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 Barriers and best practices: teaching students with learning and cognitive disabilities in the general education science classroom(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2023) Roll, Kari Elizabeth Hovden; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: C. John GravesInclusive education, where students with and without disabilities learn together in one space, has been a hallmark of U.S. education for several decades. Yet, students with disabilities are not achieving at the same level as their peers and teachers report feeling ill-equipped to teach a variety of learners. The purpose of this study was to determine the current best practices for teaching science to students with learning and cognitive disabilities in the general education science classroom, and to understand what is preventing teachers from meeting the learning needs of these students. First, surveys were collected from students and teachers addressing what strategies each group felt helped students with disabilities learn. Then, individual students and teachers were interviewed to gather a deeper understanding of what methods helped learning and discussed what they felt prevented teachers from helping their students with learning disabilities. From the data gathered, it became clear that individualized and small group focused strategies were seen as the most successful by staff and students. While barriers preventing teachers from meeting the needs of their disabled students mainly stemmed from issues outside of the teacher's control: (i.e., class sizes, testing requirements, mental health concerns, and curriculum rigidity), to make education equitable for our students with learning disabilities, professionals beyond the classroom need to make accessible science education a priority.Item The noncognitive questionnaire : an instrument to discriminate between successful and unsuccessful EOP students?(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1997) Boham, Russell VeloItem Equalization of school funding in Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1996) Gilboy, John Joseph; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Douglas J. Young.In 1988 the First Judicial Court of Lewis and Clark County ruled that because of disparities in spending among districts and a heavy reliance on local property taxes, the school funding system in Montana did not provide an equal opportunity for education. The Montana State Legislature responded by passing House Bills 28 and 667 in attempts to reduce the reliance on local property taxes and to bring the expenditures among districts closer together. This thesis examines school budgets for a representative sample of 301 elementary districts and 118 high school districts for fiscal years 1989, 1991 and 1995. Districts are ranked by their general fund budget per pupil in each year. High spending districts (95th percentile) are then compared to low spending districts (5th percentile). The results indicate that spending disparities have diminished among both elementary and high school districts, and among most size groups as well. High spending districts, however, still commonly spend twice as much as low spending districts, far exceeding the 1.25 ratio which is the target of both federal regulations and the state's own program. Changes in state policy over this period first reduced and then increased district dependence on local property tax levies. When HB 28 was first implemented, the state picked up a larger share of budgets in most districts. Although much of the state's contribution was itself financed by property taxes, districts did not need to rely so much on their local levies. Between 1991 and 1995, however, state funding failed to keep pace with inflation and enrollment growth. The state also changed the rules governing district finances so that voter approval is often necessary. The result of these policies has been a growing reliance since 1991 on local mill levies, 'and increasing numbers of public votes on budget issues. These trends may run counter to the goal of equalization, while restraining overall spending.