Getting Smart on Mastery Learning

Download Smart Bundle here

Over the past few months, we’ve worked with MasteryTrack to learn about best practices for mastery learning, which can be simply defined as systems that enable students to move forward at their own pace as they master content. As a culmination of our mastery learning series, we have compiled a Smart Bundle that documents the necessary steps to making these mastery systems measurable, effective and scalable.

Throughout the bundle, President of MasteryTrack, Scott Ellis, and Getting Smart team member, Rebecca Midles, spend time unpacking methods of assessment and performance and discuss what focusing on the “right data” looks like. They also explore the importance of data in the implementation of mastery learning, the need for flexible and robust dashboards, how to best identify and set measurable learning objectives and much more.

Getting Smart on Mastery Learning is centered around the 5 Key Elements of Mastery Learning:

Learning Objectives

• Specific, clear, demonstrable objectives to clearly describe what we want students to know and be able to do.

Mastery Thresholds

• Clear descriptions of what mastery means and how to determine if a student is ready to move to the next learning objective.

Students Demonstrate Mastery

• Clear processes for students to demonstrate mastery.
• Processes are scalable and provide equitable access to all students.

Teachers Assess Mastery

• Clear processes for teachers to assess mastery.
• Processes must be viable and scalable to support teachers to assess mastery for every student and every learning objective.
• Protocols to support multiple attempts by students to demonstrate mastery depending on their level of readiness and the variety of assessments available.

Data Organization

• A system to organize and display learning data that is efficient in time and easily available to students, teachers, parents, and school leaders.
• Mastery-based student data shows progress and reflects a student’s learning journey.

We hope this is a valuable resource for schools, districts, and organizations as they work together to reimagine the role of assessment and technology in the future of learning.

Download Smart Bundle here

To learn more about how MasteryTrack is implementing and directing mastery learning, check out the individual pieces from this Smart Bundle:

• What is Mastery Learning?
• Mastery Learning Objectives and Mastery Thresholds in the Classroom
• Demonstrating and Assessing Mastery, and Managing Mastery Learning Data
• Examples of Mastery Thresholds to Enable Mastery Learning in Multiple Subjects
• How to Develop a Mastery Dashboard that Works
• The Key to Enabling Data Driven Instruction in the Classroom: Getting Teachers the Right Data
• Pulling It All Together:  Examples of Integrating the 5 Elements of Mastery Learning
• Using Mastery Data to Measure Growth In Student Learning
• Moving Toward Mastery Learning: Practical Steps for Making Progress

This Smart Bundle is based on a Getting Smart and MasteryTrack series on mastery learning.