The Mathematics Allied Delmarva Enhancement Program for Teachers (Math ADEPT) is a unified program of interconnected graduate courses in mathematics developed to meet the content and pedagogical needs of inservice middle school teachers across Delmarva (MD, DE, VA), and designed to be expandable and adaptable for national impact.

Teachers participating in ADEPT will acquire a deep, conceptual understanding of the mathematics content of standards-based middle school curriculum within a classroom environment which embraces discovery-based learning within small classes. ADEPT will also promote a pedagogically sound transfer of participants' content mastery into their middle school classrooms and will enhance teachers' mathematical confidence and attitudes. ADEPT participants will create, implement, modify, and improve lesson plans under faculty and mathematics supervisor guidance.

ADEPT's six courses will be collaboratively designed in partnership with math supervisors and teachers from local schools. National and tri-state middle school curricula will serve as key resources. Design of ADEPT courses will incorporate thematic intersections in content, a framework of mathematical modeling, and a common core of pedagogical experiences.

Multi-stage course development and coordination will take place over an extended period. Program assessment, coordinated with school systems, will be linked to learning outcomes of middle school students. Formative assessment will foster ongoing revision. ADEPT's teacher participants will be offered a flexible schedule of course offerings and will receive incentives which promote their professional development. Dissemination [includes] a web site, research and publication, and a national, weeklong workshop for teams of faculty/school system personnel.   (Return to Main page)