
Mathematics Mentoring Academy for
Teachers of Exceptional Students
(MathMATES) Project
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 4th-5th grade mathematics co-teaching teams (one general education math teacher and one special education teacher from the same school). The goal of the MathMATES project is to support teachers by strengthening teachers’ mathematical 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.
Dr. Julie James
jjames1@olemiss.edu
Assistant Director of Professional Learning
Center for Mathematics and Science Education, University of Mississippi
Dr. Alice Steimle
asteimle@olemiss.edu
Associate Director
Center for Mathematics and Science Education, University of Mississippi
Bethany LaValley
Doctoral Graduate Student in Secondary Mathematics Education
Shannon Priest
Doctoral Graduate Student in Elementary Education
Mindy Waldrop
Doctoral Graduate Student in Special Education
How to Apply
- Teacher teams must be nominated by an administrator. This administrator can be an instructional coach, principal, or district-level administrator.
- Upon nomination, each teacher will receive a link to apply to the Academy. Both teachers from a nominated team must complete their individual applications by the deadline to be considered.
Application Timeline
- Administrator Nomination Deadline: March 31, 2021
- Teacher Application Deadline: April 15, 2021
- Notification to Applicants: April 30, 2021
Eligibility
- Teacher teams can be nominated from any Mississippi school (public or private) that serves 4th or 5th grade students.
- Each team must consist of ONE general education Math Teacher and ONE Special Education Teacher who work with 4th or 5th grade students with exceptional needs.
- The participating Special Education Teacher must share responsibility for the mathematics instructional support for the exceptional students enrolled in the Math Teacher’s class.
- Individual teachers may only participate as part of one team.
- Nominated 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. Nominations of teams who are working together for the first time and nominations of teams who have worked together for many years are equally desired.
- Interested teachers must be eager to participate in the project, passionate about what they do, desire to learn from one another, and have the support of their administration.
- Selection will be based on the responses submitted through the administrator nomination and the teacher applications. Honest and candid answers to narrative questions are most helpful in the selection process.
Summer 2021 – Spring 2022
Events
- Summer Institute
July 12-16, 2021
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, each day - Fall Follow-Up Session
September 10, 2021
9:00 AM – 3:30 PM (check-in begins at 8:30 AM) - Spring Follow-Up Session
February 18, 2022
9:00 AM – 3:30 PM (check-in begins at 8:30 AM) - Monthly Virtual check-ins with project staff
Location for all in-person events
The University of Mississippi
Jackson Avenue Center
1111 Jackson Ave W.
Oxford, MS 38677
COVID-19 Contingency
Live, in-person collaboration and learning are preferred, however, the safety of facilitators and participants is our first priority. If events planned for this project are unable to be held face-to-face due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, the one-week summer institute will be spread across two to three weeks with a combination of synchronous and asynchronous virtual activities. Fall and spring follow-up sessions will also be held virtually, if needed. Virtual formats will be planned with a priority to high-quality engagement and learning opportunities.
Each teacher participating in MathMATES will be eligible for:
High-quality, research-based professional development
- Instructional resources
Up to a $350 stipend
Up to 4.2 CEUs
Summer Institute housing
Travel assistance to attend Summer Institute and Fall/Spring follow-ups
Each selected participant must pay a $50 seat deposit by May 15, 2021. Information on how to submit payment will be sent via email to selected participants. Summer institute stipends will be processed at the conclusion of the summer institute and may be prorated based on attendance.
CEUs will be available for each project event as outlined below. Please note that selected participants must be able to attend all scheduled events in their entirety. CEUs for individual events cannot be prorated.
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 following each event for processing. Participants will be notified via email from NMEC when credits are available for download.
Deadline for Nominations: March 31, 2021
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 4th- and 5th-grade 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 2021-2022 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 $50 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.
An administrator can nominate one 4th- or 5th-grade general education teacher and one special education teacher who provides support to the special education students included in the general educator’s classroom. These two teachers comprise one participant team. For example, you may nominate the 5th-grade math teacher and the special education teacher who is assigned to all 5th- and 6th-grade inclusion students. The nominated general education teacher may be responsible for teaching multiple subjects as long as one of them is math. A teacher may not serve on multiple teams, and it is recommended that you nominate only one teacher team per school campus.
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. Nominators and 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.
Fifteen teams will be selected based on the information provided on the nomination form 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 2021-2022 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.
Teacher teams must be nominated by an administrator. This could be an instructional coach, principal, or district-level administrator. Nominated teachers will receive an email inviting them to complete the teacher application.
If you have been nominated and 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.