| In 2008, standards-based instruction was introduced to a mid-sized high school in Eastern Georgia. Team and content-area collaboration and the professional learning community followed a year later. This purpose of this study is to examine the correlation between these initiatives and student academic achievement on the Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) in ELA and the Georgia High School Writing Test (GHSWT). This is a mixed-methods study, employing both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data for this study consist of GHSGT scores for 2006-2011 and GHSWT scores for 2007 -2011. The qualitative data came from four focus group sessions. Focus group members centered their responses on the following: benefits of teacher collaboration and the professional learning community, challenges with the same, and how they felt the two affected their students' achievement. This study showed slight improvements in students' scores, but focus group participants could not clearly associate those gains to improved instruction or their participation in a professional learning community. |
