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Quality Assessment and DoK
Summary: This training covers designing high-quality assessments and using Webb’s Depth of Knowledge framework to ensure cognitive rigor. Educators will learn to create well-aligned assessments that measure not just recall but deeper understanding, and to apply DoK levels in crafting questions and tasks that engage higher-order thinking.
Summary: This training covers designing high-quality assessments and using Webb’s Depth of Knowledge framework to ensure cognitive rigor. Educators will learn to create well-aligned assessments that measure not just recall but deeper understanding, and to apply DoK levels in crafting questions and tasks that engage higher-order thinking.
Resources:
Resources:
Inside Webb’s Depth of Knowledge – Edutopia (Norman Webb, 2023): An explainer by the creator of DoK clearing up misconceptions about rigor. Webb distinguishes between a task’s difficulty and its complexity (How to Use Norman Webb’s Depth of Knowledge | Edutopia) and shows how using DoK levels helps teachers align assessments with the cognitive demands of standards. This article helps educators evaluate and elevate the complexity of their questions and activities (e.g. moving from basic recall to strategic thinking).
Designing Quality Classroom Assessments – AMLE (2021): A practitioner’s guide with “dos and don’ts” for meaningful assessment design. It emphasizes starting with clear learning goals and DoK in mind, using a mix of item types, providing rubrics and feedback, and aligning formative checks with summatives (The Dos and Don’ts of Creating Meaningful Assessments - AMLE). Following these best practices leads to assessments that truly reflect student learning and support growth.
High-Quality Assessment Content (McGraw-Hill) – A whitepaper outlining five features of quality assessments. Notably, it highlights matching question types to Depth of Knowledge: “As you move up the DOK scale…selected-response items are no longer sufficient” (Layout 1). This resource reinforces using a variety of item formats (performance tasks, open-ended questions) to assess higher-level understanding and ensure validity and rigor in tests.
Webb’s DoK Guide & Cognitive Rigor Matrix – Karin Hess (Common Core Institute): A downloadable guide and set of matrices that integrate Bloom’s Taxonomy with DoK levels (hess_Module1_4272015_v3_no_page#.indd). Teachers can use these tools to develop questions and assessment tasks at Levels 1–4 across subjects, from recalling facts to extended strategic thinking. The resource provides concrete examples and question stems to evaluate the depth of students’ knowledge and avoid the infamous “DOK Wheel” pitfalls.
Authentic Assessment
Summary: In this session, teachers learn to design authentic assessments for elective subjects (art, music, PE, etc.) that capture real-world skills and understanding. Traditional quizzes often fall short in these areas – so the focus is on performance tasks, portfolios, and other measures that reflect genuine student learning and application of skills beyond multiple-choice tests.
Summary: In this session, teachers learn to design authentic assessments for elective subjects (art, music, PE, etc.) that capture real-world skills and understanding. Traditional quizzes often fall short in these areas – so the focus is on performance tasks, portfolios, and other measures that reflect genuine student learning and application of skills beyond multiple-choice tests.
Resources:
Resources:
“The Case for Authentic Assessment” – Grant Wiggins (PARE journal) – Seminal article defining authentic assessment. Wiggins argues that assessment should require students to perform real-world tasks that demonstrate meaningful application of knowledge, rather than simply recall facts (The Case for Authentic Assessment. - Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation). This piece lays the theoretical groundwork, explaining why projects, portfolios, performances, and open-ended problems provide a more valid measure of intellectual achievement in any subject – including electives where creativity and practical skills are key.
“Using Portfolios to Assess Student Learning” – Edutopia – Article by Starr Sackstein (2024). Describes how student portfolios can replace standard tests to show growth and mastery over time. It offers practical advice on implementing portfolios – e.g. guiding students to “collect, select, reflect, connect” on their best work (Standards-Based Portfolio Assessment | Edutopia). This resource shows how portfolios make assessment more student-centered and meaningful, especially in electives (where creative process and skill progression are better captured through collected works).
“Ten Tips for Authentic Assessment” – Edutopia – Post highlighting School of the Future (NYC). Shares tips like breaking skill work into steps, working backward from real-world projects, and using engaging performances as assessments (Ten Takeaway Tips for Using Authentic Assessment in Your School | Edutopia). For example, one tip describes how a humanities class had students dress as ancient Egyptians and put on a play instead of taking a test. These tips illustrate how elective teachers can make assessments fun, rigorous, and rooted in real performances, thereby prioritizing depth of understanding and student buy-in.
“Digest #175: Authentic Assessments” – The Learning Scientists – A curated overview of research and examples on authentic assessment. It links to resources like Wiggins’ original article and a UK university’s guide, and emphasizes that authentic tasks mirror the complexity of real challenges, requiring students to apply knowledge creatively (Digest #175: Authentic Assessments — The Learning Scientists). The digest also notes that while authentic assessments are powerful, they require prior student knowledge and skills – reinforcing that electives should still teach fundamentals which students then apply in authentic projects.
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