“Mix It Up” math and science program lands $714,000 federal grant

Date of Release: 10/20/2006

SAN MARCOS —The “Mix It Up: Correlated Science and Math” program at Texas State University-San Marcos has been awarded a $714,762 grant by the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.

The funding supports the development of the courses for 2006-2009 and will supply participating students with instructional materials.

“Mix It Up” is administered by Selina Vasquez-Mireles of the Texas State math department and Sandra West of the biology department. The program’s goals are aimed at providing intense, correlated math and science content knowledge and skills to undergraduates and graduates in addition to recruiting, strengthening and maintaining middle school math and science teachers.

In order to accomplish these goals, the program will continue to develop, implement and evaluate the correlated math and science curriculum model to determine if its use by trained middle school teachers improves student performance.

Improving student performance in science and math is the highest priority in secondary education at all levels--national, state and local. The strong link with teacher quality requires a major rethinking of both how teachers and students are taught math and science as well as the production and retention of high-quality experienced science and math teachers.

Applications for the summer 2007 program are now being accepted. Anyone interested in more information may visit the “Mix It Up” web site at http://www.bio.txstate.edu/%7escied/West/mixitup/ or contact West directly via email at sw04@txstate.edu.