Research for Better Schools

Recent Technical Assistance Projects

Title: Geometry and Measurement Summer Institutes

Sponsor/Funder: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

Target Audience: Elementary (K-8) Mathematics Teachers in Pennsylvania

Collaborating Agencies: Pennsylvania State Team for Mathematics and Science Education and Pennsylvania Intermediate Units

Dates: 2002 - 2004

Description: IMAGES (Improving Measurement and Geometry in Elementary Schools) is a print, Web-based, and professional development program designed to provide content and resources to help K-8 teachers develop a deeper understanding of geometry and measurement concepts, and to assist in designing meaningful instruction for K-8 students. RBS has provided three-day summer institutes based on the IMAGES materials at locations throughout the state.

IMAGES' target audience is classroom teachers who want to deepen their content knowledge and plan appropriate lessons in geometry and measurement. It is also a resource for school administrators conducting professional development, other leaders within a school, and mathematics specialists and coordinators. Specifically, RBS:

In addition to the IMAGES Summer Institutes, professional development workshops - varying in length from two hours to 30 hours - have been conducted for more than 2,000 educators. These workshops have been conducted by a number of instructors who have received primary or secondary training on the IMAGES program. RBS has supported all of these workshops.

Outcomes: The IMAGES program includes a 270-page resource book presenting cognitive and developmental issues, instructional and assessment strategies, activities and lesson plans, print and non-print resources, manipulative materials, and technology resources for elementary (K-8) teachers of mathematics. There is also a 256-page training manual, which provides a program of professional development to accompany the IMAGES publication. It is intended for use with elementary (K-8) teachers, and provides a sample agenda with detailed hands-on presentation plans for the five strands of measurement and geometry included in the program. Finally, a Web site presents the materials found in the IMAGES publication, and provides online links to related Web sites and resources.

The IMAGES Institutes measured change in teachers' content knowledge by administering pre- and post-tests at each of the eight IMAGES institutes conducted since the summer of 2002. The pre-tests from each of these institutes indicated that teachers had lacked understanding in many basic geometry and measurement concepts. In the post-tests teachers showed statistically significant growth in their knowledge of these concepts.

Furthermore, after engaging in the IMAGES professional development training, participants reported the following impacts:

Finally, in a testimonial, one elementary principal wrote that, "All three of my fifth grade teachers attended IMAGES last summer. . . . I was thrilled that my 5th grade PSSA math scores continued to rise this year. . . . I couldn't help but note that my building was the only elementary building in our district with scores well above the state average in measurement and geometry. Proof to me that the IMAGES workshop we attended was well worth the time."

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