Understanding Depth of Knowledge

North Middle/High School (OCSD5)

Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy • Remember– Retrieve knowledge from long-term memory, recognize,

recall, locate, identify

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

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

• Analyze – Break into constituent parts, determine how parts relate

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

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

Depth of Knowledge (DOK)

• Adapted from the model used by Norm Webb, University of Wisconsin, to align standards with assessments

• Used by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) for assessment alignment

Why Depth of Knowledge?

• No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requires assessments to “measure the depth and breadth of the state academic content standards for a given grade level” (U.S. Department of Education, 2003, p. 12)

What is Depth of Knowledge?• The degree of depth or complexity of

knowledge reflected in the content standards and assessments

• How deeply a student needs to understand the content for a given response/assessment

Webb’s DOK Levels

• Level 1 Recall and Reproduction• Level 2 Skills & Concepts• Level 3 Strategic Thinking• Level 4 Extended Thinking

Depth of Knowledge LevelsLevel 1: RecallRecall, recognition; skill, behavior or sequence of behaviors learned through practice and easily performed

Level 2: Skill/ConceptEngagement of some mental processing beyond recalling; the use of information or conceptual knowledge; requires making some decisions regarding how to approach a question or problem

Level 3: Strategic Thinking More sophisticated reasoning and analysis; deep understanding; students are required to solve problems & draw conclusions

Level 4: Extended ThinkingRequires integration of knowledge from multiple sources and the ability to represent knowledge in a variety of ways; it usually requires work over an extended period of time

DOK Level 1 Examples

• List animals that survive by eating other animals.• Locate or recall facts explicitly found in text• Describe physical features of places• Determine the perimeter or area of rectangles

given a drawing or labels• Identify elements of music using musical

terminology• Identify basic rules for participating in simple

games and activities

DOK Level 2 Examples• Compare desert and tropical environments• Identify and summarize the major events,

problem, solution, conflicts in literary text• Explain the cause and effect of historical events• Predict a logical outcome based on information

in a reading selection• Explain how good work habits are important at

home, school, and on the job.• Classify plane and three dimensional figures• Describe various styles of music

DOK Level 3 Examples• Compare consumer actions and analyze

how these actions impact the environment• Analyze or evaluate the effectiveness of

literary elements (e.g. characterization, setting, point of view, conflict and resolution, plot structures)

• Solve a multiple-step problem and provide support with a mathematical explanation that justifies the answer

DOK Level 3 Examples

• Develop a scientific model for a complex idea

• Propose and evaluate solutions for an economic problem

• Explain, generalize or connect ideas, using supporting evidence from a text or source

• Create a dance that represents the characteristics of a culture

Understanding Depth of Knowledge

• DOK is about intended outcome, not 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.

Understanding Depth of Knowledge

Difficulty is a reference to how many students answer a question correctly:

• How many of you know the definition of exaggerate? DOK 1 - recall

If all of you know the definition, this question is an easy question.

• How many of you know the definition of prescient? DOK 1 - recall

If most of you do not know the definition, this question is a difficult question.

Copyright © 2007 Mississippi Department of Education

Understanding Depth of Knowledge

• Words like explain or analyze have to be considered in context.

“Explain to me where you live” does not raise the DOK of a simple rote response.

Even if the student has to use addresses or landmarks, the student is doing nothing more than recalling and reciting.

Copyright © 2007 Mississippi Department of Education

Is DOK different from Bloom’s Taxonomy?

• The Depth of Knowledge is NOT determined by the verb, but the context in which the verb is used and the depth of thinking required.

DOK is about depth & complexity – not difficulty!DOK 3-Describe a model that you might use to represent the relationships that exist within the rock cycle. (Requires deep understanding of the rock cycle and a determination of how best to represent it)

DOK 2-Describe the difference between metamorphic and igneous rocks. (Requires cognitive processing to determine the differences in the two rock types)

DOK 1-Describe three characteristics of metamorphic rocks. (Simple recall)

Same verb—used at all three DOK levels

Caution!

• The Depth of Knowledge is NOT determined by the verb, but the context in which the verb is used and the depth of thinking required.

To Summarize…

• Depth of Knowledge (DOK) is a scale of cognitive demand.

• DOK requires looking at the assessment item/standard in order to determine the level.

• DOK is about the item/standard-not the students’ ability.

• The context of the assessment item/standard must be considered to determine the DOK-not just a look at what verb was chosen.

Hess’ Cognitive Rigor Matrix:Depth + Bloom’s

Level 1Recall & Reproduction

Level 2Basic Skills &Concepts

Level 3 Strategic Thinking & Reasoning

Level 4 Extended Thinking

Remember Recall, locate basic facts, details, events

UnderstandSelect appropriate words to use when intended meaning is clearly evident

Specify, explain relationships, summarize, identify main ideas

Explain, generalize, or connect ideas using supporting evidence

Explain how concepts or ideas specifically relate to other content domains or concepts

ApplyUse language structure or word relationships to determine meaning

Use contest to identify meaning of word, obtain and interpret information using text features

Use concepts to solve non-routine problems

Devise an approach among many alternatives to research a novel problem

AnalyzeIdentify whether information is contained in a graph, table, etc.

Compare literacy elements, terms, facts, events, analyze format, organization, & text structures

Analyze or interpret author’s craft to critique a text

Analyze multiple sources or texts Analyze complex/ abstract themes

EvaluateCite 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

Synthesis information within one source of text

Synthesize information across multiple sources or texts

Questions, Comments, and Suggestions

Please forward them to edward.murray@ocsd5.net

See the examples in the next four slides (by subject area) and let me know if you cannot

identify the appropriate DOK level.

Same VERB – three DOK LevelsScience

• DOK? – Describe a model that you might use to represent the relationships that exist within the rock cycle

• DOK ? – Describe the differences between metamorphic and igneous rocks

• DOK ? – Describe three characteristics of metamorphic rocks

Same VERB – three DOK LevelsSocial Studies

• DOK ?  examine the amendment process of the West Virginia Constitution, give examples of amendments and explain why they occurred. 

• DOK ?   explain how nations benefit when they resolve conflicts peacefully.        

• DOK ? Use correct geographic terminology to explain direction, location, time zones, physical features of the earth.

Same VERB – three DOK levelsSecondary Mathematics

• DOK ? Explain what family of functions would best model a particular real-world situation.

• DOK ? Explain the difference between a linear and a quadratic function.

• DOK ? Explain how the “vertical line test is useful in determining whether or not a given graph is representing a function.

Same VERB – three DOK levelsElementary Mathematics

• DOK ? Determine the formula for the area of a rectangle and explain reasoning through modeling

• DOK ? Demonstrate and model multiplication (repeated addition, arrays) and division (repeated subtraction, partitioning)

• DOK ? Model, describe, and draw – lines, rays, angles including right, obtuse, and acute angles.