Science and Math
Teacher Initiative
(CalTeach)
2013-14 Program Highlights Report
OV E RV I E W
The University of California Science and Math Teacher Initiative — known as CalTeach —
is making a strong contribution to the supply of highly qualified teachers of math and science
by strengthening the state's undergraduate pipeline.
California, a hub of tremendous technological innovation, is challenged like much of the nation by a shortage of the math
and science teachers needed to prepare future generations for the workforce. Several factors contribute to this shortfall:
significant decreases over the last few years in the number of people pursuing teaching credentials, both in California
and beyond, a projected wave of teacher retirements and increasing K-12 enrollment in the near future.
CalTeach was created to help address this challenge. Launched in 2005 by the University of California (UC), CalTeach
successfully recruits, prepares and inspires talented undergraduates to explore careers as math or science educators.
Housed at all nine of UC’s undergraduate campuses — Berkeley, Davis, Los Angeles, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, San Diego,
Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz — programs invite students majoring in science, technology, engineering or math
(STEM) disciplines to augment their studies with a sequence of CalTeach courses and fieldwork experiences that introduce
them to teaching while they concurrently complete undergraduate degrees. These courses, together with research
opportunities and practical experience in K-12 classrooms, complement participants’ discipline-specific studies and prepare
them to seek a teaching credential while or after earning a bachelor’s degree.
CalTeach reaches students and schools throughout the state. Since the program's inception, more than 9,000
UC undergraduate students have explored a career in teaching math or science by participating in a CalTeach
program. Of these, 1,342 have gone on to earn a math or science credential.
F E AT U R E S
CalTeach provides students1 with the skills, experience and tools to pursue a teaching credential and,
eventually, a career in teaching. Through rigorous CalTeach courses, program participants learn conceptual teaching skills
and practice these methods in local K-12 classrooms, through field experiences offered through their courses and through
intensive summer internships at local schools. Seasoned mentor teachers oversee participants’ experiences in K-12 math
and science classrooms. Additionally, nearly all CalTeach programs offer a minor or concentration in math and/or science
education that focuses on teaching in those disciplines.
Three UC campuses — Berkeley, Irvine and Los Angeles — offer accelerated credential programs that provide CalTeach
students with two options: earn a teaching credential along with their baccalaureate degree in four years, or combine
the last year of undergraduate studies with their first year of credential studies.
In collaboration with UC faculty and graduate students, CalTeach programs sponsor research projects that contribute
to best practices in preparing and supporting math and science teaching and learning. Sample research topics include
assessing CalTeach graduates’ preparedness for teaching, the effect of field experiences on attitudes toward teaching
and public education, and effective methods for tracking CalTeach graduates who enter teaching careers.
1
The great majority of CalTeach students are undergraduates; however, a small number of graduate students also participate.
“The CalTeach contribution to public education lies not only in its excellence in
preparing much-needed STEM teachers, but also in raising awareness about the
value of teachers and the teaching profession among the state’s future engineers,
scientists and mathematicians."
PROFESSOR GEORGE JOHNSON, CHAIR, CALTEACH EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
“CalTeach has prepared me so well,
with over 200 hours of fieldwork in
K-12 classrooms, dozens of teaching
strategies, and substantial practice
designing discovery-based and
cognitively demanding lessons."
KIM NGO, MATHEMATICS MAJOR, UC IRVINE
STUDENT TEACHER, LA QUINTA H.S.
“As a first-generation college student,
I feel fortunate to have had the
opportunity to gain hands-on
experience inside and outside of the
classroom, helping me to prepare and
strengthen my skills for the future.
CalTeach has given me the support,
guidance and motivation to become
a math educator."
MACKENZIE LUCKY, STUDENT ADVISOR
FOR CALTEACH, UC BERKELEY
PROG R A M OF F E R I N GS
CalTeach provides a rich array of academic
and career preparation opportunities
for students interested in pursuing a
math or science teaching credential.
