The Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators has released its Standards for Preparing Teachers of Mathematics. These are comprehensive, aspirational standards describing a national vision for the initial preparation of all teachers PreK-12 who teach mathematics.
From the Executive Summary:
The mission of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE) is to promote the improvement of mathematics
teacher education Pre-K–12. Two of the organization’s stated goals focus on effective mathematics teacher education
programs and advocacy for effective policies and practices related to mathematics teacher education at all levels. As the
lead organization for mathematics teacher education in the United States, AMTE puts forth the Standards for Preparing
Teachers of Mathematics (SPTM) as an aspirational vision that will support candidates in becoming effective teachers of
mathematics who have the knowledge and skills to support each and every student in their future classrooms.
AMTE, in the Standards for Preparing Teachers of Mathematics, puts forward a national vision of initial preparation for all Pre-K–12 teachers who teach mathematics. SPTM pertains not only to middle and high school mathematics teachers who may teach mathematics exclusively but also to elementary school teachers teaching all disciplines, special education teachers, teachers of emergent multilingual students, and all other teaching professionals and administrators who have responsibility for students’ mathematical learning. SPTM has broad implications for teacher preparation programs, in which stakeholders include faculty and administrators in both education and mathematics at the university level; teachers, principals, and district leaders in the schools with which preparation programs partner; and the communities in which preparation programs and their school partners are situated.
SPTM is intended as a national guide that articulates a vision for mathematics teacher preparation and supports the continuous improvement of teacher preparation programs. Such continuous improvement includes changes to preparation
program courses and structures, partnerships involving schools and universities and their leaders, the ongoing accreditation
of such programs regionally and nationally, and the shaping of state and national mathematics teacher preparation policy. SPTM is also designed to inform accreditation processes for mathematics teacher preparation programs, to influence policies related to preparation of teachers of mathematics, and to promote national dialogue around preparing teachers of
mathematics. The vision articulated in SPTM is aspirational in that it describes a set of high expectations for developing a well-prepared beginning mathematics teacher who can support meaningful student learning. The vision is research-based
and establishes a set of goals for the continued development and refinement of a mathematics teacher preparation program
and a research agenda for the study of the effects of such a program.
SPTM contains detailed depictions of what a well-prepared beginning teacher knows and is able to do related to content, pedagogy, and disposition, and what a strong preparation program entails with respect to learning experiences, assessments, and partnerships. Stakeholders in mathematics teacher preparation will find messages related to their role