Education
Doctorate Degree
PhD in Mathematics
Michigan State University, 2004
Master's Degree
MS in Mathematics
Michigan State University, 1997
Master's Degree
MS in Statistics
University of Texas at El Paso, 1992
Bachelor's Degree
BS in Mathematics
University of Texas at El Paso, 1990
Featured grants
- Ashford-Hanserd, Shetay Nicole (Principal), Percent Contribution: %100, Roundtree, Aimee Kendall (Co-Principal), Percent Contribution: %25, Sorto, Maria Alejandra (Supporting), Percent Contribution: %25, Campbell-Montalvo, Rebecca (Co-Principal), Percent Contribution: %25, Evans, Anthony (Supporting), Percent Contribution: %25. 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), 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.
- 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), Ortiz, Araceli (Principal). NASA Future Aerospace-engineers and Mathematicians Academy (FAMA), NASA Office of Education, Federal, $412000. (Funded: October 2015 - October 2018). Grant.

Featured scholarly/creative works
- Sorto, M. A. (2026). Constructing the observables, claiming the unobservables: The challenges of analytic tools in mathematics education. In K. K. Beswick, B. Kaur, K. Makar, C. Ochoviet, & H. Venkat (Eds.) (Vol. 2, pp. 533–545). Sydney, Australia: MERGA.
- Sugimoto, A., Pham, A., Melhuish, K. M., Thanheiser, E., & Sorto, M. A. (2026). Meaning Supporting Practices Focused on Mathematical Tasks, Language, and Concepts. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education.
- Gómez Blancarte, A. L., Rivera Perez, J. G., & Sorto, M. A. (2026). Exploring the inclusion of technology in statistics teaching in Mexican colleges. Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/26939169.2026.2709682
- 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.
- Namakshi, N., Warshauer, H. K., Sorto, M. A., & White, A. (2024). Investigating prospective teachers’ assessment of student thinking and their mathematical knowledge for teaching. In Proceedings of the forty-sixth annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. Kent, Ohio, USA: Kent State University.
Featured awards
- Award / Honor Recipient: International Travel Research Support, Center for International Studies, Texas State University. January 2026 - August 2026
- 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 Nominee: Teaching Excellence, Mathematics Department. October 11, 2025 - December 2025
- Award / Honor Recipient: College Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching, College of Science and Engineering. October 14, 2024

Featured service activities
- Other
International Association for Statistical Education
- President
International Association for Statistical Education (IASE)
- Co-Chair
Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)
- Other
Mathematics Education Trust of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
- University Mentor
Tenure-track Faculty Mentor
- University Mentor
Lecturer Mentor
