The Middle School Mathematics Education (MSME) program strengthens teachers’ knowledge, understanding, skills, and judgment in order to increase student access to high quality mathematics instruction. The program will provide teachers with the deep knowledge and tools necessary to implement the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics in their teaching. The Department of Mathematical Sciences in the College of Science and Health and the College of Education offer the program jointly.

This program was designed collaboratively with practicing K - 8 teachers, mathematicians, and mathematics educators and therefore addresses fundamental questions in both math content and pedagogy. The courses are taught by faculty with extensive experience in teacher preparation as well the implementation of the CCSS-M. The goal of the program is that students taught by the program’s graduates will be successful learners of mathematics, will value mathematics as a subject, and will achieve the learning goals of the CCSS-M. The program includes the courses required for the Algebra Initiative Program of CPS.

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

• Use knowledge of young adolescent learners to create safe, equitable, and meaningful learning environments and collaborative mathematics classrooms.
• Plan and deliver rigorous mathematics instruction appropriate for young adolescent learners.
• Demonstrate and apply disciplinary content and pedagogical content knowledge with an emphasis on developing students' conceptual and procedural understanding.
• Use visual, analytical, numerical, and verbal perspectives in the different content areas of mathematics in learning environments appropriate for young adolescence learners.
• Evaluate mathematics education research to support their understanding of teaching and learning and identify the theories that inform their teaching practices.