Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733
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Item New standard of education: implementing a proficiency-based education model in a Montana elementary school district(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2024) Walker, Melissa Elizabeth; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Christine Rogers StantonIn Montana, recent state-level educational legislation has been written to mandate that school districts adopt proficiency-based models of instruction and assessment. The intent of proficiency-based education is to provide students with rigorous and engaging learning opportunities, provide students with the individualized support needed to become proficient on grade-level standards, and ultimately prepare them for college, career, and civic life (Great Schools Partnership, 2018). Key characteristics of this model examined in this study include curricular resources aligned to standards, formative and summative assessments to guide instruction, varied instructional paces, providing students multiple opportunities to demonstrate proficiency, and embedding student self-assessment (Great Schools Partnership, 2018). The purpose of this research is to understand and explore Belgrade School District's implementation of proficiency-based education (PBE) structures within its elementary schools and develop a strategic action plan based on emergent facilitators and barriers. An intrinsic case study was conducted, and data was collected through semi-structured interviews with teacher and administrator participants. Structural coding was applied, and thematic analysis was conducted to identify facilitators and barriers to each criterion of PBE in Belgrade. The following themes emerged from participant responses: "time," "pockets," and "putting the cart before the horse." Each of these themes contains more specific barriers, such as lacking professional development, insufficient accountability from administrators, inadequate Tier 1 instruction, gaps in understanding of the rationale for PBE, and varied teacher buy-in, which participants feel contribute to a noncomprehensive implementation of proficiency-based education in the elementary district. An action plan was developed for the district based on these barriers, which can be adapted to fit schools in similar contexts that are facing similar legislative pressure. In addition to meeting accreditation requirements, adopting a PBE model has the potential to affect student achievement and educational experience due to its emphasis on equity (Levine & Patrick, 2018).Item Exploring the impact of standards-based learning on lesson planning in an undergraduate math methods course(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2022) Day, Corinne Thatcher; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Fenqjen LuoThe study examines the performance of pre-service K-8 mathematics teachers on lesson planning assignments using the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE) 2017 Standards for Preparing Teachers of Mathematics as a reference for evaluation. In addition to contributing to the literature on pre-service mathematics teachers' pedagogical content knowledge, the study aims to evaluate the impact of standards-based learning (SBL) on student growth in a higher education setting, where SBL has not been widely implemented or studied. A case study research design is utilized to identify strengths and weaknesses in planning for mathematics instruction in a cohort of 21 PSTs enrolled in a math methods course at a small public university, with comparisons made between first and final drafts of two lesson-planning assignments on which PSTs received extensive instructor feedback. Interviews were also conducted with four participants who student taught during the subsequent semester. Findings indicated growth in performance between drafts of the lesson-planning assignments in terms of designing student-centered math lessons but also revealed gaps in PSTs' mathematical content knowledge. Specifically, most PSTs lacked an ability to link procedures to their underlying concepts, resulting in less than proficient performance on mathematics lesson planning. Contributions of the study include the development of an AMTE-aligned tiered rubric for evaluating both PST and mathematics teacher educator (MTE) performance in mathematics instruction and for potential use in framing and evaluating Standards-based practicum experiences in mathematics teacher preparation.Item The effects of high-stakes ATI remediation and testing practices including the ATI content mastery series and ATI PN comprehensive predictor(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2021) Hunter, Elaine Hernandez; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Tricia SeifertThe purpose of this retrospective, descriptive study was to determine if any differences existed in students' test scores on the Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) PB tests: Fundamentals, Pharmacology, Medical Surgical and the Comprehensive Predictor before and after implementing a high-stakes remediation and testing policy. The ATI computer-based standardized tests are widely used in nursing programs as a program assessment tool. Also, ATI tests provide correlational evidence of first-time NCLEX-RN passage. The ATI Remediation and tests are commonly added to nursing programs progression plans. In recent years nursing programs have applied high-stakes ATI Remediation to the ATI tests in response to the high-stakes quality of NCLEX-RN. In this study the high-stakes ATI tests were administered to associate of science nursing students in their first year of their two year program. The site where the study took place was at a small university located in the Rocky Mountain Region of the US. Group comparisons between those who had a pre-policy of no high-stakes ATI Remediation and testing practices and a post-policy with high-stakes ATI Remediation and testing practices. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis were used to detect difference in test scores between the two groups. Statistically significant differences were found between groups of test takers on the ATI PN Fundamentals and Comprehensive Predictor tests with the post-policy group scoring higher. An explanation of these findings indicate test scores increase with the use of high-stakes ATI Remediation and testing practices. The findings from these tests can assist nurse educators in placing a clearly defined, appropriate high-stakes ATI Remediation and testing into the progression plan.Item Suggested standards for the mechanical drawing phase of the industrial arts general shop programs in Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1958) McDonald, Robert G.Item Instructional problems revealed through use of standardized tests administered to students in sub-college algebra at Montana State College(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1958) Terwilliger, Homer LewisItem Student teaching : opportunities for observing, experimenting with, and implementing assessment practices recommended by the NCTM Standards documents(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1995) Buhl, David Alan; Co-chairs, Graduate Committee: William D. Hall and Glenn D. Allinger.Item National subject-matter content standards Montana school board trustees perceive as definitely necessary for all Montana students to master prior to high school graduation(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2002) Smith, Michael MerleItem Two elementary student teachers' understanding of mathematical power and related pedagogy(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1995) Phillips, Susan J. Adams