Mathematics Mentoring Academy for
Teachers of Exceptional Students
(MathMATES)
The Mathematics Mentoring Academy for Teachers of Exceptional Students, funded by the NASA-Mississippi Space Grant Consortium, is a one-year professional learning opportunity for 6th-8th grade mathematics and special education teacher teams. The goal of the MathMATES project is to support teachers by strengthening mathematic content knowledge, reinforcing collaboration between math teachers and special education teachers, and fusing the collective knowledge of the team along with the individual strengths of each team member to best meet the diverse learning needs of exceptional students.
Summer 2022 – Spring 2023
Events
Summer Institute
July 11-15, 2022
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, each day.Fall Follow-Up Session
September 16, 2022
9:00 AM – 3:30 PM (check-in begins at 8:30 AM)Spring Follow-Up Session
February 17, 2023
9:00 AM – 3:30 PM (check-in begins at 8:30 AM)Six Virtual check-ins with project staff during the 2022-2023 academic year
In-person events will be held at:
The University of Mississippi Jackson Avenue Center
1111 Jackson Ave W.
Oxford, MS 38677
Eligibility
- Interested teachers must apply as a team.
- A team must have at least one general education teacher and at least one special education teacher who teach mathematics at the 6th, 7th, and/or 8th grade level in a Mississippi school.
- Teams may be composed of up to five participants. However, all team members must have shared responsibility for the mathematics instructional support of exceptional students.
- For example, one special education teacher may provide instructional support for students in multiple math teachers’ classrooms. Similarly, one mathematics teachers may have exceptional students assigned to different special education teachers for mathematics support.
- Individual teachers may only participate as part of one team.
- All participants must be available to attend all scheduled events.
Selection Criteria
- There are no limitations on the amount of time a teacher team has worked together. MathMATES is looking to recruit teams with diverse working experiences. Teams who are working together for the first time and teams who have worked together for many years are equally desired.
- A pledge of non-monetary project support will be requested from each applying team’s school administrator. Administrative support may include actions such as providing time and space for the team members to complete the project successfully. This support will be a consideration in the selection process.
How to Apply
STEP 1 – MathMATES Interest Form due April 24, 2022
An administrator OR one member of the applying team will submit the MathMATES Interest Form. This form will request the names and email addresses of all team members along with administrator contact information.
STEP 2 – Individual Teacher Applications due May 1, 2022
Team members submitted through the MathMATES Interest Form will automatically receive an email requesting them to complete an individual teacher application.
STEP 3 – Administrator Support Verification due May 1, 2022
The administrator contact included in the MathMATES Interest Form will automatically receive an email requesting them to complete a statement of support.
All applicants will be notified of their status by May 13, 2022.
Selected Teams
MathMATES is a research project. Each member of selected teams will be asked to complete pre-project surveys that will be used in the MathMATES research study.
A registration form will be also sent to each member of selected teams to collect information for summer housing.
Each teacher participating in MathMATES will be eligible for:
- High-quality, researched-based professional development
- Summer Institute housing
- Travel assistance to attend the Summer Institute and Fall and Spring Follow-Up Sessions
- Instructional materials and resources
- Up to a $350 stipend
- Up to 4.2 CEUs
Each member of selected teams must pay a $60 seat deposit by May 31, 2022. Information on how to submit payment will be sent to selected participants.
Dr. Julie James
Assistant Director of Professional Learning
Center for Mathematics and Science Education, University of Mississippi
Bethany LaValley
Graduate Research Fellow, CMSE
Mindy Waldrop
Graduate Instructor, UM School of Education
Summer Institute: 3.0 CEUs
Fall Follow-Up: 0.6 CEUs
Spring Follow-Up: 0.6 CEUs
CEU PROCESSING
CEUs will be processed after each event. CEU credits are processed electronically by North Mississippi Education Consortium. Please allow 3-4 weeks for processing. Participants will be notified via email from NMEC when credits are available for download.
This project is made available through funding from the NASA Mississippi Space Grant Consortium (MSSGC). For more information about MSSGC, please visit their website at http://msspacegrant.org/
Frequently Asked Questions
The mission of the Center for Mathematics and Science Education at The University of Mississippi is to improve the mathematics and science education of all students in Mississippi schools. The Mathematics Mentoring Academy for Teachers of Exceptional Students (MathMATES), which is funded through the Mississippi Space Grant Consortium, provides an opportunity for co-teaching teams to come together for a full year of professional development centered on mathematics instruction of students with learning disabilities, or exceptional learners. MathMATES begins with a one-week content-focused Summer Institute and continues with student- and standards-focused collaborative professional learning throughout the school year.
