Chapter Two: Mastery

Chapter two of Fair Isn't Always Equal explains how an educator can measure the students' mastery of material. According to the chapter, there are two ways in which teachers can obtain evidence of mastery: multiple assignments and tracking the progress of a few works over time. In order for educators to truly assess whether or not students understand the curriculum, teachers need to know the important objectives, essential understandings, and enduring knowledge. If teachers are clear in their objectives before they assess the students, then the assessments will result in more accurate depictions of whether or not the students mastered the material. To determine whether or not a student does have mastery of a subject, they must be able to perform the six facets of true understanding. Always keeping the end in mind and always making sure that my goals are clear will ensure that I will assess my students' mastery accurately. This chapter was valuable to me because as a first-year teacher, I am going to have difficulty in determining what is important for the students to master. I could attempt to determine this by myself, however, I will not be as effective. The most effective way to check what is important would be to look at the state's standards. I could also consult with my colleagues, check the curriculum guides, observe other teachers' tests and assessments, etc. If I keep the standards in mind, then my students will come away with not only meeting the standards, but also mastering the material.