Professional Development

Mastery Learning

Effective Schooling Research

The major findings regarding Mastery Learning include the following:

  • Educators reteach priority lesson content until students master it.
  • Educators set grading scales and mastery standards high to promote excellence.
  • Educators focus on student learner outcomes.
  • Educators monitor student progress frequently, providing immediate feedback.
  • Group-based mastery learning strategies have a positive effect on student learning retention.
  • Students retain what they learn longer.
  • Students develop more positive attitudes about learning and about their ability to learn.

Practical Implications

The Mastery Learning strategies, methods, and practices that have proven to have the greatest impact on student learning are:

  • Clearly defining the essential knowledge, skills, and understandings students are to master.
  • Clearly formulating learning standards to measure what students have learned.
  • Providing group-based instruction at the beginning of a lesson.
  • Frequently monitor student progress and provide immediate feedback.
  • Provide reteaching opportunities for those not mastering important lesson content and skills; provide feedback-corrective loop learning opportunities.
  • Designing instructional reteaching activities recognizing individual learning styles.
  • Set grading scales and mastery learning standards.
  • Use criterion-reference assessments to measure mastery of curriculum standards.

Workshop Training Profile

The Mastery Learning workshop training focuses on the acquisition of the following knowledge, skills, and understandings:

  • History and development of the Mastery Learning method.
  • Indentifying and defining learning objectives; creating a Table of Specifications.
  • Understanding the relationship between formative and summative assessments.
  • Understanding the feedback-corrective loop and designing enrichment activities.
  • Applying Mastery Learning in the classroom.
  • Evaluating Mastery Learning through data collection and analysis.
  • Designing grading scales, mastery standards, and student progress reports.

Training Timeline: 1-2 Days

Facilitation Timeline: 3-6 Months