Its components are grounded in current
research on the best practices in teacher
preparation. Although campus programs
have distinct approaches to teacher
preparation, common features across
CalTeach programs include:
• Recruiting and advising
• Relevant coursework
• Field experiences
• Research experiences
• Professional networking opportunities
• University faculty collaboration across
disciplines
• Mentorship by K-12 teachers
• Data collection and analysis
• Community college partnerships
• Financial aid and stipends for students
and mentor teachers
Y E A R I N R E V I E W In 2013-14, CalTeach continued its successful recruitment and preparation
of UC undergraduates for careers as math or science teachers. Despite the statewide trend of
decreases in the number of people entering the teaching profession, CalTeach participation is on the
rise. The following sections highlight recent outcomes related to impact, diversity and preparation,
which together provide an overview of the program’s achievements.
1,742 participants
2013-14
1,738 participants
2012-13
I M PAC T
CalTeach enrollment is at the highest level since the program’s
inception, with 1,742 students participating in 2013-14.
2013-14
1,742 participants
2012-13
1,738 participants
CalTeach graduates are enrolling
in2013-14
Teacher Education Programs 2,688 course enrollment
In 2012-13
2013-14, 203 CalTeach graduates 2,471
pursued
teaching
careers
course
enrollment
in UC and CSU Teacher Education Programs (TEP). Of those,
2,386 course enrollment
2011-12
163 enrolled in a math or science single subject credential program.
70 Math
1,643 participants
2011-12
1,643 participants
2011-12
CalTeach continues to grow
UC TEP
Enrollment
59 Science
CalTeach graduates are earning math and science
2,471 course enrollment
2012-13
teaching
credentials
22 Other 4
2,386 course
enrollment
2011-12
Since
2006-07, 1,374 teaching credentials
have
been awarded
19 Math
2,688 course enrollment
2013-14
to CalTeach graduates. The number has steadily increased,
despite a diminishing
number of teaching credentials being
70 Math
awarded
UC TEP across the state. In 2013-14, a total of 289 credentials
59 Science
Enrollment
were awarded to CalTeach graduates, comprising 131 math, 151
science, and227 Other
supplemental credentials.2
4
25 Math
300
number of credentials
CSU TEP
250
Enrollment
200
total
19 Math
15 Science
18 Other 4
150
computer
interdisciplinary/ science (10)
100 multiple STEM (55)
300
engineering (95)
50
250
total
supplemental
biological/life
sciences (390)
2006 to 2014
other 200
STEM (124)
number of credentials
number of credentials
science
mathematics
1,217 CalTeach
science
STEM Undergraduates
UC150
graduates earning
a math or sciencemathematics
credential
3,500
by Major
are100
also, increasingly,2013-14
CalTeach graduates
3,000
CSU TEP
Enrollment
15 Science
18 Other 4
CalTeach graduates computer
pursue
interdisciplinary/ science (10)
careersmultiple
in
public
education
STEM (55)
(95)
Sinceengineering
the program’s
inception, nearly 1,436 CalTeach graduates
have gone on to work in public schools throughout California,
biological/life
many in high-need communities.
sciences (390)
other STEM (124)
378
physical
sciences (156)
1,217 CalTeach
STEM Undergraduates
by Major
2013-14
Over 1,400 CalTeach
alumni have pursued
careers in public school
mathematics/statistics
(387)throughout CA.5
districts
physical
(156)CalTeach alumni accounted for nearly 47 percent
Insciences
2013-14,
800
2,500
50
of all the math and science credentials awarded tosupplemental
UC
2,000
baccalaureates,
an
increase
in
share
of
7
percent
over
2006
to
2014
600
California
1,500
the previous
year.3
number of credentials
25 Math
400
1,000
3,500
500
200
3,000
800
2,500
2006
to 2014
2,000
600
1,500
mathematics/statistics (387)
UC
CalTeach
California
400
1,000
500
200
2006 to 2014
UC
CalTeach
115
162
746
2,386 course enrollment
2011-12
70 Math
UC TEP
Enrollment
59 Science
P R E PA R AT
ION
22 Other
DIVERSITY
25 Math STEM majors systemwide
CalTeach attracts
CalTeach graduates in STEM majors
are highly diverse
4
19 Math
Across
all UC campuses, the great majority of CalTeach
CSU TEP
15 Science
Enrollment are majoring in STEM fields. In 2013-14, nearly
participants
Other
70 percent of18
participants
were STEM majors, with most majoring
in the biological/life sciences or mathematics/statistics.
