One of the features that each ADEPT course possesses is the assignment of Modified Lesson Plans (MLPs). In the proposal for this grant, the PIs proposed that

"each course will include assignments which involve having Math ADEPT participants creating lesson plans, trying lesson plans out in their schools (collaboratively when possible) and providing oral and written reports on the results. Participants will then work collaboratively to compare their varied classroom experiences in their own schools and will revise their original implementations plans as necessary. Assignments will also make use of the web by ADEPT participants as a source for potential classroom materials, albeit potential materials which need to be carefully evaluated for mathematical, pedagogical, curricular, and classroom-specific appropriateness and accuracy."

Thus, all eight ADEPT courses incorporate this assignment into their syllabi: MLPs are a course requirement for each ADEPT course. Many instructors have the teacher participants taking their ADEPT class modify lesson plans they have already taught. Other instructors have them create new lesson plans, teach them, and then modify. This may be necessary if someone taking an ADEPT class is a new teacher, who has not already taught a particular lesson.

In addition, some teachers are not always able to try out the "new and improved" lesson while taking their ADEPT class, since a given school teacher might be taking an ADEPT Geometry class, for example, but may not be teaching a geometry class in their school that year. Since the ADEPT courses are pedagogy-infused, but nevertheless are mathematics content courses, the teachers are given support for picking or creating their 'old' lesson but the manner is left up to them. The teachers' job, then -- with the support of their ADEPT instructor and input from fellow teachers taking the class -- is to create a new, improved lesson plan.

Some ADEPT instructors have the participants work on the modified lesson plan assignment in groups in class. Other instructors may have the assignment worked on mostly or entirely outside of class, although ADEPT has web-based discussion boards available for outside of class teacher-to-teacher collaboration, and some instructors have the teachers fill out a contact information sheet the first day, so teachers in an ADEPT class have each other's home telephone numbers and emails as another way to work together outside of class.

Some instructors get the teachers ready for their MLP assignments by breaking up the assignment into several stages, with several deadlines, and also incorporating in-class, one-on-one consultations (perhaps 5 minutes long) with each teacher. The Teaching Assistants (see below) can facilitate this by helping oversee groupwork for the whole class while these one-on-one consultations between teachers and ADEPT instructor take place.

A sample schedule for a MLP assignment in a 15 week semester class, broken up into smaller steps, and which incorporates one-on-one consultations with the instructor, looks like this:

• One-on-one consultations are available before the selection of a
  Topic (e.g., "solving two-step algebraic equations") by each teacher is due.
  
  

  Week 5: Each teacher-participant's Topic is due

  One-on-one consultations (in-class, while TA facilitates groupwork)

  Teachers are encouraged to collaborate outside of class, within schools or via email/web-board.

  Teachers are generally encouraged to share ideas via email or web-board.

  Week 9: A formal, "Structured Outline" is due:

  • Top of outline: Teacher's name, grade level, and which class (e.g. Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Accelerated Geometry, etc) and the lesson's general topic.
  • Outline's left column is "sub-topic" ; middle column is "Old" and right column is "New". One row per sub-topic or concept within the lesson plan.

  Additional 1-5 minute, one-on-one conferrals take place in class.

  Week 13: Final MLPs, in binders, are due.

  Weeks 14/15: Teacher in class oral presentations about their Modified Lesson Plans.

Most instructors use a rubric (see sample in Appendix A) for evaluating the assignment and for guiding the participants in carrying out this assignment. MLPs are seen as a vehicle for transfer of learnings from the ADEPT courses directly into the middle-school classrooms, and it is believed that over time, such professional development activities for teachers participating in ADEPT will effect systemic change in K-12 mathematics instruction in our region.

Grants supporting ADEPT have included funding for Teaching Assistants, who assist ADEPT faculty in the instruction of ADEPT courses. The key roles and functions of ADEPT TAs can broadly be put into three categories:

• Assisting during class
• Linking faculty to day-to-day K-12 realities
• Helping build up a network of Mentor Teachers

Assisting during class. The first of these roles is the most direct and obvious. ADEPT courses are, by their nature, intensive and very hands-on. Since the maximum allowed class size in ADEPT classes is 20, an ADEPT faculty instructor working with a properly prepared TA implies an upper limit of a 10 to 1 student-to-instructor ratio in ADEPT classes, and the ratio is usually less than 10 to 1, with typical ADEPT classes ranging from 8 to 16 enrolled teachers. The relatively low student to instructor ratio thus allows for much more personal attention to teachers during class problem-solving, groupwork, Q/A, and classroom discussions.

