Teachers, educators and policymakers need to determine how applicable education evidence is to their context when considering adopting new evidence-based practices. Research conducted in different educational contexts – including locations, student demographics, year levels or subject areas – may still offer broadly relevant insights.

This rapid literature review examines the effectiveness of three well-established, evidence-based teaching practices: formative assessment, explicit instruction and mastery learning. It investigates the impact of these practices on student achievement and whether this varied across contexts. 

Key findings

Overall, findings indicate that formative assessment, explicit instruction and mastery learning
are beneficial across different subgroups of students and subject areas.

Formative assessment:

• has a positive impact on student achievement in mathematics, reading, writing, social science and languages
• works for primary and secondary students
• benefits students with and without additional learning needs.

Explicit instruction:

• has a positive impact on student achievement in mathematics, reading, spelling, problem-solving and science
• works for primary and secondary students
• benefits students with and without additional learning needs.

Mastery learning:

• has a positive impact on achievement in mathematics, sciences, social studies and English and languages
• works for primary and secondary students
• is particularly effective for lower-achieving students, with higher-achieving students
  also benefitting.