DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE (DOK)What are students being asked to do? How complex is the student thinking?

Depth of Knowledge (DOK) is

• A scale of cognitive demand (thinking) to align standards with assessments

• Descriptive of the task students are being asked to do

• Based on the research of Norman Webb, University of Wisconsin Center for Education Research and the National Institute for Science Education

Not the same as difficulty

To align instructional activities with the cognitive rigor needed to master the standards

Is used by Smarter Balanced to indicate the complexity of the assessment task/item

Will be used to develop new NGSS assessments

Applicable to all subject areas and at all grade levels

Varying Level of Cognitive DemandELA

Retell or summarize Little Red Riding Hood in your own words.

What is your opinion about the intelligence of the wolf (in Little Red Riding Hood)? Justify using details/evidence from the story.

Varying Level of Cognitive Demand

Mathematics

Is 4/5 closer to 1 than 5/4?

4/5 is closer to 1 than 5/4. Show why this is true on a number line.

How are the new assessments changing?

MATHEMATICS ELA / LITERACY

DOK 3 DOK 4 DOK 3 DOK 4

Current Assessments <2% 0% 20% 2%

New SBAC Assessments 49% 21% 43% 25%

Yuan & Le (2012); Herman & Linn (2013), from Linda Darling-Hammond Assembly Testimony, 3.6.13

Smarter Balanced Depth of Knowledge Goals for Items

• Write a definition of Cognitive Rigor on your DOK note-taking guide.

• Read “Worldwide Loss of Bees”– develop one basic question and one “rigorous” question.

• Share your questions with a partner

Rating Depth of Knowledge (DOK)

In your classroom:• What part of your classroom instruction is spent in each

DOK Level?

• Which DOK levels are assessments focused on?

• What lessons / activities engage students in the different DOK Levels?

• What DOK level would you assign your “Ant and The Grasshopper” questions?

Webb’s 4 Levels of Cognitive Complexity

• DOK 1: Recall & Reproduction• DOK 2: Basic Application of Skills/Concepts• DOK 3: Strategic Thinking and Reasoning• DOK 4: Extended Thinking

LEVEL 1: RECALL • Requires recall of information, such as a fact, definition, term, or simple procedure and/or performing simple procedures.

• Involves only basic initial comprehension, not an analysis or interpretation.

• Students are to work with specific facts or definitions. The activity requires a shallow understanding of the topic or text.

LEVEL 2: Skills and Concepts •Includes the engagement of some mental processing beyond recalling or reproducing a response

•Items require students to make some decisions as to how to approach the question or problem

• Actions imply more than one mental or cognitive process/step

Recall vs. Skills & ConceptsMATH

How many minutes did it take Selena to do 3 problems?

Selena continues to work at the same rate. How many problems will she do in 40 minutes?

Selena’s

Recall vs. Skills & ConceptsScience

Identify parts of the cell

Distinguish between a plant cell and an animal cell

LEVEL 3: Strategic Thinking •Requires deep understanding exhibited through planning, using evidence, and more demanding cognitive reasoning

• The cognitive demands are complex and abstract

• An assessment item that has more than one possible answer and requires students to justify the response would most likely be a Level 3

3. Strategic ThinkingMathematics

Solve a multi-step problem, and provide support with a mathematical explanation that justifies the answer.

Beto and Jose were playing a game. At the end of each game, the loser gave the winner a penny. After a while, Jose won 3 games and Beto had 3 more pennies than he did when he began. How many games did they play.

3. Strategic Thinking

A species may become extinct if environmental changes occur and the species does not adapt quickly enough to the changes.

1. Identify an environmental change that might cause a species to become extinct and identify a species that would likely be affected by such a change.

2. Describe how extinction of one species can affect other organisms in the ecosystem

Extended Thinking: Level 4

•Requires high cognitive demand and is very complex•Students are expected to make connections, relate ideas within the content or among content areas, and select or devise one approach among many alternatives on how the situation can be solved

•Due to the complexity of cognitive demand, DOK 4 often requires an extended period of time

Extended Thinking

ELA/ScienceConstruct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity. (NGSS HS-ESS3-1.)

