Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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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 The effects of performance assessments on student success and science perception in a middle school classroom(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Donohue, Adelle Hanson; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: C. John GravesAuthentic assessment strategies are a key component to implementing the Next Generation Science Standards with fidelity. Through the use of performance assessments, this action research project aimed to increase student confidence on authentic assessments, support content knowledge retention, and encourage students to understand science as a process instead of a product. Through the course of two instructional units, students were administered performance assessments in place of traditional tests. Instructional scaffolding was provided throughout the study, starting with a high level of support and instruction on performance assessments and incrementally moving toward independence. Performance assessments were scored with a rubric and students were given three surveys to assess confidence levels and perception of science. Two interview sessions were conducted to further support the research. Traditional multiple-choice tests were administered in tandem with the performance assessments to gauge content knowledge retention. The data suggests that performance assessments played a valuable role in shifting student perception of science from product to process and student confidence in the assessments increased throughout the study. Student feedback indicated that students valued the experience and appreciated the opportunity to be assessed through application of their science knowledge to real-world scenarios.Item Evaluating assessment tools for learning in a high school AP physics classroom(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Cohen, Annelisa Marie; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: C. John GravesThis research studies if the effect of two different assessment strategies, (1) Documented Problem Solutions and (2) Performance-Based Assessment, on physics exams. This study takes place in a High School AP Physics course that utilizes AP Classroom by College Board online as the source of the examination utilized to measure student outcomes.Item The effect of standards based grading on the developing growth mindset in a high school physics classroom(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2021) Davis, Sarah Elizabeth; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisThis Action Research project investigated the impact of standards-based grading (SBG) on developing a growth mindset for students in a high school physics classroom. Originally termed by Carol Dweck, those with a growth mindset have the innate ability to constantly improve through effort and a willingness to take on challenges. Having this type of mindset should set students up for success regardless of their future profession. However, many students do not possess this mindset. Often students avoid challenges and seek the easiest path towards the highest grade possible, even if this path results in little to no lasting understanding. It is difficult to foster a growth mindset in a classroom using a traditional grading system because students quickly adapt to game the system and receive the best grade possible with the least amount of effort. Instead, the SBG system focuses on understanding and streamlines the gradebook to only reflect student mastery of the content. To succeed in this grading system, students must work on skills such as seeking out feedback and being aware of their own academic misconceptions. At the conclusion of the research process, students became more receptive to feedback and improved their perception of making mistakes. Students reported that SBG gave a better picture of their understanding compared to a traditional gradebook. They also noted that the frequent assessments associated with SBG helped them become more aware of their understanding. Finally, students saw a substantial decrease in test anxiety as their final letter grade was strongly deemphasized and as they gained a better awareness of what their grade truly represented.Item College choice and competency-based education learner motivations(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2018) Morrison, Cali Marie Koerner; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Carrie B. MyersRecently there has been a resurgence of interest in competency-based education, a learning modality which is mastery-based, self-paced and focused on demonstrations of knowledge and skill rather than where or how they were attained (C-BEN, 2016; Cuckler, 2016; Tate & Klein-Collins, 2015; U.S. Department of Education, 2002). The face of higher education is changing, according to NCES (2015), 75% of students enrolled in college have one or more nontraditional characteristics. Recent studies suggest that competency-based education enrollees may fall under the larger non-traditional student population; (Kelchen, 2015; Kelchen, 2016; Kelly & Columbus, 2016). The purpose of this study was to investigate the learners' characteristics, college choice process, and learners' satisfaction with their decision to enroll in competency-based education. This multi-institutional study employed descriptive statistics, correlational research design utilizing ordinary least squares regression analyses, and quantitative content analysis. This study found the typical competency-based education learner is a nearly 39-year-old, married (66.2%), white (84.4%), Non-Hispanic (89.6%) female (70.2%) who has been out of high school for just over 20 years. She lives in a different location than her current institution (68.5%) and has studied at a prior college (95.7%), including study in her current discipline (61%). She is slightly less likely to be a first-generation student (51.2%) than she is to be the first in her family to go to college. She is also more likely to be eligible for a Pell Grant (48.8%) than not. She is employed full time (71.4%), works an average of 38 hours a week and has worked for nearly 10 years (M=9.63, SD=9.28) in her field of study. 