Although the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act requires that classroom teachers be highly qualified, the assumption that achieving the highly qualified endorsement equates to teacher effectiveness in the classroom is unverified. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of teacher qualification, as defined by the NCLB Act and applied by one state, on student achievement. The theoretical framework for this study was Senge's organizational learning and, more specifically, DuFour and Eaker's professional learning communities. The sample included 101 highly qualified and 71 not highly qualified novice teachers, as defined by NCLB, whose students were tested in English-reading, mathematics, science, and social studies for Grades 3 through 9 in an urban public school district during the school years 2006-2010. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance. The independent variable was teacher qualifications of highly qualified or not highly qualified, and the dependent variable was the pass rates scores on the state's Standards of Learning (SOL) tests for English-reading, mathematics, science, and social studies. Results indicated no statistically significant difference between the two groups on student achievement. The results of this study call into question the current criteria for defining highly qualified teachers. This study may have implications for positive social change as it suggests that revised criteria for determining teacher qualifications may be beneficial to enhancing student achievement. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]