Common duties for TAs include first and foremost, walking from group to group, or from individual to individual, during in-class problem-solving, which typically the ADEPT faculty instructor is doing at the same time. If there are 2 to 4 groups of 4, therefore, the instructor and TA can circulate to each group several times, and instructional support can be given in depth and at length if necessary. Typically this is more often done through by questions and challenging the teacher participants to introspect on their work, and short direct answers are given only as necessary. Longer summaries at the board providing "closure" may then be given by the ADEPT instructor at the conclusion of the activity.

TAs can also handle groupwork "solo" while the ADEPT instructor has one-on-one conferences with the teachers in the class. Additionally, the Teaching Assistants, particularly if they are teachers who have completed MLPs themselves in the past, can share their insights with the teachers in the class as to the nature of the process. Among other ways of helping in class, TAs can bring in their perspectives from their own teaching experiences into classroom discussions. Some instructors allow their ADEPT TAs to provide comments (but not necessarily grades) on some written assignments before the ADEPT instructor reviews the assignment and provides more feedback to the teachers. Finally, less glamorous, but helpful work such as running off to make extra copies during class, or making copies of materials a teacher taking an ADEPT class wishes to share with others, organizing and handing out the sometimes very numerous handouts for the day, are some other ways TAs help make the running of ADEPT classes go more smoothly.

Linking faculty to day-to-day K-12 realities. The second role is for the TA to act as a link between university faculty and public schools. Since faculty in Mathematics Departments, even those involved in teacher education, do not get a chance to spend as much time as, say, faculty in Education Departments, inside K-12 schools, the consultations before or after class which ADEPT instructors have with their TAs (which can be relatively brief yet constructive, or may become longer conversations) provide the university faculty instructor with a "ground level, first-hand" perspective into the schools and the realities teachers face.

Certainly, even in our content courses, ADEPT instructors allow for, and indeed encourage, whole class discussions in which they can hear directly from the teachers in their classes, about these day to day realities, e.g. how No Child Left Behind (NCLB) affects instruction in their schools and counties. Still, having an experienced K-12 teacher as TA can provide an ADEPT instructor with an even deeper level of contact with the schools which, supplemented by that instructor's visiting a school as time permits, helps make the ADEPT courses more solidly "reality based" than they might otherwise have been.

From time to time, TAs who have a strong mathematics background but who are not K-12 teachers have been used. For example, a contractual physics professor, or a recent graduate who has a math major or who may be in the high school track of the Masters of Science in Mathematics Education program (for whose middle school track the ADEPT courses were designed) may be selected as TA. Such a TA choice has the advantage of having a TA with a particularly strong mathematical background assist during problem solving in class, versus not having a TA who is herself/himself directly teaching in the schools. In such cases the ADEPT instructor relies more heavily on the abovementioned direct feedback from teachers in the class.

Helping build up a network of Mentor Teachers.

A less direct, but nonetheless very real benefit is the building (over time) of an informal network of mentor teachers in the schools served by ADEPT. On some level, every teacher who has participated in the ADEPT program, particularly those who have taken several courses, becomes an informal resource to his/her fellow teachers. Such a teacher, particularly if the teacher was very proactive during the class, is sometimes asked by ADEPT instructors to help with dissemination and outreach into the schools.

When a K-12 teacher has spent a semester acting as an ADEPT Teaching Assistant, that teacher is even more helpful in dissemination and outreach. Such a teacher becomes a valuable resource person for fellow teachers in their home school, one who is knowledgeable about, and experienced in, the ADEPT Program. This former TA tends to be a person who is motivated, well-connected (often a veteran teacher), and very helpful in outreach and dissemination of information about future course offerings, summer institutes, etc.

We have discovered there is a trade-off between having a variety of TAs, thus increasing the total number of teachers in the region who have TA experience under their belt, on the one hand, and "sticking with what works" by re-hiring past TAs known for their excellence. Here like in so many other areas, each university implementing an ADEPT-type program will have to judge for itself how to handle such issues and tradeoffs; this Guide attempts to highlight the existence of such issues and share our experiences in the ADEPT program.

