statistics education and teacher preparation.

Prior to serving as a faculty member, Dr. Jacobbe was an assessment specialist for Educational Testing Service where he served as one of the primary test developers for the AP Statistics program as well as the SAT and GRE. His current research involves the assessment of statistical concepts at the secondary and undergraduate level. As PI on the NSF-funded Levels of Conceptual Understanding in Statistics (LOCUS) project, Dr. Jacobbe helped lead a team of tremendous statistics educators in transforming the way statistics is assessed on high stakes assessments. The LOCUS assessments have been administered to over 50,000 students throughout the world. His contributions to statistics education were recognized by the American Statistical Association when they named him a Fellow for outstanding contributions to the field in 2016.

Selected Grant Activity

Supporting Teacher Enactment of the Probability and Statistics Standards (STEPSS) (2017 –2020). Funding Agency: Institute of Educational Sciences. Role: PI on University of Florida Subaward, $97,819. Rob Schoen at Florida State PI for total award of $985,321.

LOCUS: Levels of conceptual understanding in statistics (2011 – 2017). Funding Agency: National Science Foundation (DRL-1118168). $2,078,088. Role: Principal Investigator.

Books Authored

Kader, G., & Jacobbe, T. (2013). Developing essential understanding of statistics for teaching mathematics in grades 6-8. Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Hopfensperger, P., Jacobbe, T., Lurie, D., & Moreno, J. (2012). Bridging the gap between the common core state standards and teaching statistics. Alexandria, VA: American Statistical Association.

Selected Journal Publications

*denotes publications with graduate student(s)

Kader, G., Franklin, C., & Jacobbe, T. (2020). How long are the words in the Gettysburg address. Statistics Teacher, November.

Franklin, C., Kader, G., Jacobbe, T., & Maddox, K. (2020). Investigating levels of graphical comprehension using the LOCUS assessments. Statistics Teacher,   November.

*Bolch, C. & Jacobbe, T. (2019). Investigating levels of graphical comprehension using the LOCUS assessments. Numeracy, 12(1), Article 8, 1-15.

*Busi, R., & Jacobbe, T. (2018). The impact of analyzing student work on preservice teachers’ content knowledge and beliefs about effective mathematics teaching. Issues in Undergraduate Mathematics Preparation of School Teachers, 1, 1-18.

*Case, C., & Jacobbe, T. (2018). A framework to characterize student difficulties in learning inference from a simulation-based approach. Statistics Education Research Journal, 17(2), 9-29.

*Case, C., Battles, M., & Jacobbe, T. (2018). Toward an understanding of p-values: Simulation based inference in a traditional statistics course. Investigations in Mathematics Learning, https://doi.org/10.1080/19477503.2018.1438869

*Whitaker, D., & Jacobbe, T. (2017). Students’ understanding of bar graphs and histograms: Results from the LOCUS assessments, Journal of Statistics Education, 25, 90 – 102.

*Mitten, C., Jacobbe, T., & Jacobbe, E. (2017). What do they understand? Using technology to facilitate formative assessment. Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom, 22, 9 – 12.

*Bostic, J., Pape, S., & Jacobbe, T. (2016). Encouraging sixth-grade students’ problem-solving performance by teaching through problem solving. Investigations in Mathematics Learning, 8(3), 30 – 58.

*Whitaker, D., Foti, S., & Jacobbe, T. (2015). The Levels of Conceptual Understanding in Statistics (LOCUS) Project: Results of the Pilot Study. Numeracy, 8(2), Article 3. Retrieved from http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1175&context=numeracy

Jones, D., & Jacobbe, T. (2014). An analysis of the statistical content in textbooks for prospective elementary teachers. Journal of Statistics Education, 22(3), Retrieved from http://www.amstat.org/publications/jse/v22n3/jones.pdf, 1-18.

Bargagliotti, A., Jacobbe, T., & Webb, D. (2014). A commentary on elementary teacher preparation to teach statistics. Issues in the Undergraduate Mathematics Preparation of School Teachers, Volume 4. Retrieved from http://www.k12prep.math.ttu.edu/journal/4.curriculum/volume.shtml

*Busi, R., & Jacobbe, T. (2014). Examining student work in the preparation of preservice elementary teachers. The Mathematics Educator, 23(2), 23-39.

Scheaffer, R. L., & Jacobbe, T. (2014). Statistics Education in the K-12 Schools of the United States: A Brief History. Journal of Statistics Education, 22(2). Retrieved from http://www.amstat.org/publications/jse/v22n2/scheaffer.pdf, 1-14.

*Jacobbe, T., Ross, D. D., Caron, D. A., Barko, T. M., & Busi, R. (2014). Connecting theory and practice: Preservice teachers’ construction of practical tools for teaching mathematics. Teacher Education and Practice, 27, 2&3, 332-355.

*Jacobbe, T., Hartlaub, B., & Whitaker, D. (2013). Motivation for and benefits from attending the AP statistics reading. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 1 (2), 1-6. doi: 10.11114/jets.vli2.xx

Jacobbe, T. (2012). Elementary school teachers’ understanding of the mean and median. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 10, 1143 – 1161. doi: 10.1007/s10763-011-9321-0

Hensberry, K. R., & Jacobbe, T. (2012). The effects of Polya's heuristic and diary writing on children’s problem solving. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 24, 59-85. doi: 10.1007/s13394-012-0034-7

Jacobbe, T., & Horton, R. M. (2012). The importance of sustained professional development for teaching statistics: An example involving the mode and range. International Journal of Statistics and Probability, 1, 138 – 147. doi: 10.5539/ijsp.v1n1p138

*Jacobbe, T., Ross, D. D., & Hensberry, K. R. (2012). The effects of a family math night on preservice teachers’ perspectives of parental involvement. Urban Education, 47, 1158-1179. doi: 10.1177/0042085912447805

*Bostic, J. D., & Jacobbe, T. (2011). Reflecting on teaching: A doctoral student’s maturation over an academic year. International Journal of University Faculty & Teaching Development, 2, 71-80.

Jacobbe, T. (2011). Organizing a family math night. NCSM Journal of Mathematics Education Leadership, 13, 34-39.

*Bostic, J. D., & Jacobbe, T. (2010). Promote problem-solving discourse. Teaching Children Mathematics, 17, 32-37.

Jacobbe, T., & Horton, R. M. (2010). Elementary school teachers’ comprehension of data displays. Statistics Education Research Journal, 9, 27-45.