PreK-8 Mathematics Specialist Degree Program

• The Virginia Mathematics Specialists Project is a Virginia Department of Education Mathematics and Science Partnership (VA DOE MSP) grant that received total funding of $1,500,000 since 2004. The overarching goal was to train the first cadre of Virginia’s mathematics specialists. Common master’s degree programs were implemented at six Virginia universities. These programs all include a common menu of five mathematics courses and three mathematics education leadership courses. The collective enrollment through spring 2007 is 700 for the mathematics courses and 260 for the courses in leadership. In May 2007, the first group of 22 teachers received their M.Ed. in the mathematics specialist program from U.Va.
   
• The Mathematics Specialist Research Study and Pilot Program is a $4,500,000 five-year National Science Foundation Teacher Professional Continuum (NSF-TPC) grant awarded in 2004 to Virginia Commonwealth University and partner-subcontractors University of Virginia and Norfolk State University, in conjunction with the Virginia Mathematics and Science Coalition, and school district core partners. This strong research and policy development grant prepares and deploys K-5 school mathematics specialists to study the impact of mathematics specialists on teachers and student learning. Two cohorts of 12 teachers each will be prepared as K-5 mathematics specialists.
   
• NSF Institute: Preparing Virginia's Mathematics Specialist is a $3,700,000 five-year National Science Foundation Mathematics and Science Partnership (NSF-MSP) Institute grant awarded in 2004 to Virginia Commonwealth University and partner-subcontractors University of Virginia and Norfolk State University. Two cohorts of 25 teachers will each earn master’s degrees in mathematics content and educational leadership, which encompass the proposed requirements specified for licensure as a mathematics specialist by the Virginia Department of Education. Participants are nominated from MSP partner school systems. These schools systems have agreed to assign teachers who complete the master’s degree program to serve as mathematics specialists with sufficient non-classroom time to carry out their responsibilities as specified under the established Virginia description for specialist. This year the VaDOE has supplemented the NSF grant with funds to prepare an additional 4 mathematics specialists for a total of 54.
   
• Loren Pitt, in ongoing collaboration with the Virginia Department of Education, is working to design and offer programs to prepare teachers in the Middle School Teacher Corps to assume the role of mathematics specialists.
  


• In 2002 under the leadership of Loren Pitt, the Virginia Mathematics and Science Coalition established a Mathematics Specialist Task Force, led by Vickie Inge. The task force was charged with preparing a case for obtaining elementary and middle school mathematics teacher specialist endorsements, and for implementing specialist programs in the schools.  Dr. Pitt continues to guide the Coalition’s advocacy efforts that have lead to the K-8 Mathematics Specialist Licensure Endorsement in Virginia Licensure Regulations for School Personnel.