Not to be overlooked is that in addition to benefitting the ADEPT program through publicity and outreach (and thus benefiting the teachers drawn to ADEPT through such outreach), the Teaching Assistantships provide for the TAs themselves excellent, content-based, pedagogy-informed, professional development which is very meaningful and relevant to their jobs as teachers.

Built for each ADEPT course is a Curriculum Resource Binder (CRB). These CRBs contain some of the curricular material, mathematics content, pedagogical tips, resources (e.g. websites) and other key highlights from their respective ADEPT courses. Also included are selected readings, and as well as notes from the given ADEPT instructor about the ideas behind some of the included activities, the intent behind them, as well as how they might be used in the classroom, suitably modified for an appropriate grade level. The comments from the ADEPT instructor serve as a sort of "Guide for the teacher" on some of the enclosed curricular materials. A CRB may also include sample and noteworthy work from teachers who have completed that ADEPT course.

The idea is to have the CRBs sent into the schools, and given to each teacher who has taken the ADEPT class when resources allow (NSF) or else to send a certain number of CRBs per participating county (MHEC). The CRBs from the two MHEC sponsored ADEPT courses have already been distributed, and versions of the CRBs are being completed for the other six ADEPT courses. In addition, portions of the CRBs will be placed online for easy access.

The purposes of the CRBs are several, including to serve as a refresher and reference for teachers who had taken the given ADEPT course, to be useful, at least partially, to teachers who have not, and to serve as an enticements for teachers in the schools who have not taken that ADEPT course, to consider taking it to get the full scoop. The fundamental intent is to make sure that the effects of the ADEPT courses do not stay within the "ivory tower" but instead make an impact, right at the "ground level" -- right in the schools themselves.

A balancing act we are grappling with is what and how much to include in the CRBs. Some activities or even readings may fall under the "you had to be there" category where comments directly from the instructor and/or whole class discussions are critical, for example. In addition, if one puts (or tried to put) "The entire course" into a CRB, that might serve as a disincentive for actually enrolling in that ADEPT course and gaining a deeper kind of professional growth. Still, one generally wants to give teachers as much content and curricular support as possible. This balancing act, like most aspects of a program like ADEPT, is more of an art than a science, and teacher educators involved in creating or maintaining such programs elsewhere will need to keep this aspect of the balancing "mobile" in mind.

Of course, teachers who have taken an ADEPT course already have their MLPs and Course Portfolios or journals which they bring back to their schools with them. The CRBs add another dimension, and help create an even stronger sense of curricular and professional development connection or "glue" between the time a teacher enrolls in one ADEPT class and the next, or between the time he or she takes an ADEPT class on a given topic (e.g. Data Analysis) and the time he or she next teaches a related K-12 class.

Because Salisbury University had in place eight content courses in mathematics that had been developed with the funding from NSF and MHEC grants, it was positioned to apply for state approval on a graduate program for teachers, a program that was content-based and had pedagogy infused in the mathematics courses. The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) approved an M.S. degree in mathematics education. The mathematics content courses of the MSME's middle school track was based upon the eight ADEPT courses. The two more mathematically advanced MHEC courses were also usable as entry level courses in the high school track of the MSME for teachers whose background made such courses appropriate.

The MSME program consists of four required courses in mathematics, four required courses in education; two elective courses (math or education or science) and a capstone course (33-semester hours). For teachers of mathematics, this program is an attractive alternative to the traditional M.Ed. program that often contains little or no mathematics content.

Teachers who have completed at least four of the eight courses receive a Certificate in Middle school mathematics (CMSM). This certificate is not a teaching certificate; it is merely a diploma certifying that the teachers have studied in depth topics that pertain to middle-school mathematics and have enhanced their backgrounds in both in both mathematics content knowledge and pedagogy. Some school districts are already giving some recognition to the teachers who have earned this certificate. The certificate seems to be particularly helpful for a teacher who wants to move from the primary grades to the middle school grades (See Appendix A for a copy of the application ADEPT sent to MHEC requesting that SU be able to offer the CMSM).