The goal of MathMATES is to provide mathematics teachers and special education teachers an opportunity to gain a common understanding of grade-specific mathematics content knowledge and effective pedagogy. Teacher teams will also explore strategies for effective collaboration based on their individual expertise focused on improving the mathematics instruction of exceptional students in their school.
Each selected participant will be asked to pay a non-refundable seat deposit. The project will provide all materials, parking, and CEUs for the summer institute and academic year follow-up sessions. Some travel assistance will be provided, however, this may not cover all costs incurred. If needed, overnight accommodations for the summer institute will be provided.
Teams must include at least one general education mathematics teacher and at least one special education teacher who provide support to the special education students included in the general educator’s classroom. A teacher may not serve on multiple teams, however, teams may have up to five teachers. For example, one special education teachers may provide support to students in two math teachers’ classes. The special education teacher and both math teachers could compose one team.
There are no limitations to years of teaching experience, the number of years teams have worked together, or how well teachers currently work together. We are looking to include teams with a wide variety of teaching experiences, working styles, and working relationships in this project.
Honest and candid answers to narrative questions are most helpful in the selection process. We are looking to include both new teams and seasoned teams, teams who work well together and teams who are developing their relationship, teams that have ample planning and co-instruction time, and teams who struggle to find just a few moments a week to touch base. Applicants must share as much detail as appropriate to give the selection committee an accurate picture of the teachers’ current working relationship, as well as their eagerness to participate in the project.
Space is limited. Teams will be selected based on the information provided on the administrator support verification and teacher applications. One of the key aspects of professional development is the opportunity to share ideas and experiences with other teachers. To create the most meaningful learning experience, we aim to bring together diverse teams of enthusiastic teachers. Selected teachers must be eager to participate in the project, be passionate about what they do, and have a desire to learn from one another. This project will take place over the course of the 2022-2023 school year, so selected teachers must commit to participating in all activities and have the committed support of their administration.
Administrators can provide ongoing support to teachers by encouraging them to participate in project activities, talking to them about what they are learning, urging them to try new ideas in the classroom, and inspiring them to be leaders among their peers.
Logistically, teachers need to be available to attend all project activities. During the school year, there will be two required Friday follow-up sessions at the University of Mississippi, one in September and another in February. Arrangements will need to be made to allow participants to be away from their classrooms for these days. Teachers will be expected to spend some time planning together and may require administrative support to make planning time possible. Teachers will also participate in brief monthly virtual check-ins with project staff. These can be scheduled at times convenient for participants, but the administration may be called upon to help make meeting times available.
Research shows that general education teachers and special education teachers are working hard to collaborate to meet the needs of exceptional learners (Scruggs et al., 2007). However, teacher teams often indicate that they struggle to find time to plan together or have meaningful conversations about their shared students (Austin, 2001; Kohler-Evans, 2006; Scruggs, Mastropieri, & McDuffie, 2007). We recognize that many teachers, especially special education teachers, are being pulled in multiple directions and can be overwhelmed with day to day professional duties. Frequently, special education teachers must provide support to many students in many different content areas, and often across multiple grades. General education teachers are at times isolated in their subject area and in their classrooms. Additionally, co-teaching research studies indicate that general education teachers may struggle to find ways to support exceptional students in the absence of a special education teacher, and special education teachers may struggle with the specific mathematics content knowledge needed to support their exceptional students (Maccini & Gagnon, 2002; Magiera & Zigmond, 2005; Sheppard & Wieman, 2020). MathMATES allows teachers to bring their individual expertise together to spend time thinking about, studying, and investigating what it takes to meet the mathematical learning needs of their exceptional students.
One person should submit the team interest form to provide the names and emails of interested team members. Teachers will receive an email inviting them to complete the teacher application and the administrator will receive an email requesting verification of their support.
If you have trouble accessing the application form, contact us at cmsepd@go.olemiss.edu or (662) 915-6621 and someone from our staff will assist you.