Extended Thinking

ScienceEvaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.*(NGSS MS-LS2-5.)

Task Thinking DOK Level

Collecting data samples over several months Recall 1

Organizing data in a chart Skills / Concept 2Using charts and graphs to make predictions and justify conclusions with evidence

Strategic Thinking 3

Developing a generalized model from data, graphs and analysis and applying it to a new situation or to solve a new problem

Extended thinking 4

DOK an Introduction• Take a few minutes to read through the descriptions or bullets for the levels of DOK 1-4 in Science

How does your original definition of Cognitive Rigor Change?

Rate the Examples Level of DOK• Compare and contrast desert and tropical climates.

• After observing a creek bed over time and analyzing data, solve a problem to improve the ecosystem.

• Use a glossary to define the term evaporation

• Explain the cause-effect relationship of dropping an object from different heights

Try it!

Rate the Examples Level of DOK• Identify the elements in Nitric Acid

• Evaluate the validity and reliability of claims in published materials of the effects that different frequencies of electromagnetic radiation have when absorbed by matter.

•Construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships.

Try it!

Rate the Level of DOK• Draw and label a diagram that shows

how a mid-ocean ridge forms and describe two possible consequences that the formation of mid-ocean ridges has on other locations on Earth

• Complete research regarding Organic, GMO and other agricultural practices. Compare legislation from around the world. Create a document with your point of view.

• Determine the average speed of an object when given the distance it travels in a specific amount of time

• Explain the process of radioactive decay

Try it!

The depth of knowledge level is NOT determined by

the verb, but by the context in which the verb is used

and the complexity of thinking required.

Depth of Knowledge

Same Verb – 3 Different Levels of DOKDOK 1- Describe three characteristics of

metamorphic rocks. (Requires simple recall) DOK 2- Describe the difference between

metamorphic and igneous rocks. (Requires cognitive processing to determine the differences in the two rock types)

DOK 3- Describe a model that you might use to represent the relationships that exist within the rock cycle. (Requires deep understanding of rock cycle and a determination of how best to represent it)

Caution 1

Sort the problems by DOK Levels

• Choose a set of cards

• With your partner, sort the 8 cards based on the DOK level

• Compare your results with your table partners

DOK is about intended outcomenot about Difficulty

DOK is a reference to the complexity of mental processing that must occur to answer a question, perform a task, or generate a product.

• Adding is a mental process• Knowing the rule for adding is the intended outcome

that influences the DOK• Once someone learns the “rule” of how to add, 4 +

4 is DOK 1 and is also easy• Adding 4,678,895 + 9,578,885 is still a DOK 1 but

may be more “difficult”

Points to Consider•DOK 1 + DOK 1 + DOK 1 = 1

• Depths of knowledge classification is based on the task, not the student

• DOK is different from task/item difficulty

•DOK is not a grade level indicator

• DOK ratings aid in alignment of standards and assessment, and therefore instruction

How Many of Each Type of Problem?

Colorado Department of Education

Creating DOK Questions and Activities

at all levels

DOK:• Questions at lower levels are usually more appropriate for:

• Evaluating students’ preparation and comprehension• Diagnosing students’ strengths and weaknesses• Reviewing and/or summarizing

• Usually questions at upper DOK levels are appropriate for:• Encouraging students to think deeply and critically• Problem solving• Encouraging Discussions• Stimulating students to seek information on their own

From Karin Hess

DOK 1, 2, 3, 4Level 1—Identify the tree

Level 2—Explain the functionof the leaves

Level 3—Explain how a drought might affect the growthof the treeLevel 4—Design an investigation of seedling growth to determine the best fertilizer for this type of tree.

Oak Tree

DOK 1, 2, 3 and 4

Level 1—Identify this utensil

Level 2—

Level 3—

Level 4—

Reflect on your learning…

• Revisit your definition of rigor – has it changed or been refined? How?

• What is one way you might apply these ideas to your work?

• How might you shift your classroom instructional and assessment practices?

• What existing materials could you examine for a range of cognitive rigor?

From Karin Hess

Questions and Thoughts

What questions and thoughts do you still have regarding DOK?