Depth of Knowledge and the Cognitive Rigor Matrix

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Overview of Depth of Knowledge What is Depth of Knowledge (DOK)?

> Depth of Knowledge (DOK) is a measure of cognitive demand required by a question, assignment, task, assessment, etc.

How is DOK used?> DOK is made up of four levels that help identify the complexity of

the cognitive demand of what is being asked of students.

Why should we consider using it?• DOK is based on the research of Norman Webb, University of

Wisconsin Center for Education Research and the National Institute for Science Education

• Has been widely used to guide assessment development for classroom, school, state, and national assessments (e.g., NAEP)

• Can refine our understanding of what we mean by a more “rigorous task” and/or “cognitively demanding” task

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1956 2001Knowledge -- Define, duplicate, label, list, name, order, recognize, relate, recall

Remember -- Retrieve knowledge from long-term memory, recognize, recall, locate, identify

Comprehension -- Classify, describe, discuss, explain, express, identify, indicate, locate, recognize, report, review, select, translate

Understand -- Construct meaning, clarify, paraphrase, represent, translate, illustrate, give examples, classify, categorize, summarize, generalize, predict…

Application -- Apply, choose, demonstrate, dramatize, employ, illustrate, interpret, practice, write

Apply -- Carry out or use a procedure in a given situation; carry out or use /apply to an unfamiliar task

Analysis -- Analyze, appraise, explain calculate, categorize, compare, criticize, discriminate, examine

Analyze -- Break into constituent parts, determine how parts relate

Synthesis -- Rearrange, assemble, collect, compose, create, design, develop, formulate, manage, write

Evaluate -- Make judgments based on criteria, check, detect inconsistencies/fallacies, critique

Evaluation -- Appraise, argue, assess, choose, compare, defend, estimate, explain, judge, predict, rate, core, select, support, value

Create -- Put elements together to form a coherent whole, reorganize elements into new patterns/ structures

Bloom – 1956 to 2001

Limits of Bloom

> Describe the process of photosynthesis.

> Describe how two political parties are alike and different.

> Describe the most significant effect of WWII on the nations of Europe.

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Webb’s Depth-of-Knowledge Levels

DOK-1 – Recall & Reproduction - Recall of a fact, term, principle, concept, or perform a routine procedure

DOK-2 - Basic Application of Skills/Concepts - Use of information, conceptual knowledge, select appropriate procedures for a task, two or more steps with decision points along the way, routine problems, organize/display data, interpret/use simple graphs

DOK-3 - Strategic Thinking - Requires reasoning, developing a plan or sequence of steps to approach problem; requires some decision making and justification; abstract, complex, or non-routine; often more than one possible answer

DOK-4 - Extended Thinking - An investigation or application to real world; requires time to research, problem solve, and process multiple conditions of the problem or task; non-routine manipulations, across disciplines/content areas/multiple sources

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Depth of Knowledge: Science

Level 1 — Identify the tree.

Level 2 — Explain the function of the leaves.

Level 3 — Explain how a drought might affect the growth of the tree.

Level 4 — Design an investigation of seedling growth to determine the best fertilizer for this type of tree.

Depth of Knowledge: ELA

Level 1 — Identify the main characters in this story.

Level 2 — Which of the following best describes the main characters’ feelings about each other?

Level 3 — Why do the main characters conflict?

Level 4 — Interview your friends to compare how they deal with problems with other people.

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VERB LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 LEVEL 3 LEVEL 4

List

List three properties that can be used to classify objects.

List three groups in which a wooden object could be classified.

List three unique objects and the physical properties that would prevent each of the objects from sharing a category with any of the others.

List the design steps (including the controlled variables) you would take to investigate the best material for a specific purpose. Provide evidence from your investigation to support your conclusions.

Describe

Describe characteristics of metamorphic rocks.

Describe the differences between metamorphic and igneous rocks.

Describe a model that you might use to represent the relationships that exist within the rock cycle.

Describe the approach you would take to ensure that the rock samples you collect are truly representative of the geologic diversity of Kentucky.

Examples of Increasing Cognitive Complexity

Cognitive Rigor Matrix

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Depth + thinking

Level 1Recall & Reproduction

Level 2Skills & Concepts/Basic Reasoning

Level 3Strategic Thinking/Reasoning

Level 4 Extended Thinking

Remember •Recall, locate basic facts, details, events

Understand •Select appropriate words to use when intended meaning is clearly evident

•Specify, explain relationships•Summarize•Identify main idea

•Explain, generalize, or connect ideas using supporting evidence (quote, example)

•Explain how concepts or ideas specifically related to other domains or concepts

Apply •Use language structure (pre/suffix) or word relationships (syn/ant) to determine meaning

•Use context to identify meaning of word•Obtain and interpret information using text features

•Use concepts to solve non-routine problems

•Devise an approach among many alternative to research a novel problem

Analyze •Identify whether information is contained in a graph, table, etc.

•Compare literary elements, terms, facts, events•Analyze format, organization, & text structures

•Analyze or interpret author’s craft (literary devices, viewpoint, or potential bias) to critique a text

•Analyze multiple sources•Analyze complex/abstract themes

Evaluate •Cite evidence and develop a logical argument for conjectures

•Evaluate relevancy, accuracy, & completeness of information

Create •Brainstorm ideas about a topic

•Generate conjectures based on observations or prior knowledge

•Synthesize information within one source or text

•Synthesize information across multiple sources or texts

Curriculum

DOK

1-4 DOK

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Weaving DOK into our current units of study and curriculum maps can help schools transition to the CCSS…

College & Career Trajectory