Overview
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Student achievement relies on the knowledge and preparedness of their teachers, positioning the training of educational professionals as the starting point for student success. Every student, including students with disabilities, deserves the highest quality teachers to help them reach their educational goals. Unfortunately, there are few special education programs at institutions of higher education (IHEs) that focus on preparing teachers and researchers to support positive outcomes for students with disabilities in mathematics. Leaders Investigating Mathematics Evidence (LIME) seeks to fill this gap by developing 12 scholars into researchers who are prepared to aid the learning of students who experience learning disabilities in mathematics. These 12 scholars will study at their respective IHEs—The University of Texas at Austin (UTAustin), Southern Methodist University (SMU), and the University of Missouri (UMissouri). Over the course of four years, LIME Scholars will engage in various formative leadership opportunities, increasing their knowledge related to 1) the academy (i.e., professoriate), 2) special education instruction and assessment, and 3) mathematics content and pedagogy. At the conclusion of four years of study, LIME Scholars will earn their Ph.D.s and pursue positions in the field of special education with a focus on mathematics. They will be prepared to lead pre-service and in-service professional development and work directly with students to improve mathematical understandings by students with disabilities.
Funder
The U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs awarded $3.6 million for this five-year grant. The funds will be shared between the initially awarded IHE, The University of Texas at Austin, and Southern Methodist University and University of Missouri.
Principal Investigators
Dr. Sarah Powell at The University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Leanne Ketterlin Geller at Southern Methodist University
Dr. Erica Lembke at the University of Missouri
Partner Faculty
Dr. Jessica Rodrigues and Dr. Delinda van Garderen at the University of Missouri
Purpose
Young students’ performance in mathematics often determines their success in mathematics courses in later years. Students with disabilities in mathematics experience more mathematics difficulty than other students, but there are not enough leadership personnel to train teachers to effectively use data-based individualization (DBI) to support these students in mathematics classrooms. At fault is the lack of IHE special education courses focusing on mathematics. To remedy this inequity in education, UTAustin, SMU, and UMissouri are working together to offer a four-year doctoral program to 12 LIME Scholars, in which they will become experts on DBI in the context of students with disabilities in mathematics. The LIME Scholars will engage in three major activities to develop necessary competencies as future leaders—LIME Lights, LIME Time, and LIME Projects and Experiences. LIME scholars will complete 12 LIME Lights, online modules that are specifically focused on the goals of LIME by a LIME faculty member. Each LIME Light lasts 12-14 weeks, requiring LIME Scholars to engage in asynchronous coursework and cross-university projects. LIME Times are in-person meetings with the LIME Scholars and faculty, including invited guests, occurring twice each year for 2 full days (10 hours). LIME Projects and Experiences include conducting school-based research, submitting and completing proposals for peer-reviewed conferences, participating in summer research experiences, contributing to 5 publications, conducting 2 peer reviews, creating undergraduate syllabi and course materials, grant writing, and crafting and implementing a mathematics-focused professional development session in a local school district. Scholars’ engagements in these three major activities and their required IHE Coursework and Experiences will be categorized by three objectives (see Figure 1 below): 1) Academy Knowledge (ACAD), 2) Special Education Instruction and Assessment Knowledge (SPED), and 3) Mathematics Content and Pedagogical Knowledge (MATH). These four years of coursework and practical experience will develop the12 LIME Scholars into the knowledgeable, prepared faculty that students with learning disabilities in mathematics need and deserve.
Figure 1: Conceptual Framework of LIME
Methodology
The LIME grant will occur over the course of five years. In Year 1, the three IHEs (UTAustin, SMU, and UMissouri) have recruited Cohort 1 with 8 scholars that will participate in the four-year LIME Scholar Ph.D. program. In Year 2, the three IHEs will recruit Cohort 2 with 4 scholars. LIME Scholars will work with their respective mentors to develop an achievable LIME Scope; this LIME Scope will be monitored over the course of the program. In years 2, 3, 4, and 5, Scholars will participate in interviews, surveys, focus groups, and assessments to monitor growth and allow for intervention when necessary. Evaluation reports will be completed and reported to OSEP by April 15th of each year. A timeline has been developed for the 12 Scholars to easily monitor and accomplish their LIME Lights, LIME Times, and LIME Projects and Experiences with the support of their respective mentors and in collaboration with their peers at the other participating IHEs. All tasks within the timeline are rooted in the conceptual framework (see Figure 1) that will develop Scholars into educators who are capable of implementing DBI in contexts with students with disabilities in mathematics. To ensure quality of the project, The Center on Research and Evaluation (CORE) at SMU will utilize a LIME Activity Log to evaluate effectiveness of LIME faculty and LIME Scholars throughout the four-year program. CORE's evaluation tool categorizes the three major activities (LIME Lights, LIME Time, LIME Projects and Experiences) by the three objectives—Academy Knowledge, Special Education Instruction and Assessment Knowledge, and Mathematics Content and Pedagogy Knowledge. These evaluation tools and methods will be used for ongoing improvement in the midst of the project as well as a final determination of success and sustainability at the end of Year 5.
Outcomes
We anticipate that LIME will result in the preparation of special education faculty in the area of mathematics. 12 Scholars will obtain their Ph.D.s through effective completion of three objectives and main activities, preparing them to implement DBI with students with disabilities in mathematics. As a result, LIME will be adopted in more IHEs, creating more special education in mathematics coursework opportunities for future leaders.
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References
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