Bachelor of Science

Middle Grades Mathematics Education (Grades 5-9) Program

USF Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Education with a concentration in Middle Grades Mathematics

Bachelors in Mathematics Education with Middle School Mathematics Concentration

Program Overview

USF's undergraduate program in middle grades mathematics is part of the STEM Middle School Residency Program at USF. This is a joint program between the College of Education and the College of Arts and Sciences in partnership with Hillsborough County Public Schools, and was supported by a multi-million dollar grant provided by the .

This is a cohort-style program with extensive teaching experiences in Hillsborough County Public Schools. USF students in this program engage in more than 1,200 hours of clinical experiences in three Hillsborough County middle schools throughout this two-year full-time undergraduate program (a part-time option is also available). This includes two semester-long practica experiences and a yearlong internship. A co-plan and co-teach model is used in the clinical aspect of this program so students work side-by-side with Hillsborough County鈥檚 highly-qualified middle school teachers while in the field.

Upon successful completion of this state-approved, accredited educator preparation program, students are eligible for certification from the Florida Department of Education in mathematics (grades 5-9).

Points of Pride

  • Program graduates have been the recipients of several professional awards, including the State of Florida High Impact Award, Teacher of the Month Award, Internationally Minded Teacher of the Month Award, Rookie of the Year Award, and Teacher of the Year Award.
  • Program graduates serve in a variety of leadership capacities in their schools, such as: department chair, subject area leader, SACS chair, professional learning community leader, and extracurricular sponsors. Many graduates serve as school-based teacher educators in the program, serving as mentors in the clinical experience aspect of the program to help prepare the next generation of middle school STEM teachers. 
  • This program was featured on  Program.
  • This program is a recipient of USF鈥檚 2019-2020 Student Success Award for Academic Excellence.

Research and Publications

Many of our students and school-based teacher educators have presented alongside USF faculty at national conferences and even co-authored articles. As of Fall 2020, seven articles and book chapters have been published on aspects of this program and 25 national presentations presented.

Publications

* Asterisk indicates manuscripts where co-authors are graduate students

** Asterisk indicates manuscripts where co-authors are undergraduate students

Ellerbrock, C. R. (2020). Obstacles and opportunities to developing and sustaining a clinically rich STEM middle school residency program. Middle School Journal, 51(5), 19-28. https://doi.org/10.1080/00940771.2020.1814625

*Sarnoff, K., & Ellerbrock, C. R.  (2020). Stronger together: A collaborative triad approach to middle school STEM teacher preparation. School-University Partnerships, 13(1), 48-53

Ellerbrock, C. R., & Vomvoridi-Ivanovic, E., *Sarnoff, K., *Jones, B., & **Thomas, M. (2019). Collaborating to 鈥淕row Our Own鈥�: The Helios STEM middle school residency program. The Clearing House, 92(4-5), 119-124. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2019.1614516

Thomas, S. W., Campbell, S. W., Subramanyam, M. D., & Ellerbrock, C. R. (2019). Contemporary STEM issues: Engineering training of pre-service teachers for middle school STEM curriculum development. Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, 1-10.

Ellerbrock, C. R., Vomvoridi-Ivanovic, E., & Duran, J. (2018). Working Together: Preparing the next generation of highly qualified middle school STEM teachers. The Clearing House, 91(3), 124-130. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2018.1428458

Ellerbrock, C. R., & Vomvoridi-Ivanovic, E. (2019). A Framework for responsive middle level mathematics teaching. In K. M. Brinegar, L. M. Harrison, & E. Hurd Eds.), The handbook of research in middle level education: Equity and cultural responsiveness in the middle grades (pp. 45-68). Information Age Publishing.

Ellerbrock, C. R., Kersaint, G., Smith, J. J., & Kaskeski, R. (2016). Transforming teacher preparation for the transition years: A