MasterCard Middle School Math Institute

Graduate certificate program for teachers of grades 4-8

Demanding local and national standards, plus high stakes testing in grades 4-8, means that helping all students achieve in mathematics is more important that ever. However, district in-service workshops only begin to address the need for deeper content and broader teaching strategies. Many teachers take graduate courses on their own, but their innovations generally remain in a single classroom.

WUSTL faculty created the MasterCard Middle School Math Institute to address the demands of challenging math standards and the need for system-wide professional development. The Mastercard Institute is a unique combination of rigorous graduate level coursework and flexible in-service professional development. While individual teachers may register for Mastercard Institute courses, WUSTL faculty recommend that school or district teams apply in order to build collaboration and encourage vertical articulation.

The Institute leads to a 15-credit graduate certificate in education. The program may be customized for districts seeking system-wide teacher professional development based on district framworks or curriculum. It is ideal for teachers who are specializing in math at elementary schools that are departmentalizing grades 4-5.

For more information on the MasterCard Institute, contact Amy O'Brien, aobrien@wustl.edu, or (314) 935-7170.