The Mathematics Education Program

Introduction Mathematics - Education Option (Math-Ed Program). The Math-Ed Program is an option program, administered by the Department of Mathematics. The five-year program leads to a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics at the end of four years and a Masters of Arts in Teaching and Learning at the end of the fifth year. The Program is designed to prepare future teachers of mathematics in secondary grades 6 - 12. Upon successful completion of the Program, a student may apply to Virginia State Department of Education for licensure to teach secondary mathematics in the state of Virginia. The program is open to all students admitted into the Department of Mathematics. To complete the degree requirements of the Math - Ed Program, the student must satisfy the progress towards degree requirements listed below. Also a 2.70 GPA overall is required for admission to the Center for Teacher Education graduate program by the end of the senior year.

Specific details of the program can be found in the appropriate sections below and in the check sheet at the end of this handbook.

The Professional Studies Component The Math - Ed Program described in this brochure is a professional program. You must be admitted to the Professional Studies Component before you can enroll in EDCI 3724, Teaching Math I. The following minimal requirements must be met to be admitted into the Professional Studies Component:

A 2.0 overall GPA.
A 2.3 GPA in all math courses taken up to the point of admission. These courses must include Math1114, 1224, 1205, 1206, 2224 and 2214 or their equivalents.
A 2.0 GPA in all the 3000/4000 level courses completed at the point of admission. Only the highest grade of repeated courses will count in computing the GPA for this requirement.
A 2.0 GPA in Freshman English.
An application for admission to the Professional Studies Program must be submitted by April 15 of the Spring semester prior to the Fall semester in which the student enrolls in EDCI 3724.

The student-aide part of EDCI 3724 requires that you spend the equivalent of fourteen days on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, serving as a teacher aide in a local school. The methods class will meet on campus on Tuesday and Thursday mornings when you are not working at a local school.

Evaluation of your student-aide experience is conducted throughout the semester. Upon completion of EDCI 3724, you will be evaluated by your cooperative teacher, university supervisor and the EDCI 3724 instructor as to the quality of your aide experience. If, jointly, these evaluators decide that you did not have a satisfactory aide experience then you are considered to be not making satisfactory progress towards a degree in the Math-Ed Program. You will then be advised to seek a degree in some other area of study. Your evaluations will be based on regular, systematic observations of your interactions with secondary students in a number different settings such as: tutoring students, leading small group discussions, assisting the teacher in lectures and demonstrations, and, to a limited extent, teaching a class of students.

Satisfactory Progress Satisfactory progress towards the Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics requires that:

Within the previous two semesters, the student must pass at least one mathematics course used in the in-major GPA calculation.
Upon having attempted 72 semester credits (including transfer, advanced placement, advanced standing, credit by exam, late drop), a student must have earned the following credits:
- MATH 1205-1206, 1224, 2224: Calculus (11)
- MATH 1114, 2214: Linear Algebra and Ordinary Diff Eqs. (5)
- MATH 3034: Proofs and Algebraic Systems (3)
- Total Credits: 19
Upon having completed 96 semester credits, a student must have an in-major grade-point average of 2.0 or above.

Retention in the Program To be retained in the Math-Ed program, you must

Maintain a 2.0 overall GPA.
Maintain a 2.3 (average) GPA in all math courses taken.
Maintain a 2.0 GPA in the 3000/4000 level courses completed. Only the highest grade of repeated courses will count in computing the GPA for this requirement.
Have a 2.3 GPA in the professional teacher education courses preceding enrollment in EDCI 3724.
Be making satisfactory progress towards the Bachelor of Science in Mathematics.

Timeline The flow chart at the end indicates the path a typical student would take in the Program. Typically, a student will take EDCI 3724 in the Fall semester of their senior year.

Core Curriculum The University and College of Science have Core Curriculum requirements that must be satisfied before a degree will be granted. A student who satisfies the College of Science Core will also have satisfied the University Core requirements. No course used to meet a College Core requirement can be taken on a pass/fail basis. Further information on the core requirements can be found in the Undergraduate Course and Academic Catalog. Also, a detailed list of core courses in the College of Science can be found in the Handbook for Mathematics Majors available from the Mathematics Depatment.

Additional MATH-ED Program Requirements

A minimum of 47 credits are required in the Program. Of these 47 credits, 41 credits are prescribed and the remaining six credits are selected from a list of approved courses that are listed at the bottom of the check sheet
Two writing intensive courses are required. This requirement is automatically satisfied by taking the required courses Math 3034, Proofs, and Math 4044, History of Math.
Three credits of Computer Science (CS 1044 or Math 3414) and three credits of statistics (Stat 4705) are required (Stat 4105 may be substituted).
Fifteen credits of professional education course work, including a student aide experience, are required in the undergraduate component of the five-year program. The remaining education courses in the five-year program are taken at the graduate level.
Foreign language requirement: See the College of Sciences core language requirement in the Undergraduate Course and Academic Catalog or in the Handbook for Mathematics Majors.

