Faculty Profile for Dr. M Alejandra Sorto

profile photo for Dr. M Alejandra Sorto
Dr. M Alejandra Sorto
Professor — Mathematics
MCS 480
phone: (512) 245-3423
Scholarly/Creative Work
Awards
Grants
Service

Selected Scholarly/Creative Work

  • Melhuish, K. M., Strickland, S. K., Han, S., & Sorto, M. A. (2024). Why Ask Why? An Analysis of Teachers’ Why-Questions in Elementary and Middle Grade Mathematics Classrooms. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education.
  • Marshall, J. H., & Sorto, M. A. (2020). What are the main challenges to learning mathematics in Latin America and the Caribbean? In E. Arias, J. Cristia, & S. Cueto (Eds.), Learning Mathematics in the 21st Century. Adding Technology to the Equation (pp. 141–179). Washington D.C., United States: Inter-American Development Bank.
  • Harrell-Williams, L. M., Lovett, J. N., Lee, H. S., Pierce, R. L., Lesser, L. M., & Sorto, M. A. (2019). Validation of scores from the High School version of the self-efficacy to teach statistics (SETS-HS) instrument using pre-service mathematics teachers. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 37(2), 194–208. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/wnjZIbWTkK5mY9VkdwUM/full
  • Harrell-Williams, L. M., Lovett, J. N., Lesser, L. M., Lee, H. S., Pierce, R. L., Murphy, T. J., & Sorto, M. A. (2019). Measuring Self-Efficacy to Teach Statistics in Grades 6-12 Mathematics Teachers. In J. Bostic, E. Krupa, & J. Shih (Eds.), Assessment in mathematics education contexts: Theoretical frameworks and new directions (pp. 147–171). New York, NY: Routledge.
  • Wilkerson, T., Eddy, C., Quebec-Fuentes, S., Sorto, M. A., Gupta, A., Ward, L., … Kerschen, K. (2018). Development and Validation of the Algebra Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Instrument: Assessment of Algebra Teachers’ Knowledge and Personal Teaching Efficacy. School Science Mathematics Journal, 118(6), 206–217. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.12291

Selected Awards

  • Award / Honor Recipient: Research Excellence Award, Texas State University Mathematics Department. December 2018
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Honorary Professor of International Studies, The Center of International Studies, Texas State University. November 2018
  • Award / Honor Recipient: College Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching, College of Science and Engineering. October 14, 2024
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Excellence in Teaching, Mathematics Department. December 2022 - December 2023
  • Award / Honor Recipient: International Travel Research Support, Center for International Studies, Texas State University. March 2023 - August 2023

Selected Grants

  • Ashford-Hanserd, Shetay Nicole (Principal), Roundtree, Aimee Kendall (Co-Principal), Sorto, Maria Alejandra (Supporting), Campbell-Montalvo, Rebecca (Co-Principal), Evans, Anthony (Supporting). NSF INCLUDES collaborative change consortia: association of collaborative communities addressing equity for youth STEM+C cuccess (ACCEYSS) consortium, National Science Foundation, Federal, $4912236.76. (Submitted: March 22, 2022, Funded: August 1, 2023 - July 31, 2028). Grant.
  • Sorto, Maria Alejandra (Supporting). Generating a Research-Informed Transition to a Mathematical Proof Curriculum, NSF, Federal, $600000. (Submitted: February 18, 2022, Funded: July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025). Grant.
  • Melhuish, Kathleen Mary (Principal), Heaton, Ruth (Co-Principal), Thanheiser, Eva (Co-Principal), Strickland, Sharon K (Co-Principal), Sorto, Maria Alejandra (Co-Principal), Ellis, Brittney Marie (Co-Principal). Using Technology to Capture Classroom Interactions: The Design, Validation, and Dissemination of a Formative Assessment of Instruction Tool for Diverse K-8 Mathematics Classrooms, NSF, Federal, $1984657. (Submitted: November 2, 2017, Funded: September 4, 2018 - August 31, 2023). Grant.
  • Sorto, Maria Alejandra (Principal). NSF CAREER: Mathematical Instruction for English Language Learners (MI-ELL), National Science Foundation DR-K12 Grant, Federal, $679000. (Funded: July 2011 - June 2018). Grant.
  • Sorto, Maria Alejandra (Supporting), Quintos, Beatriz (Principal), Civil, Marta (Co-Principal), Turner, Erin (Co-Principal), Chval, Kathryn (Co-Principal), Pinnow, Rachel (Co-Principal). Collaborative Research: Parents, Teachers, and Multilingual Children Collaborating on Mathematics Together, National Science Foundation, Federal, $2992106. (Submitted: November 18, 2019). Grant.

Selected Service Activities

President
International Association for Statistics Education
July 19, 2025-July 2027
President
International Association for Statistical Education (IASE)
July 2024-October 2025
Co-Chair
Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)
July 2017-April 2021
Trustee
Mathematics Education Trust of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
June 1, 2017-September 17, 2019
University Mentor
Tenure-track Faculty Mentor
August 2016-Present