Graduate Program

Curriculum and Instruction

Degree Name

Master of Science in Education (MSEd)

Semester of Degree Completion

Summer 2025

Thesis Director

Sham'ah Md-Yunus

Thesis Committee Member

David E. Bartz

Thesis Committee Member

Stephen Lucas

Thesis Committee Member

Kristen Holly

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of the effectiveness of competency-based education in a rural school district located in East Central Illinois. The researcher examined the first phase of implementation of Competency-Based Education (CBE) in both middle and high schools of this school district through surveys of students and teachers, along with students’ Measure Academic Proficiency or Performance (MAP) Test scores in ELA and Math. MAP score data was obtained from 669 students for ELA Growth and 699 students for Math Growth. Survey data was obtained from 70 high school students and six teachers. Student survey results showed that 56% of students agreed or strongly agreed that the graduation requirements would assist them with their future plans. However, MAP results showed that over half of the students in 9th and 10th grade did not meet their growth goals in ELA or Math, while 66% of 11th grade students met or exceeded their growth goals in ELA, but less than half did not meet or exceed their growth goals in ELA. When comparing these results to teacher survey responses, only 50% of teachers strongly agreed that the school’s graduation requirements would assist students with their future plans. While 33% of teachers neither agreed nor disagreed, and 17% disagreed that the school was preparing students. Additionally, survey questions pertaining to success and challenges for teachers and students confirmed that some elements of a competency-based approaches were being conducted with fidelity however, others still had more room for improvement.

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