Reston Elementary School Teacher Receives Math Teaching Honor

Mary Anne Rossbach, a teacher at Sunrise Valley Elementary School in Reston, has been named the 2015 William C. Lowry Mathematics Educator of the Year for the Elementary School Level by the Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics (VCTM), according to a news release from Fairfax County Public Schools.

Rossbach, who serves as a sixth grade teacher and math lead teacher at Sunrise Valley, is a Region 1 elementary math lead teacher who trains other Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) elementary math lead teachers. She is credited with developing and implementing the South Lakes High School Math Institute to provide staff development and intra-school math planning and collaboration for her colleagues.

“Mary Anne was the force behind our school adopting math problem solving as the focus for our school improvement plan,” says nominator Liz Goswick, Sunrise Valley’s lead special education teacher and a member of its math committee and school improvement team.

“The math committee, led by Mary Anne, developed assessments for each grade level that would evaluate problem-solving skills. Mary Anne led the math committee in the creation of professional development sessions, focusing on how to teach…and assess math problem solving. The past two years have resulted in a student awareness of different problem solving methods, the steps they should be taking to think about and solve problems, and improved problem solving assessment results of all students in our school.”

Goswick adds that Rossbach is developing math problem-solving handbooks for each grade level to help teachers with the whys and hows of the process.

Former interim principal Tim Stanley praised Rossbach for actively seeking out research and strategies and new methods and ideas to support teachers with an ultimate goal of improving student achievement.

“Ms. Rossbach was instrumental in moving the school forward with implementing the math standards and planning engaging instruction, including utilizing the guided math approach,” said Stanley. “She showed initiative and assumed leadership. Her problem solving skills were exceptional.”

Rossbach has 27 years of experience as a teacher, and has worked for FCPS and at Sunrise Valley for 17 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree from James Madison University and her master’s degree in education from the University of Rochester.

She will receive her award at the VCTM awards dinner in Virginia Beach on March 6.