PHILADELPHIA -- Students at West Philadelphia's Sayre High School who are taking a class on medical intake procedures have been working alongside University of Pennsylvania nurse practitioner students and nursing faculty to learn accurate growth assessment.

Together, they have been assessing the height and weight of elementary school-aged children in the Beacon after-school program at Sayre.

Nursing Professor Terri Lipman has been supervising this partnership project, funded through the Penn Center for Community Partnerships.

Lipman's research involves 900 children in eight U.S. cities.

"Prior to this project, we found that two out of three children were measured inaccurately in primary-care practices," Lipman said.  "This could lead to the delayed diagnosis of a growth disorder."

Growth data from the children assessed by the Penn Nursing and Sayre school partnership will be analyzed and submitted for presentation at a national nursing conference.

The final phases of data collection by  nursing and high school students measuring local elementary school children will be from 4 to 6 p.m., April 4,  at Sayre High School at 59th and Walnut streets.