Anticipated Date of Graduation

Spring 2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Mathematical Sciences

Department

Mathematical Sciences

First Advisor

Doug Darbro

Abstract

roject Lead the Way (PLTW) is an organization that develops engineering curriculum for all grade levels. Research has been conducted on the curriculum and other STEM curriculum to determine student achievement levels and the factors that affect student achievement. These factors include teacher retention, teacher years of experience, student demographics, etc. Investigating how a teacher impacts their students learning can help schools understand the value of a seasoned teacher. With PLTW training having high costs it can make teacher retention a bigger concern. The Highland Prep Academies utilize PLTW curriculum and have about ten trained teachers across the three schools. Data was collected from them during the academic year 2022-23, which included student demographics, PLTW test scores, and teacher semesters of experience. This data was analyzed using multiple linear regression, ANOVA, and two-way ANOVA with and without a covariant in the software R 4.3.0. Through the analysis it was found that two specific PLTW courses had lower scores than the others, Aerospace Engineering and Principles of Engineering. Student test scores were observed to decrease 1% every time a teacher had taught a course. Regarding student demographics, it was found that African American and Native American students scored lower then Caucasian and Asian students. Specifically, male Caucasian students scored higher than the other interactions of ethnicity and gender. It was also determined that students with male teachers scored lower than students with female teachers. Lastly, for the Highland Prep Academies it was determined that Madison Highland Prep’s average PLTW test score was a higher than the test scores at Highland Prep West and Highland Prep Surprise. These results imply that changes need to be made to ensure educational equity of the students and that teachers need continued PLTW curriculum support through the years of teaching.

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