SCISM is designed to increase the pool of secondary mathematics teachers defined as highly qualified under the No Child Left Behind legislation by recruiting high performing mathematics majors in the spring of their junior or senior years and making it possible for them to complete the requirements of a B.A. or B.S. in mathematics and secondary mathematics certification in a timely, convenient and affordable manner. Field experience will be in high need districts. The program consists of six-week sessions of classroom and field experiences in two successive summers, a teaching experience in the intervening year and student teaching. For those entering after the junior year, the academic year teaching is on ASU campus. For those entering after the senior year, it will be employment in a cooperating school district making use of the Teacher Intern Certificate program. This option requires the pre-service teacher to take 2 additional courses and to teach in a district for two years.

Increasing the pool of highly qualified math teachers is a goal of a range of agencies involved in mathematics and education including local school districts, ASU College of Education, ASU Mathematics Department, AZ State Board of Education, National Science Foundation and US Department of Education. By targeting students as they finish their junior or senior years, we will be recruiting to teaching students who had not otherwise planned to enter the field. When they have finished the program, they will have completed the professional education training in addition to the entire program leading to the traditional BA or BS. The US Department of Education Second Annual Report on Teacher Quality notes that a teacher’s general level of verbal or cognitive ability is a powerful predictor of the success of their students. Our selection process and the more diverse education of these candidates assure that our graduates will have highly desirable characteristics.

A variation for current seniors is available.

Features

Summer field experience will be in high need districts, thus greatly increasing the probability that graduates will teach and be successful in those districts. In the first summer students will spend two weeks in all day classes introducing them to adolescent development and classroom dynamics. Then they will begin spending mornings, Monday through Thursday, in Phoenix Union high schools with well-defined observational objectives and afternoons in coursework on campus. On Fridays, they will de-brief their experience of the week. During the academic year they will be given supervised teaching opportunities in ASU mathematics classes at the high school level and will participate in a weekly learning community. This unique arrangement will allow the candidate to develop confidence with the subject material without the additional concern of classroom management and administrative responsibilities. Second summer field experience will be scheduled late in the summer when some area schools are re-opening. This will allow the student to experience the planning and tension that accompanies meeting new classes and establishing the desired classroom culture. The traditional student teaching semester will follow this second field experience and will likely be in the same school. While there is no requirement that students continue their professional careers in high need districts, more financial resources are available from the federal government to help pay back student loans for teachers teaching in these urban districts.

SCISM differs from the traditional certification in secondary mathematics in several ways:

Costs

Funding is currently available from the National Science Foundation, through a grant to Center for Research in Education for Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology (CRESMET), to support tuition and cash stipends for participants. Tuition for each summer and the student teaching semesters is paid. In addition, students will receive a cash stipend of $1500 for each of those three periods.

Requirements

CSE 100 or 110 or 200
MAT 270, 271, 272 and either 342 or 343
MAT 300 or 243 must be in progress or completed

Completion of at least 72 credits at the time of application
Applicants must meet the other requirements for admission to the Initial Teacher Certification Program

Applying: SUMMER 2007 DEADLINE: APRIL 1, 2007

Apply for admission to the Initial Teacher Certification (ITC) program by going to http://coe.asu.edu/oss/admission/itc_intro.html.

Students must meet the requirements for Mathematics and the College of Education.

Students must complete all 4 steps of the ITC application:

Applications must be completed before they will be forwarded to SCISM for review. Christopher Carabajal is the College of Education advisor working with SCISM applicants. You can schedule an appointment with him to learn all about the application process by calling (480) 965-5555 or e-mailing him.

Please make two copies of your application (or three, to have one for yourself) and submit the second to SCISM, CRESMET, Ste 202, 1130 E. University, Tempe, AZ 85287 or use Campus mail code 3604. Admission decisions will be made in April. Students will be notified by the College of Education through mail. To complete the admittance to SCISM/ITC students must attend a mandatory ITC orientation and officially accept the program. Information will be provided by the notification letter.

Curriculum

For completion, candidates must complete the requirements for a B.A. or B.S. in Mathematics and the following professional program of study.

Summer I

Schedule:

Phase I (2 weeks) M-Th, 6.5 hrs, Fr, 3.5 hrs., instruction
Phase II (4 weeks) M-F, 3.5 hours instruction, M–Th, 3 hrs field experience

Academic Year

Summer II

Schedule:

Phase I M-Th 6.5 hrs., Fr. 3.5 hrs, 3 weeks, instruction
Phase II M-F 7 hrs per day, 2 weeks, field experience
Phase III M-Th 6.5 hrs., Fr. 3.5 hrs, 1 week, instruction

Student Teaching

The following fall will include student teaching. (12 credits)
Student teaching is full days, full-time for a minimum of 12 weeks.