Edition #22: What Exactly Is Mastery?
The word "mastery" gets thrown around a lot. What does it mean? Are we using it correctly? And should we be using it at all?
In the previous edition of this newsletter, I spent some time teasing out the difference between formative and summative assessment (it’s how they are used), particularly when it comes to their role in grading systems (we need to account for contextual flexibility). Today, I want to tackle a related topic: mastery.
This concept has been around for a while, though the creation of the Mastery Transcript Consortium in 2017 popularized it within the independent school world. The basic premise here is that students should be striving to “master” particular skillsets and that our grading systems should reflect this. Instead of using a traditional A-B-C-D-E scale, which is highly ambiguous in what it communicates, schools should create transcripts that reflect the various skills a given student has “mastered” over the course of their education.
A disclaimer: I actually really dislike the term “mastery". Not only does it connote the institution of slavery but I also find it to be both inadequate and inaccurate when it comes to describing the sort of learning I want to see in my classroom. The word comes from Old French maistrie, which means control or dominance, and implies a hierarchical, one-dimensional relationship. Instead, I want to see flexibility, responsiveness, and iteration when it comes to student skillsets. I don’t think mastery gets us there (I much prefer “proficiency” or “competency”) but that’s the term that’s currently in the lexicon.
Setting aside my own feelings about the actual word, I appreciate what this movement is trying to accomplish. At the same time, I have observed a disconnect between when this word gets used to describe student learning and the reality of what’s happening on the ground. We’ve all been there: a student demonstrates “mastery” of a given skill or standard on one day, but the following week it’s almost as if it never happened. This phenomenon is well illustrated in the “forgetting curve,” which details how memory retention depreciates over time. Indeed, it’s possible to cram and obtain short-term retention but, unless we actively use these new skills or knowledge, they aren’t going to make their way into long-term memory — and we’re going to forget.
To bring this back to the above scenario then, a student has not mastered a skill if they cannot replicate it at spaced out intervals. Put another way: mastery is about proficiency PLUS consistency — and our assessment systems need to capture this. I know I struggle with this at times, particularly because assessing recursively takes time, planning, and foresight (which we don’t always have). But it’s also critical if we want to instill long-term understandings.
This Edition’s Spotlight: “Mastery” = Proficiency + Consistency
Why completion of assessments alone is not evidence of learning: Adriana LaGrier, “Due Dates Provide a Structure for Spaced Learning,” Faculty Focus (March 28, 2025).
This is one of my favorite episodes of Hidden Brain and provides a WONDERFUL intro to how the brain makes memories: Hidden Brain, “Why our memory fails, and how to improve it,” NPR (December 16, 2019).
A useful example of how what assessment of mastery looks like: Robert Barnett, “Using Mastery Checks to Assess Student Learning,” Edutopia (February 7, 2025)
Other Things in the Ether…
This is the sort of professional learning culture I want to be part of: Julie Rust, “Amplifying Teacher Stories with Blogs and Podcasts,” ASCD (March 11, 2025).
ANOTHER piece highlighting the importance of handwriting for learning: Nimah Gobir, “Handwriting Helps Kids Learn. Here’s How to Make the Most of It,” KQED (March 11, 2025).
The Learning Network recently put out two practical, compelling resources on helping students develop media literacy: “Helping Digital Natives Overcome Digital Naïveté: Four Steps to Media Literacy” and “Dozens of Engaging Ways to Make Media Literacy Meaningful to Teenagers,” The Learning Network (March 27, 2025).
Effective change management requires a clear understanding of the problem to be solved: Frederick Hess, Michael Horn, and Juliet Squire, “School Reinvention in Practice,” Education Next (Winter 2025).
Concrete ways into incorporate multimodality (and improve learning outcomes!) into your classroom: Youki Terada and Stephen Merrill, “The Power of Multimodal Learning (in 5 Charts),” Edutopia (March 7, 2025).
There are SO MANY good ideas here: Todd Finley, “Your Student Finished Early—Now What?” Edutopia (March 20, 2025).
For fostering independent problem solving when it comes to tech: Shannon Engelbrecht, “A Gradual Release of Responsibility Over Student Devices,” Edutopia (March 24, 2025).
Upcoming PD in the DMV(ish)…
Tuesday, April 10: “HumanitiesDC Community Showcase” at the Anacostia Arts Center*
Friday, May 30: “Technology and Innovation Conference 2025” at University of Baltimore via AIMS
June 24-25: “Leadership Lab” from the Masters Schools and Leadership + Design (Dobbs Ferry, NY)
July 14-17: “Science of Learning and Leadership Academy” at St. Andrew’s (Potomac, MD); note: one of the presenters this year is Denise Pope!
Friday, August 1: “Fostering Faculty Excellence: Tools for Building Relationships, Communicating Clearly, and Inspiring Growth,” at AIMS (Columbia, MD); note: the presenter, Josh Wolfe, is the mind behind some really compelling faculty development structures at Park School.
August 4-8: WISSIT 2025 at the Washington International School
*Free!