Power of SUNY

Fredonia’s MAST2ER Programs Gets $2M Boost

"Math and science for ALL students" is how Cynthia Jonsson describes the primary goal of a five-year $2 million project award made to SUNY Fredonia in Dec. 2011. Project MAST2ER (Mathematics And Science Teacher Training in Educational Resources) was one of 42 U.S. Department of Education grants funded recently through the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA).

MAST2ER is a collaborative effort between SUNY Fredonia and Dunkirk and Jamestown city school districts. The project funds will be utilized to strengthen mathematics and science teacher education programs on the SUNY Fredonia campus through infusing evidence-based practices and data-based decision making that informs instruction, particularly instruction of English learners (ELs).

Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) will serve as the core of all teacher candidate trainings. SIOP is recognized as the most widely accepted approach for addressing the instructional needs of ELs in the nation and is grounded in second language acquisition theory. Content area teachers with SIOP experience in Dunkirk and Jamestown schools will be recruited to serve as MAST2ER mentors to Fredonia mathematics and science teacher candidates. The teachers will be involved in both advanced SIOP and mentoring professional development sessions.

Unique to the project is the use of live stream and digitally captured lessons of mentor teachers as they implement SIOP elements and evidence-based practices in their classrooms with English learners and as they use data-based decision making regarding instruction to English learners. Mentor teacher lessons will capture clear demonstrations of evidence-based practices and will serve as visual representations of material covered in training sessions to Fredonia teacher candidates. The live demonstrations represent the most progressive use of portable cameras and live feed from area classrooms via distance learning in the teacher preparations programs at SUNY Fredonia. MAST2ER staff will compile captured lessons in a Repository of Effective Practices that will be distributed widely electronically to partner districts, teacher education programs, and teacher candidates.