Mathematical ACTS: Achievement and Collaboration for Teachers and Students is a project that focuses an existing University of California - Riverside (UCR) and Jurupa Unified School District partnership involving pre-service and in-service education of teachers to an emphasis on student mastery of Algebra I content. In this new effort, the partners will establish a spiral of instructional training for upper elementary and middle school mathematics teachers. Embedded in a research paradigm, Mathematical ACTS will examine the main effects of preservice education, professional development and/or extended learning opportunities on student achievement in mathematics and on teacher career growth. As the project scales up, the partners will analyze students of teachers with or without Mathematical ACTS professional development experiences, and with or without a pre-service candidate available to facilitate re-teaching.

The partner school district has a student population of over 19,000 students of whom 57% are Hispanic and 5% are African American. Further, the district has sizeable English Learner (24%) and Free/Reduced Price Meals (52%) student populations. Among the secondary school mathematics teachers, only 52% have a mathematics major or mathematics teaching credential. Through Mathematical ACTS, partners will tackle issues of teacher credentials through 150 annual hours of training lead by district and university faculty with an emphasis on addressing gaps in student mathematical skills and mastery. Extended learning opportunities in the classroom, after-school, and in the summer will be available for remedial and advanced students. Research results on the scalability of reform will be disseminated in conjunction with district-wide adoption and structural changes in UCR's teacher education program.