As students around the country are deprived of adequate math instruction and almost a quarter of fourth graders don’t have basic math knowledge and skills, a new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) examines how improved teacher preparation programs can help address the issue.
Teacher Prep Review: Solving for Math Success, published in April, outlines findings from a study of more than 1,100 elementary teacher prep programs, which ultimately concluded that most teacher candidates do not get enough time to establish math content knowledge.
Having educators who are well equipped to provide effective instruction on the subject is crucial as early success in math has been associated with positive long-term outcomes.
“Math scores predict future earnings better than reading scores. Early math skills are also a strong predictor of success in other subjects, like reading and science, and even grade retention from kindergarten through eighth grade,” the report states. “To reap the benefits associated with high math achievement, students need opportunities to develop a strong foundation in the elementary years. Mathematics knowledge is highly cumulative in nature, meaning that students who struggle to learn foundational math concepts are likely to continue to struggle well into middle and high school.”
The report cites multiple sources that suggest educators often don’t feel able to confidently teach math, and that their anxiety can transfer to students.
NCTQ asserts that prep programs can play an important role in solving the math problem and, to do so, “they must dedicate sufficient time to develop aspiring teachers’ math content and pedagogical knowledge.
“First, prep programs must carve out a sufficient number of credit hours to address the full range of content and pedagogical knowledge elementary teachers need to provide effective math instruction,” according to the report. “Once the necessary courses are in place, programs must then ensure that adequate time is allocated to cover each of the four key content topics: numbers & operations, algebraic thinking, geometry & measurement, and data analysis & probability; as well as mathematics-specific pedagogy.”
NCTQ has established an instructional hour target of 150 hours which includes 105 hours on content and 45 hours on pedagogy.
While most of the undergraduate programs considered get close to or meet the target hours of instructional time on mathematics, many don’t use that time to sufficiently cover the key concepts.
However, “the average graduate program dedicates 14 hours of instructional time — less than one course credit — to foundational math content knowledge,” according to the report.
“Undergraduate and graduate programs are preparing candidates for the same job. Candidates entering a graduate program hold undergraduate degrees in fields outside of education that would not have required the specialized coursework elementary teachers require,” it states. “Because of this, there is no excuse for graduate programs, which are offering initial certifications in teaching, to provide candidates with any less preparation in mathematics than their undergraduate counterparts. Yet that is precisely what NCTQ’s analysis reveals.”
In California, undergraduate programs that meet 100 percent of the target instructional hours for each topic are located at California State University, Long Beach, CSU Bakersfield and CSU Northridge.
Among the state’s undergraduate elementary programs, the average instructional hours allocated for math preparation are 86 for content (19 hours less than the target) and 45 for pedagogy (at target).
The recommendations for both prep programs and state policymakers are included in the report.
