Essential Learning identifies components that support a team’s SMART goals.  In Learning by Doing, the definition of essential learning standards is offered in response to the question, “What is it we want our students to learn?”  Robert Marzano contends that when states develop curriculum standards they may publish 150 standards that require 750 separate skill sets.  The broad standards focus in the United States and has led some to say that our curriculum is “a mile wide and an inch deep.”  Can we as teachers rewrite or identify a subset of the state standards that are critical for a student’s progression to the next level?  This subset of skills and concepts is known as the essential learning.  Dr. Eaker refers to these as “power standards.” 

Doug Reeves (2002) provides insight that may be helpful to selecting essential learning skills. 

• Does it have endurance?  Do we really expect our student to retain the knowledge and the skills over time as opposed to merely learning it for a test? 
• Does it have leverage?  Will proficiency in this standard help the student in other areas of the curriculum and other academic disciplines?
• Does it develop student readiness for the next level of learning?  Is it essential for success in the next unit, course, or grade level?

From experience, teachers are aware of skills/concepts that a student should know at the end of a learning period.  Therefore, teams should align subject level essential learning to state standards (http://www.state.tn.us/education/ci/standards/) as well as standards the team members know from experience are critical to each student’s success in subsequent courses.

Examples of mathematical Essential Learning:

From a 4th grade mathematics standard:  (This standard could also be divided into more than one standard at the team’s discretion.)

• The student will demonstrate understanding of the concepts of length, perimeter, and area.

From an Algebra I state standard:

• The student will describe the transformation of the graph that occurs when coefficients and/or constants of the corresponding linear equations are changed.

Sixth grade language arts:

• Use active comprehension strategies to derive meaning while reading and to check for understanding.