Dec. 17, 2000

TURF WARS OVER FUTURE MATH TEACHERS

When the Colorado legislature passed a sweeping reform of the state's teacher-training programs in 1999, it had three main priorities. Future teachers should have a solid grounding in their subject areas; they should have effective training in pedagogy, including lots of field experience; and they should be able to get it all done in four years of full-time study.

The Colorado Commission on Higher Education is reviewing all teacher preparation programs in the state; those that don't meet the new standards could be closed.

The third goal has been the sticky part, pitting teacher education departments determined to hang onto every last student credit hour against content departments who see their students fleeing onerous licensure requirements.

Case in point: Metropolitan State College of Denver. The Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences presented to the Faculty Senate a proposal to revise the requirements for a math major with a concentration in secondary education. The plan would reduce the number of credit hours required for licensure from 43 to 36 and require students to complete a minor in a content area. The Senate approved it 42-12 Nov. 29.

And Provost Cheryl Norton vetoed it. I'd say it was like the Florida Supreme Court taking over the election, except that the vote at Metro was not in any way close or ambiguous.

Approval of the Math Education curriculum ''would delete required curriculum in another department without that department's approval,'' Norton said in an e-mail to the faculty.

''Secondary Education did not approve the elimination of its coursework.''

But this is simply wrong. The math proposal doesn't eliminate any courses, which would continue to be taught to majors in other subjects. It says only that math ed majors, who number 15-20 a year, would take math-specifc courses in class management, educational technology and field experience - -as they already do -- instead of having to take both math-specific and generic courses.

That's already the policy in other subjects with distinctive teaching methodology, such as music and physical education.

Only Metro's Professional Education Unit, Norton wrote, has the authority to recommend teacher licensure candidates to the state of Colorado.

''Therefore,'' she said, ''the Mathematical and Computer Science (sic) Department cannot unilaterally revise the professional licensure sequence.''

Wrong again. The math department may have made the proposal unilaterally, but the Senate passed it by a large majority. Nothing ''unilateral'' about that.

Norton also says the math proposal would require students to complete two minors. Wrong, a third time. They would be required to complete one, in a content area, as they were up until this year. A minor in education would be optional.

With 36 credit hours required in education courses, students can graduate in four years; with 43 hours required, they can't -- unless they are allowed to minor in education instead of physics, history or whatever.

That's a dilution of content education in favor of pedagogy that the commission may well reject.

''Replacing liberal arts and science courses with education or methods courses will seriously jeopardize an institution's ability to meet the content standard,'' Sharon Samson said in an Oct. 24 e-mail to academic vice presidents. She's the director of academic and student affairs for CCHE.

If Norton is as worried about the commission's review as she says, she ought to be telling the education folks that the math department proposal passed; it's up to them to make it work.

The math faculty are concerned because the heavy dose of ed courses makes their program uncompetitive. Other departments at Metro require 37-38 hours. Most other math ed programs around the state are 36 hours or less, a couple as low as 28.

And the biggest competitor of all is no ed courses whatsoever. A recent math department survey found that nearly 40 percent of prospective math teachers were definitely or possibly planning to choose alternative licensure. They earn their certificates in the classroom.

I have no problem with that, but it ought to worry the education departments. In the long run, Norton is doing them no favor.

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