Mastery interpretation The ARIK-A may be used to develop a profile of strengths and
weaknesses for individual adult educators by evaluating mastery on each scale, a type of
ipsative or within-the-individual comparison. Easy-to-use tables in the manual can be used
to calculate and plot percentage mastery on each scale and the global scales (Basic,
Advanced, and Composite). For example, if an examinee demonstrates 90 % mastery on
the Alphabetics, Fluency, and Vocabulary scales, but only 65 % mastery on the Comprehension
scale and 68 % mastery of the Assessment scale, that examinee might make
instructional goals consistent with mastering more comprehension and assessment content
(e.g., attend workshops, take university coursework, read in these areas, consult with
colleagues). Importantly, as is the case for any test, percentage mastery reflects “relative
mastery,” (i.e., mastery of the content assessed on the ARIK-A) and does not represent
mastery in a finite sense (i.e., mastery of the total knowledge of the field).