The effect of teacher earned subject-area content credit hours on high school student achievement

The No Child Left Behind (NLCB) Act required all elementary and secondary public school teachers to be "highly-qualified". The NCLB's definition of "highly qualified" required teachers hold a bachelor's degree and demonstrate proficiency in the subjects they teach by passing a state-developed subject-matter test. Research indicated that teachers' test scores and other measures of teacher knowledge do have a positive effect on student achievement. This correlational study determined if there was a relationship between the number of subject-area content college credit hours earned by classroom teachers and student achievement as measured by the Georgia End of Course Tests. Data were analyzed using bivariate correlational analysis and the Pearson method to determine if any statistical significant differences emerged. The results of this study indicated no significant relationship between teacher content credit hours and student achievement.