Mastery learning is an approach in which a class works towards a clear goal, checks regularly whether it has been reached, and gets extra help or time until it is. The educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom set out the idea in the 1960s and 70s: given enough time and good teaching, most children can reach a high standard in what is taught.
How it works 1. Break the course into units with clear, specific learning goals. 2. Teach the unit to everyone. 3. Check understanding with a short, formative assessment that is not graded for a report. See assessment that helps children learn. 4. Correct and enrich. Pupils who have not yet mastered the unit get targeted help, taught differently from the first time; pupils who have mastered it do extension work. 5. Move on when the unit is secure, usually after a second check.
What the evidence says The EEF's Teaching and Learning Toolkit reports that, on average, mastery learning approaches have a positive impact on attainment, with variation between studies. Implementation matters: how the checks are used and how the extra help is organised.
Making it work - Be exact about the goal. "Understand fractions" is too vague; "add fractions with the same denominator" is a goal. - Use quick checks, such as mini whiteboards or short quizzes, so no pupil goes unnoticed. - Plan the extra help. A different explanation, a different example, or small-group work, not the same lesson repeated. - Give extension that deepens, not just more of the same. - Keep feedback specific. Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction describes checking for understanding and guided practice as core to good teaching.
Challenges - It takes planning time and lessons that can be flexible. - It can slow the whole class if the bar is set at "everyone gets everything". - Mastery is a statement about a unit, not a label for the child. A pupil who has not mastered one unit may well master the next.
Parents Ask what the child is working on now, ask them to explain it, and give a few minutes of practice on the part they are less sure of. Ask the teacher what "secure" looks like in each subject.
See also competency-based education and the spiral curriculum.