Virginia Administrative Code › Title 8 - EDUCATION › Agency 20 - STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION › Chapter 543 - REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN VIRGINIA › Part VII - Competencies for Endorsement › Article 4 - Administration and Supervision and Support Personnel › Section 8VAC20-543-580 - Mathematics specialist for elementary education

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
A. A mathematics specialist is a teacher in
					 the elementary grades who has interest and special preparation in mathematics
					 content, scientifically based research in the teaching and learning of
					 mathematics, diagnostic and assessment methods, and leadership skills. The
					 school-based mathematics specialist shall serve as a resource in professional
					 development, instructing children who have learning difficulties in
					 mathematics, curriculum development and implementation, mentoring new teachers,
					 and parent and community education.
B. The mathematics specialist program shall
					 ensure that the candidate has completed at least three years of successful
					 classroom teaching experience in which the teaching of mathematics was an
					 important responsibility and demonstrated the following competencies:
1. Understanding of the knowledge, skills,
					 and processes of the Virginia Mathematics Standards of Learning and how
					 curriculum may be organized to teach these standards to diverse
					 learners;
2. Understanding of a
					 core knowledge base of concepts and procedures within the discipline of
					 mathematics, including the following strands: number systems and number theory;
					 geometry and measurement; statistics and probability; and functions and
					 algebra;
3. Understanding of the
					 sequential nature of mathematics, the vertical progression of mathematical
					 standards, and the mathematical structures inherent in the content
					 strands;
4. Understanding of the
					 connections among mathematical concepts and procedures and their practical
					 applications;
5. Understanding of
					 and the ability to use the five processes - becoming mathematical
					 problem-solvers, reasoning mathematically, communicating mathematically, making
					 mathematical connections, and using mathematical models and representations -
					 at different levels of complexity;
6. Understanding of major current curriculum
					 studies and trends in mathematics;
7. Understanding how to utilize appropriate
					 technologies for teaching and learning mathematics including virtual
					 manipulatives;
8. Understanding of
					 and the ability to select, adapt, evaluate, and use instructional materials and
					 resources, including professional journals and technology;
9. Understanding of and the ability to use
					 strategies for managing, assessing, and monitoring student learning, including
					 diagnosing student errors;
10.
					 Understanding of and the ability to use strategies to teach mathematics to
					 diverse learners;
11. Understanding
					 of leadership skills needed to improve mathematics programs at the school and
					 division levels, including the needs of high-achieving and low-achieving
					 students and of strategies to challenge them at appropriate levels; child
					 psychology, including personality and learning behaviors; educational
					 measurement and evaluation; and effective professional development
					 approaches;
12. Understanding of
					 how to develop and lead appropriate professional development based on the needs
					 of students and the school community;
13. Understanding of how to work with
					 school-based administration for the improvement of mathematics teaching and
					 learning;
14. Understanding of how
					 to effectively mentor teachers for the improvement of mathematics teaching and
					 learning;
15. Understanding of how
					 to effectively work with parents and the at-large community to improve
					 mathematics teaching and learning;
16. Understanding of and proficiency in
					 grammar, usage, and mechanics and their integration in writing; and
17. Understanding of and proficiency in
					 pedagogy to incorporate writing as an instructional and assessment tool for
					 candidates to generate, gather, plan, organize, and present ideas in writing to
					 communicate for a variety of purposes.