Regent University
In Virginia, a state where the average undergraduate program requires exactly three courses of specialized math coursework, Regent University took the positive step of adding two new math courses to address both the challenge of overall instructional time and addressing all five topic areas.
Regent University is a private, Christian university based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The university offers several licensure-track teacher preparation programs, the most popular of which is the Elementary Education program. Regent's program earned an A+ in our current Teacher Prep Review: Elementary Math analysis, up from a D grade in 2022. The improved grade is based on two key changes program leaders made: (1) replacing a general statistics course with a probability and statistics course specifically for teachers and (2) adding a numbers & operations course for teachers as an additional program requirement.
Dr. Cheryl Gould has been part of the Regent University community for nearly 20 years and has served as department chair for the College of Arts & Sciences' Teacher Education department since 2018. Dr. Gould holds her programs at Regent to a high bar and believes in continuous improvement: "We're preparing our candidates to be teachers who meet the needs of their students through our cornerstone values of excellence, innovation, and integrity. That means we have a responsibility to continually assess our program and make changes when necessary. Our candidates are in high demand. The districts that hire them know they have been well prepared."
A few years ago, Dr. Gould took stock of the program's math coursework and identified the need to strike a better balance between content and pedagogy. She also analyzed the math content covered by the existing coursework and recognized that candidates would benefit from additional time focused on numbers & operations. To address these needs, Dr. Gould and her colleagues developed two new math courses focused on a teacher audience, one on probability and statistics (which replaced the requirement for a general audience statistics course) and one on numbers & operations. These courses joined two existing math courses for teachers, creating a required set of four courses that integrate math content knowledge and pedagogy:
Regent University takes seriously its role in developing aspiring teachers who have the knowledge of math pedagogy and content they need to be successful. The university's commitment is reflected not only in the changes it has made to the elementary prep program, but also in the steps it takes to provide extra content support to candidates who need it. As a sort of midprogram check, all candidates complete the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Test prior to beginning their professional studies required coursework (i.e., methods courses and field experiences). Program faculty use the results to identify students who need additional math content support from math professors or university-hired tutors.
Through its coursework and targeted support, Regent University is working hard to ensure its candidates have the time to develop math content knowledge and pedagogy. The leadership's focus on continuous improvement allowed them to identify a deficit and quickly turn it into a strength.
Dr. Cheryl Gould has been part of the Regent University community for nearly 20 years and has served as department chair for the College of Arts & Sciences' Teacher Education department since 2018. Dr. Gould holds her programs at Regent to a high bar and believes in continuous improvement: "We're preparing our candidates to be teachers who meet the needs of their students through our cornerstone values of excellence, innovation, and integrity. That means we have a responsibility to continually assess our program and make changes when necessary. Our candidates are in high demand. The districts that hire them know they have been well prepared."
A few years ago, Dr. Gould took stock of the program's math coursework and identified the need to strike a better balance between content and pedagogy. She also analyzed the math content covered by the existing coursework and recognized that candidates would benefit from additional time focused on numbers & operations. To address these needs, Dr. Gould and her colleagues developed two new math courses focused on a teacher audience, one on probability and statistics (which replaced the requirement for a general audience statistics course) and one on numbers & operations. These courses joined two existing math courses for teachers, creating a required set of four courses that integrate math content knowledge and pedagogy:
- UIS 201 - Probabilities and Statistics for Teachers
- UIS 330 - Topics in Geometry for Teachers
- UIS 341 - Numbers and Operations for Teachers
- UIS 412 - Topics in Advanced Math for Teachers
Regent University takes seriously its role in developing aspiring teachers who have the knowledge of math pedagogy and content they need to be successful. The university's commitment is reflected not only in the changes it has made to the elementary prep program, but also in the steps it takes to provide extra content support to candidates who need it. As a sort of midprogram check, all candidates complete the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Test prior to beginning their professional studies required coursework (i.e., methods courses and field experiences). Program faculty use the results to identify students who need additional math content support from math professors or university-hired tutors.
Through its coursework and targeted support, Regent University is working hard to ensure its candidates have the time to develop math content knowledge and pedagogy. The leadership's focus on continuous improvement allowed them to identify a deficit and quickly turn it into a strength.