The impact professional development involving technology has on the 8th grade 2011 Reading National Assessment of Educational Progress

The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative study was to analyze the results of the eighth grade 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in Reading in order to determine if teachers' technology professional development significantly influenced student achievement. The researcher used variables received from the NAEP data from students and teachers, such as students' School Lunch Eligibility, teachers' years of experience, and teachers' professional development involving technology use in the classroom.;The analysis was conducted using a hierarchal regression by analyzing factors created from the 8th grade student and teacher surveys. Students' scores on the test were used as the dependent variable. In the first step of the regression, students' School Lunch Eligibility was loaded (R 2=.013). In the second step parental education was added and examined in order to determine if there is a significant increase to predictive power from the previous level (R2=.015). In the third step basic teacher professional development in technology (PD 1) was added in order to determine if teachers who have access to computers in the classroom have students' who perform better on the NAEP exam (R2=.015). In the fourth step teachers who were given professional development in instructional technology (PD 2) was added (R2=.016). In the fifth and final step gender was added (R2=.036).;In today's society technology continues to remain at the forefront of everything educators do. Therefore, educators must rise to the occasion and begin to incorporate many facets of technology into their curriculums. Common Core Standards mandate all teachers to not only address technology but also infuse it into today's classrooms. This investigation contributed to the body of research by highlighting the importance of teacher professional development.