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 8VAC20-543-590 - Mathematics specialist for elementary and middle education

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
A. A mathematics
					 specialist is a teacher in the elementary or middle 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 a public or accredited nonpublic school 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 graphing
					 utilities, dynamic software, spreadsheets, and 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.