Sites for the Study

Detailed information about our sites can be found on the following pages:

Michigan

South Carolina

New York City

Selection Process

Based on what we know from research about the mathematical education of elementary teachers, we expect to see great diversity within a given state as to what courses are required, how they are taught, and who teaches them. If this is correct, variability will most likely come within state, across institutions, and across instructors. One question of the research is to explore whether and how state (and national) policy actually reaches mathematics classrooms at institutions across each state/site.

Selection Criteria

Using the Education Weekly report, Quality Counts 2005; Title II data about teacher preparation in each state; NAEP results from the last three reports; and data from a variety of regional and state agencies, six sites were identified as possible selections: Connecticut, Michigan, New York City, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas, each with interesting policies and data about teacher improvement and student achievement.

State Information

Information by State: Certification, Tests, Achievement
	MI	NY	SC
Number of certifying Institutions	32	118	31
Number of NCATE 1 certified institutions	16	25	22
Number of TEAC 2 certified institutions	3	24	0

Praxis required?	no	no	yes
PRAXIS Pass Rate	NA	NA	90%
State Test Required?	yes	yes	no

Quality Counts (QC) K-12 Standards grade 3	B+	A	A
QC Teacher Quality Improvement Score 3	66	81	92

New certifications from in-state 4	7641	32128	2049
New certifications from out of State 4	977	0	1514
Percent out of state	11%	0%	42%

NAEP Information 3,4
%Proficient and above (Math) 4th grade, 2003	38%	36%	36%
%Proficient State Test	65%	78%	34%
Difference, NAEP-State	31	45	2

NAEP 4th Math (mean, US public 237)	238	238	238
Mean for White students (US public 246)	245	247	250
Mean for Black students (US public 220)	211	222	223

NAEP 8th Math (mean, US = 278 )	277	280	281
Mean for White students (US public 286)	285	290	294
Mean for Black students (US public 257)	247	259	263

Quality Counts Info 3
Middle School: Major or Minor in Math	minor 6	minor	Minor
Student teaching -- min wks	6	8	12
Standards aligned with test	Y	Y	Y
Teacher Prep Accountability Process	No	No	Yes

1 National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Date from NCATE Web site, www.ncate.org
2 Techer Education Accreditation Council. Data from TEAC Web site, www.teac.org/
3 From Title II Web site
4 From NCES Web site, 2005 data
5 From Ed Weekly Quality Counts 2005 Web site
6 Michigan requires a subject area major or 3 minors for elementary education majors