Depth of Knowledge
Depth of Knowledge is the degree of depth or complexity of knowledge standards and assessments require; this criterion is met if the assessment is as demanding cognitively as the expectations standards are set for students.
Depth of Knowledge: Why?
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) now requires states to align their assessments “with the depth and breadth of the state’s academic content standards at all grade levels.” (U.S. Department of Education, 2003, p.12)
There are four levels
DOK 1: (recall) Recall - Recall or recognition of a fact, information, concept, or procedure.
DOK 2: (skill/concept) Basic application of Skills and Concepts - Use of information, conceptual knowledge, following or selecting appropriate procedures, two or more steps with decision points along the way, routine problems, organizing/displaying data.
DOK 3: (strategic thinking) Strategic Thinking - Requires reasoning, developing a plan or sequence of steps to approach a problem; requires some decision making and justification; abstract and complex; often having more than one possible answer.
DOK 4: (extended thinking) Extended Thinking - An investigation or application to real work; requires time to research, think, and process multiple conditions of the problem or task non-routine manipulations, across disciplines/content areas/multiple sources, requires complex reasoning, planning, developing most usually over an extended period of time.
DOK and Assessment
“Firm evidence shows that formative assessment is an essential component of classroom work and that its development can raise standards of achievement.”
P. Black & D. Williams (1998) inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment. Phi Delta Kappa, 80(2)
Resources
Depth of Knowledge with Karin Hess from DOE on Vimeo.