MERIT
GRADUATE PROGRAM
West Virginia, like much of the
country, is undergoing a fundamental change in the teaching of mathematics at
the middle school level. The National
Science Foundation (NSF) -funded Project MERIT (Mathematics Education Reform Initiative
for Teachers) is working on the challenge of preparing elementary and middle
school teachers for this change.
The Institute for Mathematics Learning (IML) and the
College of Human Resources and Education (HRE) at West Virginia University, in cooperation
with Marshall University (MU), the West Virginia Department of Education, the
West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC), and the Project MERIT
partners, has created a graduate level professional development program for
elementary and middle school teachers in West Virginia that will address the
state mandated curriculum transformations.
This
program will provide a core of MERIT courses that will be accepted by both WVU
and MU as work towards a Master’s Degree in Mathematics Education for in-service
teachers. In addition, the courses can be used for K-8 grade teachers in other
content areas to earn a mathematics teaching endorsement. These courses will be
offered via distance education with some face-to-face meetings, allowing teachers
in their home RESA to participate in professional development with a
mathematics content and pedagogical content knowledge focus.
Goals
The
primary objective of the program is to provide increased knowledge and
competence for practicing middle school mathematics teachers in both content
and pedagogy related to the teaching and learning of mathematics. This will prepare master teachers who can
implement reform oriented curriculum and teaching methods.
The
goal of the program is to provide a core of master’s level courses for middle
school teacher professional development.
The courses that are developed will be designated MERIT courses, such
as, MERIT Number & Algebra for Middle School Teachers. Courses in content and pedagogy will be
paired so that each 4-hour content course has a related 2-hour education
course. Courses in a focused area, such
as algebra, will be grouped to form a concentration for teachers. For example, the first cadre of algebra
courses would provide a six-hour concentration for teaching algebra.
Completion
of these courses can be used for two purposes:
Ø Endorsement
in Middle School Mathematics by those who have an elementary education
certificate and pass the West Virginia Middle School Mathematics certification
exam.
Ø Master’s
degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis in middle school mathematics for
in-service teachers.
A
master’s degree in Middle School Mathematics Teaching requires from 30 to 36
hours. MERIT concentrations could be
combined to count towards that degree total.
The
MERIT Partnership has developed a pilot program that includes four cadres of
professional development courses, each with a 4 credit mathematics content
course integrated with a 2 credit mathematics education C&I course, for a
total of 6 credit hours (90 contact hours).
The four cadres
of courses are:
o MERIT
Number and Algebra
o MERIT
Geometry
o MERIT
Discrete Mathematics and Data
Analysis
o MERIT
Functions and Calculus Concepts
·
Each cadre of courses will be designed to be delivered
via distance education during the teachers’ academic school year so that
teachers will have access to professional development in their home region.
·
Limited face-to-face meetings are required so
that teachers are able to develop a sense of community.