Greeneville is one of 16 locations across the state where teachers will start next week to receive specialized training in new state mathematics standards for the 2012-13 school year.

Beginning Tuesday at Greeneville High School, between 200 and 300 educators from 17 school districts in Northeast Tennessee will attend training sessions throughout July, according to Robbie Mitchell, professional development supervisor for the Greeneville City School System.

The Tennessee Department of Education (DOE) training is the largest DOE teacher-training program in state history, according to a news release from the department.

The interactive training will be administered by math "Common Core Coaches," a group of educators from throughout the region who have received intensive training from the DOE, Mitchell said.

The trainers will focus on new, more rigorous Common Core standards for math in grades 3-8.

The opening session on Tuesday begins at 8:30 a.m. and will include remarks by Greene County Director of Schools Dr. Vicki Kirk, Mitchell said.

Kirk is one of 13 members of the State Common Core Leadership Council, which was tasked with selecting and training the educators who will provide the training this month.

When the council members were announced in February, the DOE said the members would "advise department officials on formal and informal assessments and professional development resources; shape the framework for all Common Core pilot programs; and become regional experts and leaders in the importance and concrete expectations of the standards."

Conducted over a three-week period at schools across the state, this Common Core training blends a peer-led approach with expertise from nationally recognized, data-driven researchers to help raise standards and improve learning in Tennessee classrooms, according to the DOE news release.

More than 13,000 teachers will be trained at high schools in Bristol, Clarksville, Cleveland, Crossville, Erin, Gallatin, Germantown, Greeneville, Martin, Maryville, Memphis, Mt. Juliet, Rutledge, Savannah, Shelbyville, and Spring Hill.

The local training will be held July 10-12, 17-19 and 24-26, Mitchell said.

She noted that the educators will be on their own for lunch and likely will visit local restaurants during all three sessions.

Tennessee is among 46 states that have adopted the Common Core state standards, a set of criteria in math and English-language arts that establish clear expectations for students and align with necessary knowledge for college and careers.

The English-language arts standards are scheduled to be implemented in 2013-14.