4
In comparison to all UC STEM majors, CalTeach graduates
are more diverse across an array of demographic indicators,
including gender, ethnicity and families’ college background.
computer
interdisciplinary/ science (10)
multiple STEM (55)
CalTeach 59%
female
UC 46%
engineering (95)
biological/life
sciences (390)
other STEM (124)
physical
sciences (156)
CalTeach 21%
underrepresented
minorities6
1,217 CalTeach
STEM Undergraduates
by Major
2013-14
UC 16%
CalTeach 42%
first-generation
college student
UC 38%
0
mathematics/statistics (387)
CalTeach participants are working
in high-need schools
In 2013-14, CalTeach students participated in field placements
in 198 K-12 schools where they gained real-world classroom
experience. Although these field placements occurred
throughout the state in schools with a variety of economic
and educational characteristics, nearly 37 percent were
low-performing and high-need schools based on the state’s
Academic Performance Index (API 1-5).
10
20
30
40
50
Consistent with the program’s mission to prepare prospective
educators that are themselves representative of the growing
diversity of California’s K-12 students, nearly 67 percent of
2013-14 CalTeach STEM graduates were students of color,
including underrepresented minorities and students from
Asian backgrounds.
60
California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, 2013.
Ibid.
4
“Other” includes enrollment in other single subject and multiple subject programs.
5
California State Teachers’ Retirement System, 2014; counties for 35 CalTeach alumni are undetermined.
6
Includes African American, Chicano(a)/Latino(a), American Indian and Alaska Native.
2
3
F U N D I N G In addition to its state funding allocation,
CalTeach programs on every campus are supported by a
combination of government, foundation, private industry
and other extramural sources. All CalTeach programs have
received support from the National Science Foundation (NSF),
through the NSF Noyce Scholars program and, in some
cases, through NSF S-STEM grants, to provide scholarships,
fellowships, stipends and programmatic support intended
for the recruitment and preparation of STEM majors and
professionals to become K-12 teachers.
CalTeach has also been supported financially by private
corporations such as Amgen, Agilent, Bechtel, Hitachi
and JP Morgan Chase, and through partnerships with
Math for America, 100Kin10, the National Math Education
Advancement Foundation, the Knowles Science Teaching
Foundation, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the
National Math and Science Initiative.
Finally, each UC campus on which a CalTeach program resides
provides significant monetary and in-kind resources through
faculty and administrator time, classroom space, student
scholarships and other kinds of support.
CalTeach programs are housed at each of UC’s nine undergraduate campuses:
Berkeleycalteach.berkeley.edu
Davismast.ucdavis.edu
Irvineeducation.uci.edu/calteach
Los Angeles
cateach.ucla.edu
Mercedcalteach.ucmerced.edu
Riversidesmi.ucr.edu
San Diego
physicalsciences.ucsd.edu/programs/cal-teach
Santa Barbara
education.ucsb.edu/calteach
Santa Cruz
calteach.ucsc.edu
University of California
Office of the President
Diversity and Engagement
ucdiversity@ucop.edu
510.987.9776
ucop.edu/diversity-engagement
Data sources for this report include the following:
• California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC)
• California Department of Education (CDE)
• California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS)
• California State University
• University of California
© May 2015 — University of California Office of the President