88.1% of these learners were very or extremely satisfied with their decision to enroll in competency-based education. The modality, learning goals, and social goals enrollment motivators significantly, positively influenced learners' satisfaction with their decision to enroll. Common themes emerged in the choice process including affordability, career advancement, learning goals, and learning modality. I conclude that each learners' path to CBE is their own and higher education institutions need to place greater emphasis on this learning pathway's knowledge building capabilities rather than solely it's perceived vocational focus.Item Intrinsically intertwined: student perspectives of successes and challenges in a competency-based public high school(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2016) Sullivan, Susan Cater; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jayne DowneyA shift in education paradigms has begun to take hold in the American public school system. Increasingly states are awarding waivers allowing schools and districts to move away from the traditional Carnegie time-based approach to teaching and learning (Worthen and Pace, 2014). One innovative effort toward school reform that has shown demonstrable increases in student success is competency-based education (Haystead, 2010). This education model offers self-paced, standards-based curriculum that requires students to demonstrate proficiency in content before advancing (Borre, 2012; Worthen and Pace, 2014). Extant school reform literature focuses primarily on adult perspectives; however, in order for lasting school reform efforts to succeed, the inclusion of student perspectives is critical (Silva, White, and Toch, 2015). This intrinsic case study was conducted at a public competency-based high school to investigate youth perspectives of components that contribute to student success and to identify components that could be improved to support student success. Youth participants in this study consist of students enrolled in a high school that was included in a whole-district adoption of competency-based education, reaching full implementation in 2012 (Sommers, 2015). The study asked students, from their perspectives, to identify: 1) which components of competency-based education support student success, 2) how those identified components support student success, 3) which element of competency-based education could be improved in order to increase student success, and 4) how improving those components would contribute to an increase in student success. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with ten youth, and two administrators. Additional data was collected through researcher-generated field notes and relevant artifacts. Results indicate two distinct categories contributing to student success: 1) School-Level and 2) Student-Level. Results indicate three categories youth participants identified as needing improvement to support student success: 1) Increased Learning Facilitator access, 2) Technology, and 3) Advisory Period. Multiple components are discussed for each category. Suggestions for further research are included.Item A model for the development of a competency-based education program in the Bozeman public schools(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1976) Gilbertson, Donald WayneItem The creation of a competency-based instructional program for teachers of elementary mathematics(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1976) Lincoln, William ThomasItem Student engagement, academic optimism, and leadership : a case study of performance-based schools(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2014) Ruyle, Michael Alan; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: David Henderson; Arthur W. Bangert (co-chair)The performance-based model of education has been proven successful in a number of schools across the United States and the world. The majority of the students and teachers who are currently operating in innovative performance-based programs have been exposed to the traditional model of education for the bulk of their educational lives, and are in a unique position to judge the efficacy of the system. In an earlier pilot study, there was a significant difference in the perspective of the students and teachers in favor of the performance-based system, which could eventually lead to the adoption of the model on a larger scale in future years. The purpose of this embedded, multiple-case study was to analyze how students and teachers operating in two educational programs that had implemented the performance-based model perceived their own levels of engagement and optimism, and how the teachers judged the leadership that helped put the system in place. The case is bound by the system of performance-based education, bound by place in terms of one school in California and one in Montana, and bound by time in that the analysis of the participant data is from the early months of 2014. This research was framed by the following central question: How do teachers and students who operate in a performance-based educational system describe academic optimism, student engagement, and transformational leadership behaviors of their principals? Three primary sources of data were used: individual interviews, student and teacher surveys, and achievement documentation. Analysis and triangulation of the data identified key issues and painted a rich picture of academic success in this innovative model.Item An investigation of interrelationships among mastery learning, climate, and expectancy motivation(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1988) Olson, Anne Kruse