June 16, 2022
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Dr. Ming Li, Dean of the College of Education and Human Development, received a $1.68 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to expand “The PREP Project: A Pilot Program to Improve Elementary Math Achievement via Job-Embedded and Sustained Professional Development in Battle Creek Public Schools (BCPS).” The pilot was initially implemented in the 2019-2020 school year in first grade at LaMora Park Elementary and third grade at Ann J. Kellogg Elementary with the goal of improving student math achievement, and will now be expanded to include first and second grade at LaMora Park and third, fourth, and fifth grades at Ann J. Kellogg for the next three school years (through 2024-2025).
The philosophy of the PREP project stems from the Shanghai Methods of teaching mathematics. In Asia, math is considered to be the foundation of all disciplines and special focus is given to mastering mathematical concepts. The PREP project brings this approach to BCPS teachers by providing job-embedded and sustained in-service professional development through demonstrating actual teaching in the classrooms, and developing and disseminating detailed lesson plans and curricular materials and resources.
PREP stands for Preparation, Response, Engagement and Practice. Each principle is carried out by two strategies with the ultimate goal of providing a strong base in mathematics. Preparation is achieved through scaffolding learning materials and employing effective teaching strategies; response is achieved through providing focused interventions and enhancing student motivation; engagement is achieved through students verbalizing their mathematical thinking and participating in cooperative learning; and practice is achieved through emphasizing mastery learning and achieving high level of proficiency through practice.
Yvonne Zhang, a first-grade teacher at LaMora Park, explained more about how the background philosophy of practice is applied at her school: “Xunzi, a Chinese philosopher of Confucianism, emphasized the importance of active involvement and practice for students as they construct their own meaning in learning: I hear and I forget; I see and I remember; I do and I understand. Thus, we use a combination of traditional and more innovative approaches (math games, math song and videos, experiential learning, etc.) to help students develop number sense and learn to love math via practice.”
Despite the additional challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, students in the pilot program showed promising growth on their 2020-2021 MAP tests. The third graders at Ann J. Kellogg had the largest gains, on average, between the Fall and Winter assessments in the 2019-2020 school year among all the elementary schools in the districts and the highest percentage of students meeting the expected amount of growth in the district. Compared to the year before, prior to the implementation of the PREP program, the percentage of students meeting the expected amount of growth increased by 17.2%.
“We are proud to support the expansion of this innovative pilot program that has an impressive track record of improving the math scores of elementary students at Battle Creek Public Schools,” said Megan Russell Johnson, program officer at W.K. Kellogg Foundation. “At the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, we support the health, well-being and success of children. This is especially important to us in our hometown of Battle Creek.”
"Our partnership with WMU on the PREP project has provided us with significant insight on how to leverage the strategies associated with effective math instruction to raise student achievement. Through Preparation, Response, Engagement and Practice many of our students are reaching new levels of success," said BCPS Superintendent Kimberly Carter.
Dr. Li is excited to see the project expand so that more BCPS students can participate in the PREP program and improve their mathematics skills.