SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced the awarding of a $1.8 million Mathematics Teacher Partnership Pilot grant to the San Diego County Office of Education.

"California has a critical shortage of highly qualified math teachers that must be addressed if our students are to develop the strong math skills needed in the classroom and the workplace," said O'Connell.  "The San Diego County Office of Education has developed a winning plan for a project to boost the number of these educators who are vital to the future success of students facing a technologically challenging economy."

To maintain California's position as a world-class leader, both economically and technologically, the state must continue to develop and support an adequate supply of highly qualified and effective math teachers who are prepared to meet the challenges of teaching California's growing and diverse student population. California continues to experience a shortage of qualified math teachers.  According to data in the 2005-06 California Basic Educational Data System, the state reported a shortage of about 2,000 secondary math teachers.  Also, about 10 to 13 percent of secondary math teachers were considered underprepared because they lacked a full credential. 

Math teachers must be thoroughly prepared in subject-matter content knowledge and the use of effective instructional strategies for helping all students to become proficient in the subject, including students who are struggling to pass the math portion of the California High School Exit Exam.  To accomplish this goal, the state Legislature provided $1.8 million in funding last year to the Superintendent of Public Instruction to increase the quantity and capacity of secondary-level math teachers through the Mathematics Teacher Partnership Pilot Program (MTP3).

"The San Diego County Office of Education is thrilled with receiving the Mathematics Teacher Partnership Project grant to help meet California's need for highly qualified math teachers," said Dr. Leslie Hays, MTP3 grant director.  "As part of our partnership, we look forward to working closely with the Alameda and Fresno county offices of education to test a model that would be emulated throughout the state.  Our desire is to produce not only the best math teachers, but also educators who are compassionate about their work, and dedicated to helping children develop the skills necessary to survive in a more demanding workforce in the future."  

The goals of the MTP3 are to increase the number of qualified secondary-level math teachers and increase the likelihood that such educators remain in the teaching profession; improve and raise the their capacity to teach math; provide professional development so they can teach more rigorous math content to motivate students to become math educators; and provide professional development for teachers to help struggling students pass the math portion of the Exit Exam.

Only county offices of education were eligible to compete for this one-time grant.  The San Diego County Office of Education formulated an effective plan outlining the scope of work, timelines, activities, performance objectives, responsible persons for each activity, and methods to monitor and evaluate models for replication throughout the state.  The grantee is required to report annually for the next two years on its progress to the Legislature, Department of Finance, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Office of the Secretary of Education, State Board of Education, Governor, and Legislative Analyst's Office.

For more information on MTP3, please visit Mathematics Teacher Partnership Pilot.