The relationship between the maturity level of professional learning communities (PLCs) and student achievement

The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between schools\u27 maturity as professional learning communities (PLCs) and student achievement in mathematics and communication arts. Teachers from all 333 public elementary schools in Missouri serving students in kindergarten through fifth grade were invited to participate by completing Hord\u27s School Professional Staff as Learning Community Questionnaire. Each question was directly related to one of Hord\u27s five critical dimensions of PLCs: ...supportive and shared leadership; a shared vision and values; collective learning and application of learning; shared personal practice; and supportive conditions (Hord, 1997a, p. 6, passim). Multiple linear regression analyses were used to test the hypothesis: as the maturity level of schools as PLCs increases, according to scores on the School Professional Staff as Learning Community Questionnaire, student scores on standardized tests in communication arts and mathematics, specifically the Missouri Assessment Program Index Score, will also increase. The findings for this study suggest that as the maturity level of schools as PLCs increases, student scores on standardized tests in third grade communication arts and mathematics also increase significantly. There was no significant relationship between schools\u27 maturity levels as PLCs and student achievement in fourth or fifth grade for communication arts or mathematics