Two IUP secondary education programs have earned “full national recognition” from specialized professional associations.

The Secondary Mathematics and Secondary Social Studies education programs earned the distinction from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the National Council of Social Studies, respectively.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, based in Reston, Va., is designed to support mathematics teachers to ensure equitable mathematics learning of the highest quality for all students through vision, leadership, professional development, and research. The National Council for the Social Studies, based in Silver Springs, Md., is the largest association in the country devoted solely to social studies education.

The standards developed by both agencies are endorsed by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, the recognized accrediting agency for teacher education. IUP's Teacher Education programs are all accredited by NCATE.

Both reviews required the submission of six major comprehensive assessments, which were aligned with agency standards. Three of the assessments addressed content knowledge, two addressed professional and pedagogical knowledge and skills, and one addressed student learning. The review also required data from the assessments indicating that candidates have mastered the proficiencies in the agency standards.

“It is very gratifying to have our programs cited for high-quality content preparation, top pedagogical preparation, outstanding field work, and impact of our students on their students' learning,” Dr. Mary Ann Rafoth, dean of the College of Education and Educational Technology, said. “You cannot earn better accolades than those!”

IUP is part of a $2.6 million program funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to help math teachers become more highly qualified.

Through this program, members of the IUP education faculty work with regional school districts to provide distance-learning opportunities to math teachers. IUP's portion of the grant funds was used to develop online testing to identify practicing teachers' needs in mathematics content and pedagogy.