The z-score is calculated as (x - m) / s, where x is the actual score, m is the mean, and s is the standard deviation. In this case, x = 176, m = 154, and s = 9.8. Therefore z can be calculated as: z = (176 - 154) / 9.8 = 2.245, and the z-score of 2.245 means that 176 is 2.245 standard deviations above the mean.