Standardized testing for college admissions has grown exponentially since the first administration of the old "College Boards" in 1901. This paper surveys major developments since then: the introduction of the "Scholastic Aptitude Test" in 1926, designed to tap students' general analytic ability; E.F. Lindquist's creation of…

This study examined learning Social Studies by investigating the effectiveness of mastery approach on students' performance in Social Studies of two groups of students drawn from Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun and University of Uyo, Ila-Orangun Study Centre which consisted of 200 level Social Studies students and 200 level degree…

We conducted this study to determine the relationship between math preference and mastery for five middle school students with autism spectrum disorders. We randomly presented several math addition and subtraction problem formats to determine the students' preferences. Results indicated that preference was idiosyncratic across students. In…

The problem of achievement gaps among different subgroups of students has been evident in education for many years. This manuscript revisits the work of renowned educator Benjamin S. Bloom, who saw reducing gaps in the achievement of various groups of students as a simple problem of reducing variation in student learning outcomes. Bloom observed…

Achievement goal theory is an important theoretical framework for understanding achievement motivation. In previous studies, a mastery orientation has been shown to be related to students' interest, while a performance orientation has been found to be predictive of academic performance outcomes such as course grades. In this study, the two mastery…

On the basis of an integrated theoretical approach to achievement motivation, the authors designed this study to investigate the potential influence of mastery goal, performance-approach and avoidance-approach goals, individual interest, and situational interest on students' learning in a physical education softball unit. The authors collected and…

This 136-item annotated bibliography on mastery learning and mastery testing is the result of a computer search of the ERIC data base in February 1977. All entries are listed alphabetically by author. An abstract or annotation is provided for each entry. A subject index is included reflecting the major emphasis of each citation. (RC)

This study tested the hypothesis that self-regulation of writing is a multifaceted modular construct and that students would perceive different goal orientations for writing as involving the application of different writing strategies. Two hundred eleven Jewish Israeli high school students engaged in a writing assignment and then reported on their…

While there are theories about how to close the achievement gap between black students and their white peers, what you need is the real low-down from frontline educators who know what works. Here's a book that gives you that plus a whole-school plan for raising the achievement of these chronically underserved students. Drawing from her work with…

Interactive response systems "clickers" can provide multiple benefits to the students and faculty who use them, including immediate performance feedback and greater student engagement in learning. My own exploration of this technology has yielded five pedagogically different types of polling questions, specifically measurement of student…

Article suggests a systematic approach for two teachers to integrate mastery and grouping into an effective alternative to individualized and total classroom instruction. (Author)

Bloom discusses mastery learning and automaticity. Automaticity involves a skill that is so overlearned that it becomes almost automatic. Automaticity is central to the work of talented individuals but requires tremendous time to develop and maintain. (KS)

As the demand for online education continues to increase, institutions are faced with developing process models for efficient, high-quality online course development. This paper describes a systems, team-based, approach that centers on an online instructional design theory ("Active Mastery Learning") implemented at Colorado State…

Due to the anonymous nature of online courses, many instructors require some type of proctored, comprehensive exam at the conclusion of the course. While comprehensive final exams are not unique to the online classroom, the integration of a proctored, high-stakes assessment helps to ensure that the student registered for a course is actually the…

We tested the effects of two embedded review question formats and the application of web design guidelines in a computer-assisted mastery learning course in developmental psychology. Students used either a branching review question format that redirected them to relevant portions of the study module after incorrect answers or a linear format that…