Mastery

Beyond Good Grades: Strategies for Mastery

It’s only natural and, in many ways, wise for people to standardize and try to quantify what success looks like. In an academic environment, we do this through grades. Aspiring to earn good grades is indeed a noble and important endeavor, but of course, grades should not be the end all and be all of education’s aim. Legitimately knowing, internalizing, and applying concepts and ideas should be our students’ key takeaways. 

To sum it up, true education prioritizes mastery.  

Mastery is the primary goal of Brightmont Academy, a one-to-one private school serving students from Kindergarten through high school. Brightmont uses several strategies toward this end. The school helps assess and boost mastery most commonly through depending on the Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) model; allowing assignment revisions; administering quiz and test retakes; and providing meaningful extra credit assignments. 

Gradual Release of Responsibility method

At the heart of Brightmont’s teaching practices is the Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) method. In short, GRR resembles apprenticeship. A student watches their teacher accomplish a task, then they do the same task together, then the student accomplishes the task on their own to demonstrate mastery. Another way to put it? I do, we do, you do! More about GRR>>

Though GRR is used across many different educational settings, Brightmont has the unique opportunity to encourage mastery among each and every student with each and every concept. There’s no taking turns with other classmates to demonstrate understanding and mastery—there’s no risk of certain students falling through the cracks. One-to-one teaching means a Brightmont student is a true apprentice, always proving what they know and revealing what they don’t under the watch of an ever-attentive teacher. 

Assignment revisions

Brightmont prides itself on being a college preparatory school, meaning in part that students work hard on their presentation, writing, and general communication skills. It entails practicing the standard formats (e.g., MLA formatting and style) and conventions (e.g., essays featuring clear claims and conclusions) that college professors will expect them to know and use. 

There’s no need to adjust to a college-prep mindset in middle and high school; in fact, such preparation begins very early on in a student’s time at Brightmont (e.g., analyzing texts is a fundamental skill that even the school’s youngest students are challenged to master). Furthermore, it’s customary for students to receive comprehensive feedback on their assignments, then use that feedback to refine their work. Early and repeated exposure to best practices, along with opportunities to revise their writing, results in mastery. 

Test & quiz retakes

Regarding tests and quizzes, though good study skills are valued and expected at Brightmont, second chances are also part of the school’s repertoire. After all, the primary purpose of tests and quizzes should be to assess a student’s understanding and opportunities for further growth, not to shame or superficially puff up. If a test or quiz reveals a clear gap in the student’s learning, the instructor may determine that retaking a test or quiz is the very best option for achieving mastery. 

However, before allowing a retake, it’s essential for a teacher to dig deeper into the reason(s) behind a student’s poor performance. Did they misunderstand the question? Did they misread it? Did they skip a step, run out of time, or simply forget the information they needed to know? In other words, it not only becomes a matter of whether a student got an answer right or wrong. Investigating a student’s strengths and weaknesses reveals how to proceed, whether that involves employing different teaching methods, returning to past concepts, or simply moving ahead. Such investigation is obviously worth the time and effort—and Brightmont teachers are committed to their due diligence.    

Extra credit

It’s hard to pinpoint when extra credit actually became a thing in our school systems, but it’s easy to imagine the scenario behind it. Johnny had a C in Social Studies, then Johnny and his parents weren’t satisfied with that grade, then Johnny’s teacher conceived a way to inch up his grade and put everyone at ease. It’s a scenario that remains common to this day. 

However, if we’re honest about how extra credit is typically used—as with Johnny—it flies in the face of all good educational doctrine. Still, extra credit has its proper, most effective place. Extra credit works best when a student may be right on the cusp of understanding a concept but needs to look at it from a different angle. For example, perhaps Johnny just can’t seem to grasp what “economic scarcity” means. Through an extra credit assignment, he can explore scarcity in the real world—perhaps the widespread scarcity of eggs in Spring 2025—and not only grow academically, but also make a meaningful personal connection to his studies. 

Education shouldn’t just be about accumulating points; as mentioned above, genuine learning should be the ultimate goal. Education shouldn’t rely on safety nets to see students to apparent success; the challenge of new and rigorous material should be embraced by both teachers and students. To sum it up, education shouldn’t be about easy outs, quick fixes, or saving face—at Brightmont Academy, the goal is always genuine mastery.

Barbara Farland is an English & Social Studies instructor at Brightmont Academy in Plymouth, Minn. She holds a master’s degree in Business Communication from the University of St. Thomas and, prior to pursuing a second career in education, worked as an award-winning public relations and communications professional in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors. As a “storyteller by nature and teacher at heart,” Barbara continues to contribute to various anthologies, among other writing projects.