Among the many degree and course offerings at the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education at the University of Montana are both an undergraduate and graduate pathway to initial elementary education licensure. Bucking the national trend, both programs earn an A+, just as they did in 2022. (Both programs also earned an A+ under the Teacher Prep Review: Reading Foundations standard in 2023.)

Dean Dan Lee is concerned that the national rhetoric on teacher shortages is having a negative impact on teacher prep. He does not believe rushing candidates into the classroom as teachers of record is fair to students. The University of Montana takes the time to provide all candidates with the necessary coursework to develop content and pedagogical knowledge, as well as plenty of opportunity to practice in clinical placements. "Top-notch teacher training programs are essential. There's just no replacement for a skilled teacher in a well-run classroom," says Lee, "We take pride in our work and always look for ways to improve. Our candidates deserve nothing less."

When it comes to math instruction, teacher candidates at the University of Montana complete a total of five courses. First, candidates complete three math content courses specifically designed for aspiring teachers:

• M 132 - Numbers and Operations for K-8 Teachers
• M 133 - Geometry and Measurement for K-8 Teachers
• M 234 - Higher Mathematics for K-8 Teachers

These three content courses are actually prerequisites for admission into both the undergraduate and graduate elementary prep programs. Professor Bonnie Spence explained that the faculty found it beneficial for candidates to complete content coursework before they enroll in methods courses (where the focus is on mathematics pedagogy) and begin early, aligned clinical experiences. "Our program is designed to ensure that students have a solid math foundation before they take on math pedagogy in our methods courses," says Spence. "This allows us to build on candidates' prior knowledge and delve into instructional strategies more quickly, thus providing teacher candidates the opportunity to apply what they are learning in their methods classes right away. That's why we have designed the program to include clinical experience seminars that run concurrently with our methods courses."

For example, while candidates complete EDU 397 - Methods: Teaching & Assessing (early numeracy PK-4) they are also participating in clinical experiences in a K-3 classroom as well as a high-quality Pre-K classroom in the university's Lab School. Similarly, while students complete EDU 497 - Teaching and Assessing (5-8 mathematics), the Office of Clinical Experiences works hard to ensure they have access to clinical opportunities in a grades 5-8 setting. The on-campus Lab School and strong local district partnerships are essential assets to providing candidates with early and varied experiences with students as they progress through the program. In many cases, methods course professors also serve as candidates' supervisors in clinical placements, allowing them to provide candidates with content-specific feedback as another means of creating coherence in the program between learning and application.

Associate Dean Mike Perry believes the structure of leading with content coursework and then pairing pedagogy with practice opportunities supports teacher candidates to develop stronger conceptual understanding of the math they will ultimately be responsible for teaching. "It's one thing to have math content knowledge and another to understand how to teach it. We believe our program provides our teacher candidates the right mix of opportunities to build their content knowledge, learn research-based pedagogy, and apply their knowledge and skills in clinical settings."

Dean Lee sums up the University of Montana's approach: "Study after study confirms that great teachers significantly impact students' math success. Teacher quality includes deep subject knowledge, strong teaching strategies, and the ability to help students overcome learning challenges. Simply put—better teachers lead to better results."