NSU School of Education: NCATE Accreditation

MATH & SCIENCE PARTNERSHIP GRANT PRIORITIES

YEAR 1

Grant participants will design an effective professional development opportunity for teachers of mathematics in Grades 6-12. The focus of these workshops will be:

to investigate strategies for increasing the number of students succeeding in Algebra I;

to increase the qualifications of teachers delivering mathematics instruction in grades 6-12, focusing primarily on mathematics preparation for Algebra I;

to build the level of expertise and confidence of teachers of mathematics necessary for high quality instruction in Algebra I;

to provide an opportunity for teachers of mathematics to earn an advanced degree.

Grant participants will design an effective professional development opportunity for teachers of science in Grades 6-12. The focus of these workshops will be:

to investigate strategies for increasing the number of students succeeding in science courses;

to increase the qualifications of teachers delivering science instruction in grades 6-12, focusing primarily on the earth sciences;

to build the level of expertise and confidence of teachers of science necessary for high-quality instruction in an inquiry based sequence of science;

to provide an opportunity for teachers of science to earn an advanced degree.

Grant participants will design an effective professional development opportunity for teachers of mathematics and science in Grades 6-12. The focus of these workshops will be:

to investigate opportunities for offering advanced courses in mathematics and science to students in grades 6-12 at remote sites;

to familiarize teachers with the different types of assessment, particularly standardized testing;

to provide an opportunity for teachers of mathematics and science to earn an advanced degree.

YEAR 2

Grant participants will design an effective professional development opportunity for teachers of mathematics in Grades 6-12. The focus of these workshops will be:

to investigate strategies for increasing the number of students enrolling in mathematics courses beyond Algebra I;

to increase the qualifications of teachers delivering mathematics instruction in grades 6-12, focusing primarily on those courses beyond Algebra I;

to build the level of expertise and confidence of teachers in mathematics necessary for high quality instruction in a college preparatory sequence of mathematics;

to provide an opportunity for teachers of mathematics to earn an advanced degree.

Grant participants will design an effective professional development opportunity for teachers of science in Grades 6-12. The focus of these workshops will be:

to investigate strategies for increasing the number of students enrolling in science courses beyond Biology I;

to increase the qualifications of teachers delivering science instruction in grades 6-12, focusing primarily on the life sciences;

to build the level of expertise and confidence of teachers of science necessary for high-quality instruction in a college preparatory sequence of science;

to provide an opportunity for teachers of science to earn an advanced degree.

Grant participants will design an effective professional development opportunity for teachers of mathematics and science in Grades 6-12. The focus of these workshops will be:

to familiarize teachers of mathematics and science with the available distance technology currently in place in South Dakota;

to increase teachers’ understanding of standardized test results and how these results can be used to evaluate curriculum and instruction;

to provide an opportunity for teachers of mathematics and science to earn an advanced degree.

YEAR 3

Grant participants will design an effective professional development opportunity for teachers of mathematics in Grades 6-12. The focus of these workshops will be:

to investigate strategies for increasing the number of students enrolling in mathematics courses beyond Geometry I and Algebra II;

to increase the qualifications of teachers delivering mathematics instruction in grades 6-12, especially those teachers teaching mathematics without a major and/or certification;

to build the level of expertise and confidence of teachers in mathematics necessary for high quality instruction in an advanced placement sequence of mathematics;

to provide an opportunity for teachers of mathematics to earn an advanced degree.

Grant participants will design an effective professional development opportunity for teachers of science in Grades 6-12. The focus of these workshops will be:

to investigate strategies for increasing the number of students enrolling in science courses beyond Chemistry I and Biology II;

to increase the qualifications of teachers delivering science instruction in grades 6-12, focusing primarily on the physical sciences;

to build the level of expertise and confidence of teachers of science necessary for high-quality instruction in an advanced placement sequence of science;

to provide an opportunity for teachers of science to earn an advanced degree.

Grant participants will design an effective professional development opportunity for teachers of mathematics and science in Grades 6-12. The focus of these workshops will be:

to build the level of expertise and confidence of teachers and mathematics and science necessary for providing high-quality instruction via distance;

to encourage teachers to use test data to evaluate their curriculum and instructional strategies;

to provide an opportunity for teachers of mathematics and science to earn an advanced degree.