Educational Approach at Brightmont Academy

Brightmont Academy offers a different approach — mastery based learning — to identify and support the needs of each student. We set the mastery level at 80 percent. Students progress through the curriculum at their own pace and take quizzes and exams when they are ready to demonstrate that they understand and can apply the skills. If they score below 80 percent, teachers use the missed questions to inform additional instruction and practice, and then students retake the test.

So assessment drives instruction, and evaluation is never the end point. Instruction becomes a cycle, and learning is ongoing. This format prepares students for the workforce, where they will see the same cyclical view used to maximize results. Like the mastery based learning approach, businesses look at past performance to set higher goals for the future and judge whether results are up to par, and then they work to improve areas that are negatively impacting performance.

In mastery-based learning, students are always working toward a standard, but the standard is their own personal best. They are not competing with their peers, so they are always in the game. Competition is only motivating for students when they have a chance of winning. Success leads to more success, so when students attain achievable goals, they develop the confidence to set the next goal and continue on an upward trajectory.