Introduction to the pilot project.
Increasing the amount of time a pre-service teacher spends in the field and increasing the opportunities for pre-service teachers to learn and teach mathematics using a standards-based inquiry-based approach are two challenges facing teacher preparation programs. In Fall 2000, the PETE Project supported the development and pilot of a field-based set of linked-courses in mathematics education guided by the NCTM standards. A set of three university courses was taught in a middle school setting by three University of Texas at El Paso faculty members. Course materials and activities were integrated and the courses were team-taught as much as possible. University faculty worked closely with middle school mathematics faculty to create a "learning mathematics and learning to teach mathematics" experience for pre-service teachers. The goals of the pilot project were

• To examine the feasibility of field-base courses.
• To examine the impact of first learning a concept or set of concepts and then teaching the concept or set of concepts to a group of middle school students.
• To use the experience as a basis for reflection on learning mathematics and learning to teach mathematics by pre-service teachers.
• To develop analytic skills to assess middle school students' understanding of mathematics.

Structure of the pilot project.
A faculty member from the Department of Mathematical Sciences taught the CETP/PETE supported course, "The Properties of Read Numbers" that is project-based. The mathematics methods course was taught by a faculty member in the Department of Teacher Education who specializes in mathematics education. A faculty member who specializes in mathematics and science education taught the curriculum and basic principles and practices of learning course. They were joined by the Director of Evaluation for the PETE project. Classes ran from 8:00 am - 12:00 noon, Mondays and Wednesdays. Most classes were held at the middle school, while a few of the classes were taught at the university in the Mathematics Education Lab. In addition, students participated in their first internship in the schools.

Research, evaluation and outcomes.
The research and evaluation activities were agreed upon by the faculty members and the evaluator. Activities consisted of video analysis of pre-service teachers' practice teaching, assessment of students' critical thinking skills, assessment of students' beliefs and attitudes towards mathematics, video documentation of university classes, opportunity to learn and learning gains assessment measures, and document analysis of pre-service teachers' reflective writing. Student outcomes consist of positive attitudes and beliefs about mathematics and the teaching of mathematics, a deep understanding of mathematical concepts and the teaching of mathematics, and a level of comfort in teaching mathematics to students. Course outcomes consist of the implementation of a large percentage of activities associated with standards-based inquiry-based courses. Analysis of the data has begun and preliminary results will be presented.