A review of research and proposed models on classroom processes allows identification of four key characteristics of effective classrooms in elementary and secondary education. The four characteristics encompass (1) teacher attention to student characteristics, including prior learning and learning styles; (2) congruence among the course goals,…

The validation of the competency based curriculum (CBC) of the District of Columbia Public Schools, prior to full scale implementation, is described. The CBC includes English, language arts, and science instruction in grades one through nine, and is based upon the demonstrated learning of specific behavioral objectives in the basic skills. The…

Extensive commitment to the remedial "tracking approach" over many years by the City Colleges of Chicago has not produced the desired outcomes. The results of several studies indicate that: student achievement in remedial courses has not resulted in improved performance in regular college courses; student and institutional retention is…

The first of three project goals formulated for the Cleveland Public Schools was to improve the level of mastery of specified language and mathematics skills. The second, but primary, goal of this three-year endeavor was to develop, implement, and refine a replicable mastery-learning instructional model involving a staff team (English teacher/…

Clinchy and Rosenthal's error classification scheme was applied to test results to determine its ability to differentiate the effectiveness of instruction in two elementary schools. Mathematics retention tests matching the instructional objectives of both schools were constructed to measure the understanding of arithmetic concepts and the ability…

In order to determine the effectiveness of using student performance contracts in social science courses, the author chose two sections of the course entitled "The Individual in Modern Society" and two sections of the course entitled "Social Problems" for a controlled experiment. One section of each course used the contract format, whereby…

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…

A computing literacy course at Michigan State University for non-computer science students was designed with a fixed course structure and continuously changing course content. The structure provides feedback for assessing students and revising content to meet the changing demands of client departments, changing student experience, and changing…

Having established that mastery learning works, researchers are beginning to investigate components of the system and theorists are integrating it with other recent trends. (Author)

Discussion of the effects of group aptitudes on achievement during small group learning highlights two studies that examined the effects of group composition on high and low aptitude college students. Heterogeneous and homogeneous aptitude groups are described, and an individual mastery contingency in the second study is explained. (21 references)…

Describes the use of interactive video for mathematics classes in middle schools and high schools in Oregon, and discusses the possibilities of their transfer to schools in the United Kingdom. Cost effectiveness is discussed, teacher and student attitudes are examined, and several evaluative studies of the videodisc materials are described. (LRW)

Educational practices with students in both regular and special education that have stood the tests of time, research, and application are described. They include peer tutoring; direct instruction; cooperative learning; self-instructional training; curriculum-based measurement; instructional alignment; and learning strategies. (DB)

Every young person should be obliged to engage in some program of systematic study until he/she can meet core learning standard for entry into adult society realizing that this will take different amounts of time for different individuals. Learning can take place in wide variety of settings and by many methods. Age-grade link also needs to be…

On measures of ability to improve writing quality, motivation to write, confidence in writing, and attitudes toward writing, 29 middle level students classified as mastery oriented consistently scored higher than 21 students classified as helpless. The 66 students classified as neither mastery oriented nor helpless had mean scores between the…

Followed an elementary teacher during her transition from preservice to inservice teaching, examining influences on her science teaching efficacy beliefs. Data from teacher interviews, observations, and journal writings indicated that mastery experience and verbal and other forms of social persuasion were the major sources of influence for…