Pioneer Award Description & Rubric

The US Math Recovery Council® Pioneer Award is designed to honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of numeracy. Presentations of the Pioneer Award are made at the US Math Recovery Council® Annual Meeting.

We invite nominations of exceptional educators who have demonstrated highly effective engagement with students in the mathematics teaching and learning process, who have demonstrated dedicated service to their school, community and/or the US Math Recovery Council® and who have demonstrated a significant commitment to their own professional growth. In short, we seek nominees whose work has had an especially important influence on mathematics education and on the system(s) in which they have worked. US Math Recovery® takes pleasure in recognizing outstanding educators and we look forward to receiving your nomination.

Selection Criteria - Nominees for the US Math Recovery Council® Pioneer Award should meet the following criteria:

  • Years of Distinguished Service. The award is for 5 or more years of distinguished, continuous service to Math Recovery® and/or mathematics education.
  • Categories of Distinction. The Pioneer Award is awarded for achievement in leadership, teaching, and service. Distinction in these categories can be demonstrated through:
    • Performance of the nominee on the job;
    • Service beyond the requirements of the job
    • Service to USMRC such as: professional development, offices held, committee memberships, special projects, meetings, publications.
    • Commitment to one's own professional growth as an educator.
  • Nomination Letter and Supporting Materials. Each nomination should be supported by:
    • A letter of nomination,
    • The nominee's resume, and
    • Up to five letters of recommendation that speak to the nominee's distinction in the identified categories.
    • A list of author names for the candidate's letters of recommendation

The nomination packet should be included in a single packet addressed to US Math Recovery Council®, 15025 Glazier Avenue Suite 207, Apple Valley, MN 55124. The nomination packet must be postmarked by November 1, 2013 to be considered.

  • Letter of Nomination. The letter of nomination should include the name, address, and daytime telephone number of the nominee, as well as the name, address, daytime telephone number, and signature of the nominator. Please note that the letter of nomination is most useful when, rather than repeating information from the nominee's resume, it describes specifically how the nominee's work reflects the selection criteria.
  • Resume. The nominee's resume should detail education; work experience; service at the district, state, national, or international level; publications; talks at conferences; and service to USMRC or other professional organizations. The resume should be no more than two pages.
  • Letters of Recommendation. Three to five letters of support may be included. Each of the categories (leadership, teaching, and service) should be addressed in at least one of the letters. The nominator may write one of the five letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation should focus on the quality rather than the quantity of the performance of the nominee, emphasizing the distinction of the nominee's performance.

Click here to download the rubric.

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