Handout #17
Cognitive Complexity of Instruction, Tasks and Assessments
Webb’s DOK Level 1
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Emphasis is on facts and
simple skills or abilities to
recall or locate facts verbatim
from the text. (e.g., What is
the capitol of Florida?)
Reproduction of previously
taught information such as a
fact, definition, term or a
simple procedure.
Simple steps, recipes, or
directions.
Requires reasoning which is
often to carry out some
procedure that can be
performed mechanically.
The focus is on basic initial
comprehension, not on
analysis or interpretation.
Items require only a
shallow/literal understanding
of text presented.
Students find “the right
answer,” and there is no
debating the “correctness,” it
is either right or wrong.
It is not left to the student to
come up with a low
complexity original method or
solution.
Webb’s DOK Level 2
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Requires both initial
comprehension and
subsequent processing of text
or portions of text.
Important concepts are
covered, but not in a complex
way and involve more flexible
thinking and choice among
alternatives than low
complexity items.
Items at this level may include
words such as paraphrase,
summarize, interpret, infer,
classify, organize, collect,
display, compare, and
determine whether fact or
opinion. (e.g., What is the
difference between a tornado
and a hurricane?)
Requires a response that goes
beyond the habitual, is not
specified, and ordinarily has
more than a single step.
The student is expected to
decide what to do—using
informal methods of
reasoning and problemsolving strategies—and to
bring together skill and
knowledge from various
domains.
Students must explain “how”
or “why” and often estimate
or interpret to respond.
One right answer.
Webb’s DOK Level 3
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Strategic reasoning and
thinking where students must
reason or plan to find an
acceptable solution to a
problem.
Requires deep knowledge,
complex or abstract thinking,
and application of knowledge
or skill in a new and unique
situation (e.g., Review
hurricane occurrences over
the past five years in Florida.
Analyze the effects of the
hurricanes. Hypothesize the
impact on the environment.)
Students need to provide
support for thinking,
reasoning or conclusions and
are encouraged to go beyond
the text to explain, generalize
or connect ideas by citing
references from the text or
other sources.
Items involve abstract theme
identification and inferences
between or across passages,
Students’ application of prior
knowledge, or text support
for an analytical judgment
made about a text.
More than one correct
response or approach is
possible.
Webb’s DOK Level 4
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Requires extended
complex/abstract reasoning,
planning, developing,
analysis, judgment and
creative thinking (generally
over extended periods of
time) where students typically
identify a problem, plan a
course of action, enact that
plan, and make decisions
based on collected data.
Students often connect
multiple content areas to
come up with unique and
creative solutions (e.g.,
Conduct a project that
requires specifying a problem,
designing and conducting an
experiment, analyzing its
data, and reporting
results/solutions.)
Students may be asked to
relate concepts within the
content area and around
other content areas.
Students make real-world
applications in new situations.
Assessment activities have
multiple steps with extended
time provided.
Multiple solutions are
possible.
Requires an investigation;
time to think and process
multiple conditions of the
Handout #17
problem or task.
Instruction and Questioning
Tasks and Assessments
Indicate the Level of Complexity of:
(E) Examples
(Q) Questions
(M) Models
(R) Responses
Indicate the Level of Complexity of:
(T) Tasks
(A) Assessments
Class 1
Class 1
Class 2
Class 2
Class 3
Class 3
Class 4
Class 4
Class 5
Class 5