Mastery criterion
The preset level of correct, independent performance a learner must reach before a skill target is considered learned and moved out of acquisition.
A mastery criterion is the performance standard that decides when a target counts as learned. It is written into the skill acquisition plan by the supervisor before teaching starts, so everyone on the team judges progress by the same rule instead of by impression. A typical criterion names a level of accuracy, the type of response that counts (usually independent, unprompted responses), and how long that level must last, for example "90% correct independent responses across 3 consecutive sessions." Some plans add conditions such as reaching the criterion with two different instructors or in two settings.
The criterion is what separates acquisition from maintenance. While a target is below criterion it is in acquisition: it is taught often, prompted as the plan describes, and reinforced richly. Once the data meet the criterion, the supervisor usually moves the target to maintenance, where it is practiced less often and reinforced on a thinner schedule to check that it lasts.
For an RBT, the practical points are to know the exact criterion for each target, to score only independent responses as correct unless the plan says otherwise, and to graph the data so the supervisor can see when the criterion is met. The RBT reports that a target appears to have met criterion; the supervisor decides whether to mark it mastered, change the criterion or add generalization steps.
A criterion that is too low can move a skill to maintenance before it is fluent, and the skill may then fade. That is why the RBT should report targets that met criterion but are later missed during maintenance probes.
Example and non-example
| Example | A plan says a color-naming target is mastered at 80% or more correct independent responses in 2 consecutive sessions. The RBT records 85% on Monday and 90% on Wednesday, graphs both sessions and tells the supervisor the target has met the criterion. |
|---|---|
| Non-example | An RBT decides a client "clearly knows" a target after one good session and stops teaching it. No preset criterion was applied, and the decision belonged to the supervisor. |
Don't confuse it with
| Trials to criterion | Trials-to-criterion is a measure of how many trials it took to reach a criterion, while the mastery criterion is the standard itself. |
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| Maintenance | Maintenance is the continued performance of a skill after teaching ends; the mastery criterion is the point that usually triggers the move to maintenance. |
Test yourself
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Question 1While entering today's data, an RBT thinks the client may have met the mastery criterion for a target. What should the RBT do?
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D: Enter the data as usual and tell the supervisor. The RBT records accurate data and reports what they see. Deciding that a target is mastered and moving it to maintenance is the supervisor's decision.
- A: Changing the phase is a plan change that the supervisor makes, not the RBT.
- B: Stopping a target changes the plan without the supervisor's direction.
- C: Holding back data delays the graph the supervisor needs to make the decision.
Task A.4 · 40-hour curriculum section C
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Question 2The mastery criterion is 90% or higher for 3 consecutive sessions. A client's percentages correct across sessions 1 through 8 were 70, 80, 90, 95, 85, 90, 100, and 90. In which session did the client meet the criterion?
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C: Session 8. Sessions 3 and 4 were at 90% or higher, but session 5 (85%) broke the streak. Sessions 6, 7 and 8 are the first three consecutive sessions at 90% or higher, so the criterion was met in session 8.
- A: Only two consecutive sessions (3 and 4) were at 90% or higher at that point.
- B: Session 5 was 85%, below the criterion, which ended the streak.
- D: By session 7, only two consecutive sessions (6 and 7) met the criterion.
Task A.6 · 40-hour curriculum section C
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Question 3A client needed 45 trials to reach the mastery criterion on Target A and 20 trials on Target B. What does this trials-to-criterion summary show?
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C: The client met criterion on Target B in fewer trials. Trials to criterion counts how many trials were needed to reach the criterion. Fewer trials means the target was learned with less practice.
- A: Target A needed 45 trials, more than the 20 for Target B.
- B: Trials to criterion does not report percentage correct.
- D: The summary gives the number of trials needed, not how strict each criterion is.
Task A.6 · 40-hour curriculum section C
Answer every question to see your score.
On the RBT exam
This term belongs to task C.9 Maintenance vs. acquisition in content area C, Behavior Acquisition, which is 19 of the 75 scored questions.