A comparative study of professional development utilizing the Missouri Commissioner's Award of Excellence and indicators of student achievement

High-quality staff development is considered the most important component in improving education (Guskey, 1986). The Missouri Staff Development Council established the Commissioner's Award of Excellence showcasing school districts that successfully deliver quality, ongoing staff development that results in high student achievement. This study was designed to investigate whether there is a link between teacher professional development for school improvement and student achievement by analyzing data of the Missouri Commissioner's Award School Districts and other Missouri school districts. Quantitative research methods were used to evaluate professional development practices which were regarded as high-quality professional development and its impact on student achievement in Missouri K-12 public schools. Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) data from 24 Missouri Commissioner's Award of Excellence school districts and 24 comparison Missouri school districts were analyzed to measure whether Commissioner's Award school districts had higher achievement rates than other Missouri school districts. The achievement rates researched were the MAP achievement tests among nine subgroups, Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) rates, graduation rates, and American College Testing (ACT) scores.; Research studies and expert literature indicate that high-quality professional development is an important component for teacher growth and student achievement. The results of this study indicated there were no statistical differences in ACT rates and graduation rates between Commissioner's Award school districts and comparison schools. The results also indicated gains in AYP subgroup achievement rates of Commissioner's Award school districts and comparison between the years of 2003 and 2006.; This research has worthwhile implications for analyzing the significance of professional development awards based on guidelines and standards and their impact on student achievement.