Measuring Up: An Elementary School Experience is a research-based, professional development program. The program began in 1997 and for two years focused on middle school mathematics (see MU-1998). As middle school teachers incorporated reform methods in their classrooms, they realized that students were leaving elementary school unprepared. As a result, in 1999, Measuring Up provided a similar in-service program for elementary school teachers, which continued in 2000.
The goal of Measuring Up is to provide elementary school teachers (and ultimately their students) with real-world-based problem solving experiences requiring mathematical thinking. The program encourages discussion and reflection about these problem solving experiences--both the mathematical content, and the development of knowledge through inquiry-based mathematics teaching.
Twenty elementary school teachers (K-6) from the DeKalb school district participated in this year's project. The sessions were held after school at Brooks Elementary School in DeKalb and a final session was held at Northern Illinois University after the end of the school year. Each five-hour session included explorations of mathematics concepts via problem solving activities, a discussion of assigned readings, and a sharing of teachers' classroom experiences, observations, and reflections.