The vision of Virginia Commonwealth University's Standards Based Teacher Education Program (STEP) is to enhance the teacher preparation programs in Secondary English and Secondary Mathematics Education to ensure that prospective teachers master the content and competencies as advanced by state and national standards, are successful in taking the Praxis I and II Examinations, and have competence in writing-to-learn in a partner discipline.

Virginia Commonwealth University's Standards Based Teacher Education Program seeks to provide a collaborative vehicle for analysis and revision of its teacher preparation programs in Secondary English Education and Secondary Mathematics Education. To accomplish this, the current curricula are being analyzed to ensure alignment with national and state standards. A Task Force has been appointed to review and analyze Secondary Enlgish and Mathematics Education curricula for alignment with standards advanced by the National Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (NCATE), Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC), national learned societites (national Council of Teacher of English, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics), Virginia Standards of Learning (6-12) in mathematics and Enlgish, and the Praxis I and II tests. The Task Force will consider changes in content and pedagogy of existing courses and consider development of new courses and new requirements based on this analysis.