As we began to develop the grid for Mathematics for Elementary Education/Early Childhood Education, the task appeared to be straightforward. Only three of the five schools have courses in that area, and the associated programs are relatively new in the community colleges. However, once we started looking beyond the surface, the picture became more and more complicated.

Spreadsheet comparing Elementary Education/Early Childhood Education courses

Massachusetts Department of Education regulations for Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education majors

Notes from meeting regarding Elementary and Early Childhood Education

Bristol, Massasoit, and Bridgewater all offer a two-course sequence, with very close alignment of topics over the courses. That isn’t surprising since the Elementary Education Transfer Compact drove the course development at the community colleges and the courses then had to be accepted by Bridgewater. In fact, at Massasoit and Bridgewater the courses have the same names: Principles of Mathematics I and II. (Note: Bridgewater State College is working to realign their two courses and will introduce a third course in Fall 2009 in keeping with recent Massachusetts DESE/DHE recommendations.)
The question as to why the Transfer Compact requires two mathematics courses and Bridgewater’s program requires only one raised a series of questions that led us to invite several experts to our meetings. From Dr. Gregory Nelson (Bridgewater State College Department of EE and ECE), Nancy Witherell (BSC EECE department chair) and Mary Ann McKinnon (BSC Licensure Officer), we learned about many of the outside forces impacting the EE and ECE programs.

• The community colleges designed their programs to meet the BHE transfer compact agreements which call for 6 credits of mathematics in EE and 3 credits in ECE. BSC, however, does not have those same requirements since their programs are designed to meet DOE licensure requirements.
• The DOE sets the licensing requirements and controls the tests for licensure. The current MTEL includes a general curriculum test, only one sixth of which is mathematics. Therefore it is possible for a candidate to pass the MTEL while failing the mathematics section. There is discussion about creating a math subtest of the general curriculum test that would have to be passed in order to gain licensure.
• The tests for licensure drive the curriculum at BSC and the programs are geared towards preparation for passing the MTEL. Currently at BSC, ECE majors have only the college core requirement in mathematics (Math 107 is recommended by the ECE department). EE majors are required to take Math 107, and Math 108 is recommended.
• Students transferring to BSC from one of the community colleges under the Transfer Compact will have taken the equivalent of Math 107 in the ECE program and Math 107 and 108 in the EE program.
• BSC’s mathematics department determines which courses transfer as Math 107/108 equivalents.
• Most of these courses are being taught by full-time mathematics faculty. They use manipulatives in their classrooms and employ alternative assessment methods.

After several months and much discussion, most of us think we understand the process. The work has been helpful in understanding much more than course topics and textbooks.

• CCCC, which did not have any courses in this area, now has the basis for developing their courses and is in the process of doing so.
• EE majors are able to transfer seamlessly and meet the DHE/DESE requirements. However, we believe that students are leaving the four-year school without adequate preparation for teaching elementary school mathematics. One mathematics course is not sufficient.
• The delineation between EE and ECE requirements is not sufficiently clear. The guidelines call for all topics to be taught in one course for ECE, and the current first course does not appear to do that.
• Courses for ECE and EE should emphasize multiple strategies, manipulatives, and conceptualization and deemphasize formulas. It is not clear that the current curriculum does so.