Teaching Licensure To receive a recommendation from the Center for Teacher Education to teach secondary mathematics in the State of Virginia, the student must:

Successfully complete the Math-Ed Program.
Earn a minimum grade of C+ in student teaching.
Achieve scores on the PRAXIS 1 (PPST) Pre-Professional Skills Tests and Specialty Area Examinations of the Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers at or above the cut-off levels established by the State of Virginia. The cut-off levels for the PPST tests are:
- Reading 178, Mathematics 178, and Writing 176. Alternately, the Praxis I requirement can be satisfied by having SAT scores of 530 or better in each of Math and English and a combined total score of 1100.
Receive a positive recommendation from the cooperative teacher(s), a principal or school administrator in the school in which the student teaching experience was completed, and the university supervisor.
Pass Praxis II with a score of 147/200 or better during the senior year. The course Math 4664 is designed to prepare students for the Praxis II exam.
The State of Virginia has established an alternate route to licensure for those persons desiring licensure to teach secondary mathematics in Virginia. Please contact the Director of the Math -Ed Program or the Center for Teacher Education at Va Tech for more information about alternative licensure.

Miscellaneous Topics

Second Teaching Endorsements It is possible in State of Virginia to be endorsed in a second area of study. Usually one can obtain a second teaching endorsement by completing a required number of hours in that area. The hours of study for a particular endorsement vary so the student should consult with their advisor to learn about the requirements for a particular area of endorsement.

Honors Students of superior ability may be invited into the University Honors Program. Please consult your undergraduate catalog and your advisor for more information on the Honors Program.

Cooperative Education The Mathematics Department participates in the Cooperative Education Program which integrates practical experience with academic learning. The co-op student spends two or three semesters on campus and then alternates semesters between industry and campus until the senior year which is spent on campus. The co-op program takes five years to complete but has many compensating advantages. The co-op program is open to all qualified Math-Ed majors. A brochure providing further details about the program is available from the Cooperative Education Program Office.

Student SocietiesThe Mathematics Department sponsors a chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon, a national organization for the promotion of scholarly activity in mathematics at the undergraduate level. Outstanding undergraduate Math-Ed majors may be elected to membership in this organization. Also, Math-ED students are encouraged to join the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) Student Math Club.

Scholarships A number of mathematics and teaching related scholarships are available for the junior and senior years. These include the Powell Scholarship, the Hahn Scholarship, and state-wide VCTM Scholarship and the Virginia Space Grants Consortium Scholarship.

Sample Plan of Study

Year 1

Fall	Spring
Math 1205 Calculus I (3) Math 1114 Elementary Linear Algebra (2)	Math 1206 Calculus II (3) Math 1224 Vector Geometry (2)

Year 2

Fall	Spring
Math 2224 Multivariable Calculus (3) CS 1044 Programming in C++ (3)	Math 2214 Differential Equations (3) Math 3034 Proofs (3)

Year 3

Fall	Spring
Math 3124 Modern Algebra (3) Math 2644 Math Tutoring (1) Math 4334 College Geometry (3) EDCI 3024 Social Found. of Ed. (2) Math 4625 Math for Sec. Teachers I (3)	Math 3224 Advanced Calculus (3) Stat 4705 Probability and Statistics (3) EDCI 3144 Exceptional Learners (3) Math Elective (3) Pass Praxis I or state equivalent Apply to graduate school, 2.7 GPA or better required.

Year 4

Fall	Spring
Math 4644 Sec. Math Tech (3) Math 4044 History of Math (3) Math 4664 Senior Seminar (2) EDCI 3724 Teaching Math I (4) Pass Praxis II during senior year	Math 4654 Capstone Thesis (1) EDCI 4124 Psyc. Found. of Ed. (3) Math Elective (3) Math Elective (3) Grad. Credit

Bachelor of Science in Mathematics

Year 5

Summer	Fall	Spring
Math 4626 Math Sec. Teach. (3) Math Elective (3) Grad. Credit EDCI 5xxx Elective (3)	EDCI 5694 Sec. Sch. Curr. (3) EDCI 5404 Content Read (3) EDCI 5xxx Elective (3)	EDCI 5744 Tech. Math II (3) EDCI 5754 Stud. Teaching (9)

Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning