In this interview, James Block explains the model of mastery learning, developed by himself and B. Bloom, according to which individual differences in academic ability are lessened by appropriate teaching methods. (GW)

Schools have devised several ways to adapt instruction to a wide variety of student abilities and needs. Judged by criteria for what adaptive education should be, most learning for mastery programs look good. (Author/JM)

Reviews the advantages of teaching reading through a mastery reading program and examines the role of the mastery teacher. (JM)

A survey of relevant research strongly suggests that the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) offers considerable potential for community college instruction. It has five main features: students move at their own rates of speed, utilize written study guides, demonstrate mastery of each unit before continuing, meet with proctors for periodic…

In this practicum, 15 learning-disabled pupils in grades two and three participated in an individualized program featuring mastery learning, a personalized system of instruction, attention to learning style and modality, and behavior modification, in order to improve reading levels and poor behavior. Program components included learning stations,…

Describes the Phoenix College multimedia approach to nursing instruction. Students independently follow Learning Experience Guides curriculum at their own speed, individually setting up their weekly learning tasks, and working in a skills learning laboratory under the supervision of advanced students who have already mastered the techniques to be…

College IV, a cluster college of Grand Valley State College (GVSC), was established to eliminate many of the traditional barriers of access to education, particularly for the working adult. This report traces the formation and evolution of this four-year liberal arts college from its planning (1972-73) to its fourth year of operation (1976-77). In…

Historically ranked low on student performance, the New Orleans schools are fighting back with a new program called the Secondary Curriculum Improvement Program. (Author/JM)

Individualized instruction is an important tool in mainstreaming special needs students in industrial arts, as experience has shown. Important steps toward meeting these needs include (1) making an individualized assessment of each student, of student needs, and of the present state of student accomplishments; and (2) developing an individualized…

Bloom has looked to mastery learning, exemplified by the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI), to reduce individual differences in posttest performance, such as final grades and midterm examination scores. While PSI courses have raised overall performance, there has been little examination of individual differences in these courses. Data from…

Chicago's mastery learning program takes into account the complexities of reading and the realities of urban classrooms. Its designers say that if a program does not lead to success, it is not a mastery learning program. (Author/JM)

Research was conducted to determine the effectiveness of computer-managed instruction (CMI) as an aid to the mastery of factual content, as compared to the method of frequent, pre-announced quizzes. One section of an undergraduate education course received conventional instruction along with quizzes; another section used a CMI program whose major…

The relationship between achievement and method of individualized instruction and testing was investigated using a class of 32 community college students. Construction of the mastery tests was described. For the class as a whole, students in a mastery-by-module group had slightly, but not significantly, higher scores than students in a…

A computer-assisted, competency-based instructional model has been developed for a teacher education program. It is based on the assumptions that individuals should control their own lives and that technology should be used to expand the range of human choice. The model uses a systems approach to organize the human, curricular and environmental…