Transitioning to Mastery Learning: Mapping the Process, Support and Challenges, and Consideration for Equitable Implementation Across Nine Public Schools

Abstract

Abstract Public and private schools across the US and internationally are embracing elements of mastery learning. The Mastery Transcript Consortium (MTC) seeks to deepen understanding of the transition process toward mastery learning, or personalized, competency-based education (PCBE). This capstone study addresses four areas of inquiry: 1) what the transition process toward PCBE looks like for public schools in different contexts; 2) where and how teaching and learning characteristic of PCBE are occurring in a school that is using standards-based grading (SBG); 3) what challenges and beneficial conditions and supports exist in the transition process; and 4) what unique challenges and considerations exist for transitioning schools that serve high-need, racially or socioeconomically diverse student populations. We used a mixed-methods approach consisting of four phases. We worked with nine public schools and engaged in ongoing document analysis of their curriculum, reporting, and communication materials. We conducted interviews with school administration at all nine schools and subsequent interviews with teachers at four of the schools. We also conducted interviews with eight experts in PCBE to gain an understanding of their perspectives on state and nationwide themes. Finally, we created a survey based on the interview findings to measure the perceived magnitude of challenges and supports across schools. Findings indicate three transition phases with predictable challenges and widely beneficial structures and conditions as well as practices that align with graduate profiles at SBG schools. From our findings, we offer the MTC four recommendations grounded in school redesign elements within the MTC’s theory of action.