Reaching ALL Students with Mastery Learning

This presentation will provide participants with an understanding of how to develop and implement mastery learning in their classrooms using self paced mastery grids in order to increase student success. The meta-analysis of 108 independent studies of the effects of mastery learning showed that it has moderate to large positive effects on student performance (Kulik, Kulik, & Bangert-Drowns, 1990). The session will outline practical and easy to implement tips on the creation, implementation, and management of learner-paced mastery grids and the systematic use of mastery learning in the classroom to increase student achievement. The system was developed and piloted in a high needs, urban district with a 100% economically disadvantaged population. Mastery learning provides a framework to develop targeted learning opportunities and create a student-centered classroom where students can be reached at their current level of cognitive understanding. The scaffolding of learning progressions also creates a learning environment where extension and cross-curricular connections are more accessible and meaningful for learners when they are reached. Additional reviews of implementing mastery learning have found that courses using mastery learning have much higher completion rates than similar courses using other methods (Guskey & Monsaas, 1979). This adheres to the goals and focus of increasing access to quality education for all learners. Participants will be provided tools, information, and instruction to create and develop their own mastery grids from state and national standards. Additional instructional strategies on monitoring student progress, facilitation student movement and intervention, as well as implementation of assessment (formative and summative) will be discussed. The result of the session will be an understanding of the research based best practices and implementation of those practices using a mastery learning system in the classroom.