There are on-going challenges to having such a program. We need to recruit teachers to take the courses in that we can never be certain that the information we supply concerning the courses reaches the teachers. In addition, the region ADEPT serves is a rural, spread out, and generally low-income area.

As the grant nears its completion, there is the question of tuition. Some counties have unlimited reimbursement for tuition, whereas most counties have limited reimbursement for tuition. In either case, teachers must pay for the courses up front and be reimbursed for the courses upon completion. For many teachers, this poses a hardship. Also, during the course of the grant, there was money in the grant for stipends for teaching assistants. When the grant ends, there will be a challenge to find money for teaching assistants to help with the instructional aspects of the courses.

One can understand that classes taught for in-service teachers are different from traditional graduate mathematics courses in many ways. We think of the courses as courses "offered for graduate credit" for teachers. Thus, the background of the class participants vary in many ways: mathematics background, grade level of teaching, level of motivation, and goals for taking the course. Some are taking the course for certificate renewal, some for the master's program, some for advancement in pay, and some for intellectual stimulation. We have had several teachers who have taught for thirty years or more take the classes just for acquisition of mathematics content knowledge. Though they are nearing retirement they wanted this educational experience.

The main requirement for enrolling in the courses is to be teaching mathematics in a public school in the participating courses in the Collaboration. There have been some teachers (special education) who are not mathematics teachers, but have taken the classes because these teachers assist students with their mathematics lessons and want to become more proficient in the mathematical content of the curricula being taught.

In general, there is a tradeoff and balancing act for people running a program such as ADEPT. One needs to balance a general aim of maximizing the inclusiveness of who is admitted into the courses (or the MSME or similar program) on the one hand, with the need to have some focus area (e.g. middle school) and the need for some "ground floor" minimum, common level of mathematics background. This is one of many ways in which creating and running a graduate professional program for teachers is a balancing act, and each group of professionals wishing to direct such a program needs to be sensitive to the characteristics and needs of the K-12 school systems they aim to serve.

A mathematics professional program like Math ADEPT needs to maintain a sufficient number of personnel involved in the myriad of activities that sustain such an endeavor. One of the key tasks, beyond the development of the initial partnership and the development of the courses themselves, is the need to maintain continual contact with the school systems through ongoing outreach.

ADEPT's outreach efforts include:

• Utilizing the mathematics supervisors in the LEAs (Local Education Agencies) as resources
• A Salisbury University faculty member serving as Outreach Coordinator and making several presentations inside schools each year.

• SU faculty member (Earl Quillen) and DE veteran teacher serving as DE "contact person"

• Faculty Outreach: An ADEPT course taught on-site in VA

• An email list of supervisors and other personnel
• A database of emails of teachers who have taken one of more ADEPT classes, or whose contact information was in some other way made available to the program
• Telephone contact (and in-person meetings when possible) is made from time to time with the supervisors

The mixture of teacher backgrounds in the classes has been found by most ADEPT instructors not to be a hindrance to the success of the course in terms of accomplishing the courses' objectives. It does mean that the courses cannot be taught in a traditional way. Courses are taught using groupwork, class discussions, hands-on activities, interactive activities, and explorations. The courses have not included traditional tests, with assessment coming from Course Portfolios, class Journals, the MLP assignment, oral presentations, attendance and participation. An ADEPT instructor must make a deliberate effort to cultivate a non-threatening class environment so that the participants will not be ill at ease. Course evaluations and feed-back from teachers indicate that this aspect of the program is going well.

The grant paid all the tuition for the courses for the participants, including out-of-state tuition. Rewards, in the form of several "gifts," were also offered to teachers upon completion of the Certificate in Middle-School Mathematics. The gift package for completing the CMSM consists of a a membership in NCTM, which includes a one-year subscription to Mathematics Teaching in the Middle Schools, an NCTM Standards 2000 book, and a $100 cash award. In addition, a letter of recognition is sent to the teacher and supervisors congratulating the teachers on their achievement.

The rewards for SU faculty have been both extrinsic and intrinsic. Of course, the grant paid the faculty for developing the courses, and the tuition generated from the grant paid the faculty for teaching the courses, and provided the University itself with revenue. However the greater rewards for faculty have been the feelings of a sense of accomplishment and the belief that this program is making a difference in middle-school instruction. One veteran SU faculty member stated that this was perhaps the "most fulfilling experience of his entire career."