Developing a mastery learning interpretation of learner performance

The paper describes a mastery learning interpretation of reading performance in a district-wide reading attainment study conducted in South Africa. The mastery learning instructional strategy is based on the principle that all learners can learn a set of reasonable objectives given appropriate instruction and sufficient time to learn. The strategy also requires that there should be some pre-determined, understood and agreed upon level of knowledge of skill to be attained by learners. Schools which participated in the study belonged to the four former racially-based departments of education. The purpose of this study was to determine the English reading attainment in grade 3, using a learner assessment tool.