Need for a Common Vocabulary & Understandings

What is a course essential?

What are the criteria for a course essential?
How many essentials should there be?
How often should the essentials be assessed & charted?


Essentials Defined:
At its most basic level essentials (aka power standards) are the items teachers want their students
to know by the end of the course (either semester or year). These are items that will be retaught &
reassessed until they are learned. Essentials are more than minimum standards; They are the items
that students MUST know to be successful at the next level. Essentials find their power when
teachers guarantee that 90% of their students will know and be able to apply these concepts.
When this percentage is achieved, raise the bar.

A binder of 70 standards does not compose the essentials for a course. Sample fifth grade essentials
are listed on pp. 233-237 of Whatever It Takes by DuFour, DuFour, Eaker & Karhanek (2004).


What are the criteria for a course essential? Reeves identifies three criteria:
Endurance Are students expected to retain the skills/knowledge long after the test?
Leverage Is this skill/knowledge applicable in many disciplines?
Readiness for the next level Is the skill/knowledge preparing the student for success in the
next grade/course (2005b, pp. 50-52)
In addition, the more specific the essentials, the better the process of coordinating instruction,
creating multiple assessments, and developing interventions.


How many essentials should there be for a course?
These should be aligned with the state standards & district guides.
While the number of essentials may vary, consider 15-25 essentials per semester. The number
must be manageable meaning that teachers will be able to re-teach and re-assess the essentials
as needed.


How often should the essentials be assessed and charted?
In a response to a Fraser email that asked this question DuFour responded:
My advice, for what it is worth, is that the formative assessments must occur at least every
nine weeks. It is better if they don't all occur at the end of nine weeks, so you have to say
"within" each nine weeks. I would also agree to charting or identifying only the students
who failed to meet the identified standard for any of the skills assessed. So teams must look
student-by-student and skill-by-skill. I would also insist that the students who do not meet
standards are given additional time and support and another opportunity to demonstrate
learning. If this opportunity is not forthcoming, the test is summative rather than formative
(2006).