Chris Halter

I teach in the Department of Education Studies at the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego). I joined UC San Diego in 2000 after ten years of teaching in public K–12 schools. I teach across several programs in the department, including courses for undergraduate students, Multiple Subject and Single Subject credential candidates, graduate students in the Master of Arts program, and doctoral students in the Ed.D. in Teaching and Learning program.

My K–12 teaching career began shortly after graduating from college in Charleston, South Carolina. I first tried teaching Algebra I at my former high school in 1987, which was not an ideal experience. I was underprepared and had not yet gained much professional experience. Soon after, I became a Navy Supply Officer and served aboard a destroyer during the Persian Gulf War. Through my Navy experience, I worked with large budgets, comptroller operations, and government contracting. After nearly five years on active duty, I continued my Navy career in the reserves and retired from the Navy in 2007.

After the Persian Gulf War, I returned to graduate school to earn my teaching credential and decided to try teaching again. This time, I was better prepared and had gained the experience needed to succeed. I taught in San Diego at Mission Bay High School, Wilson Academy, and West Hills High School. Because I was credentialed in both life science and mathematics, I often taught a split schedule. At Wilson Academy, we experimented with an integrated science and mathematics curriculum that we designed ourselves, with mathematics supporting the science content. At West Hills High School, I taught in both the Science Department and the Mathematics Department before eventually focusing fully on mathematics.

Education

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Teaching and Learning, 2006

University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego)

Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning (Curriculum Design), emphasis in technology integration, 1995

University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego)

Bachelor of Science, 1986

College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina

Credentials

• California Professional Clear Single Subject Teaching Credential in mathematics and life science, with CLAD certification
• Online Instructor Performance Learning Systems

Recent Book

Halter, C. P. (2012). The PSPP Guide: An Introduction to Statistical Analysis . CreativeMinds Press Group. (Kindle version)

Professional Activities

• Teacher Performance Assessment Consortium (TPAC) benchmark and pilot implementation (2010–present)
• Performance Assessment for California Teachers (PACT) scorer training (2003–present)
• California Commission on Teacher Credentialing Board of Institutional Review member (2008–present)
• Panel member, Instructional Materials Adoption Panel for the California Department of Education 2007 mathematics materials adoption
• Program and brochure chair, Greater San Diego Mathematics Council Executive Board

Grant Review

• Proposal reviewer (November–December 2012), Science Foundation Arizona Helios STEM School Pilot program. This pilot followed a $4 million grant from the Helios Education Foundation to help build the Arizona STEM Network and support STEM education in school and district operations. The effort aimed to raise expectations, improve student outcomes, and help teachers shift practice in alignment with Common Core State Standards and planned Next Generation Science Standards.
• Pre-proposal reviewer (December 2010), Next Generation Learning Challenges Grant, Wave 1. This initiative brought together philanthropists, educators, innovators, and technologists to scale creative information technology solutions that improve college readiness and completion, particularly for low-income young adults.
• Grant reviewer and mentor (1997–1999), Digital High School Initiative, California Department of Education. This education technology grant program, enacted by the California State Legislature in 1997, allocated funding to California public schools over a four-year period.

Current

Authored and Co-PI: Robert Noyce Master Teacher Fellowship Grant (NSF) with UCSD Department of Education Studies and Division of Physical Sciences: Principle Investigators: Amanda Datnow, Jeffrey Remmel, and Christopher Halter. Funding Agency: National Science Foundation. Awarded $3,248,491. This five year professional development program will provide 42 local science and mathematics teachers with mentoring and leadership opportunities through summer institutes, targeted online courses, and engagement in a professional network.

Authored and Award Committee: Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Grant (NSF) with the UCSD Physical Sciences Division (2009). Principle Investigators: Amanda Datnow and Jeffrey Remmel. Funding Agency: National Science Foundation. Awarded an $892,000 Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program grant from the National Science Foundation. The five-year scholarship program will allow EDS to provide a $12,000 Noyce scholarship to approximately 16 mathematics, chemistry, physics, and geoscience majors annually in UCSD’s EDS undergraduate minor and graduate intern credential program. ($892,000), 2009-2013.

Past

Coordinator: University of CA San Diego Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) grant with the UCSD Mathematics Department (2006). Principle Investigator: Guershon Harel. Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education. Role: K-12 community coordinator. This is a three-year grant to develop, assess and disseminate a professional development program for high school mathematics teachers. The program, called DNR-Based Instruction, will emphasize three essential components of teachers’ knowledge base: knowledge of mathematics; knowledge of how students learn; and knowledge of pedagogy, or strategies teachers use to promote learning. Chris Halter co-designs the Mathematics Education Seminar Series, the Countywide Colloquia and presents one or more sessions each year at the Greater San Diego Mathematics Council Annual Conference. He also coordinates the recruitment of teachers to participate in these activities. ($557,877), 2007-2010.

Authored and Coordinator: California Digital High School Educational Grant granted through the California Department of Education ($700,000 initial year with $160,000 each of three subsequent years), 2000-2004.

Visualizing Earth Project. A three year NSF Grant to study the visualization of graphic representations of complex data and the educational potential of emerging technologies and data sources for geographic visualization, with Dan Barstow, Eric Frost, Lynn Liben, and Sally Ride ($1,800,000), 1995-1999. (Teacher Researcher/Participant)

Project YES/KidSat. A three-year pilot education program that uses an electronic still camera aboard the Space Shuttle. The program, a partnership among the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) and Johns Hopkins University Institute for the Advancement of Youth, 1993-1995. (Teacher Researcher/Participant)

Community of Explorers. A three-year subcontract with Bolt Beranek and Newman, Inc., funded by the National Science Foundation, to study the effects of simulated science laboratories in classrooms connected via telecommunications on teacher planning and lesson implementation. Five high school sites in San Diego County participate in this study of teacher interaction and instructional computer use ($165 000), 1992-95. (Teacher Researcher/Participant)