An acquisition criterion, more commonly known as "mastery criterion" is an instructor-established standard of performance that may signal the acquisition of a novel skill or the conclusion of a phase of intervention. When teaching new behaviors, researchers and practitioners in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) apply some type…

Imagine walking into an 8th-grade science classroom and hearing a discussion among students about a challenging assignment they recently completed. A pilot program in 18 Tennessee schools develops agency through competency-based education. Students in Beth Hines' 8th grade physical science class at West Collierville Middle School in Tennessee are…

With the authorization of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in December 2015, the role of physical education in public schools has the potential to change significantly. It is imperative that physical education be supported by assessment-driven evidence in order to reach and speak to legislators, national boards, school administrators,…

Self-efficacy in school leaders is critical: Without a strong sense of purpose and focus, school leaders will fail at performing the difficult task that it takes to ensure student success and school performance. Competence without confidence may lead to school leaders who are hesitant, full of self-doubt, and inconsistent with their decisions. For…

The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that have influenced the literacy success of the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) students in the low-income, poverty stricken Delta Region of a mid-south state. The study examined the progress made since the implementation of the KIPP Program and the influence the program has made upon student…

Self-directed learning (SDL) is an important life skill in a knowledge-based society and prepares students to persist, manage their time and resources, use logic to construct their knowledge, argue their views, and collaborate. The purpose of this study was to facilitate mastery of physics concepts through self-directedness in formative testing…

This study explores the importance of the group context in the emergence of leadership, dominance, and group effectiveness in children's collaborative learning groups. Ten 3-person work groups performed a collaborative math activity. Using achievement goal orientation (Ames, 1992; Maehr and Midgley, 1996; Pintrich and Schunk, 1996) as a framework,…

By insisting that a student master a skill before progressing to a more complex task, a teacher can help that student build a firm foundation for further learning experiences. (JD)

A Brooklyn (NY) district superintendent rebuts arguments against the Chicago Mastery Learning Reading (CMLR) program that appeared in an article in Learning (November 1982). Based on his district's experience with CMLR, the superintendent points to improved reading scores, teacher enthusiasm, and renewed student interest in reading as indications…

This study investigated the cognitive and affective student learning outcomes of 36 semesters using the mastery learning approach in distributive education classes. Data were collected by a high school teacher, a junior high school teacher, and a university professor, all of whom used mastery learning. Data collected over the years indicated that…

This study assesses the Personalized System of Instruction's (Keller Plan) conventional academic environment capability. The author focuses on some of the issues accompanying the introduction of PSI. (SA)

This study explores the effects of cooperative and mastery learning methods, alone and in combination, on first and second grade students' learning and retention of basic economic facts. A 2 X 2 (cooperative X mastery) factorial design compared the achievement of 120 students randomly assigned by grade level stratification to one of four treatment…

Twenty-five years have elapsed since the publication of Benjamin S. Bloom's article titled "Learning for Mastery." With approximately 2,000 master learning/testing citations in the ERIC data base alone, Bloom's 1968 piece is indeed one of the most generative works to appear in the educational psychology literature in decades. At this…

This paper discusses the results of research on learning LOGO programming language by two groups of fifth grade students who were taught using either a structured tutorial mode or an unstructured discovery method. Previous results showed mastery differences between the structured and unstructured teaching methods with the results favoring the…

Argues that current educational practices underestimate the magnitude of diversity in educational achievement and that disregarding diversity widens the range of differences. Reducing concern with grade-level achievement and increasing concern with academic mastery would have long-term educational benefits. Changes are proposed for elementary…