What are Ohio’s science cognitive demands?
Appropriate use of the cognitive demands is essential for effective standards-based, learning-cycle
driven science instruction. The focus of these four cognitive demands is not to arrive at a hierarchy to
sort student work and describe assessment tasks based on various performance verbs.
The cognitive demands for science are briefly described in the blueprints for the state achievement
tests in science. They are also discussed as part of the program and planning for instruction described
in the Ohio Academic Content Standards, K-12 Science. The four Ohio science cognitive demands
and their implications for students and teachers are described below.
Recalling / Identifying Accurate Science
 Students provide and identify accurate statements about previously learned, scientifically valid
facts, concepts and relationships described by the Ohio Academic Content Standards, K-12
Science.
 Teachers use a variety of standards-based motivators to engage students’ thinking to help them
access previously learned science knowledge and skills.
Communicating Understanding / Analyzing Science Information
 Students analyze scientific information and communicate scientifically, given rich
investigative scenarios and valid scientific data and information.
 Teachers use questioning and solid understanding of science content and content-pedagogy to
facilitate students’ exploration of standards-based questions, challenge students’
misconceptions and help students develop scientifically valid conceptions and explanations.
Demonstrating Investigation Processes of Science
 Students use scientific inquiry skills, grounded in standards-based science content.
 Teachers integrate the teaching of benchmarks for Scientific Inquiry and Scientific Ways of
Knowing into opportunities for students to conduct investigations aligned with the content
standards.
Applying Concepts / Making Relevant Connections with Science
 Students apply science in the context of individuals and society and scientifically analyze
consequences and alternatives, given rich, real-world situations and technological problemsolving scenarios.
 Teachers integrate the teaching of benchmarks for Science and Technology, Scientific Inquiry
and Scientific Ways of Knowing into opportunities to help students contextualize and expand
their understanding of the science content standards.
Guide to Using Cognitive Demand to Reflect on Teaching and Learning
Task Criteria
Recalling/Identifying Accurate
Science
Does the task require students to recall,
identify or recognize accurate scientific
information;
AND
define, describe, relate, represent,
classify or verify that scientific
information?
Communicating Understanding /
Analyzing Science Information
Does the task require students to use
scientific information from investigative
scenarios, including experimental data
or valid and accurate scientific data;
AND
represent or model; explain, extract or
analyze; interpret data and draw
conclusions; generalize, evaluate,
justify, compare, contrast or classify to
answer scientific questions?
Demonstrating Investigation
Processes of Science
Student Performance
 Accurately recalls, identifies
 Correctly describes, verifies
 Recognizes and/or classifies scientific
information and/or relationships
 Demonstrates depth of knowledge
 Demonstrates ability to use prior science
knowledge
 Differentiates fact from fiction
Reflection on Learning
How does the student
demonstrate that he/she knows
science?
 Accurately interprets information provided
 Correctly identifies, describes, classifies,
compares/contrasts to demonstrate
understanding of science concepts
 Diagrams or models to communicate
understanding of concepts
 Identifies, extracts, interprets, justifies,
concludes, infers, detects patterns,
demonstrates deductive and inductive
reasoning
 Correctly applies appropriate mathematical
reasoning to explain science concepts
 Distinguishes observation from inference
 Formulates and/or identifies clear,
researchable scientific questions
 Uses appropriate tools to address or resolve
questions with methods that generate valid
data; specifies variables and controls
 Proposes future procedures that are linked to
previous steps
 Makes logical predictions linked to
investigative procedures and available data
How does the student analyze
and communicate his/her
thinking about scientific
information?
Does the task require students to
demonstrate knowledge of how a
scientific task is performed in an
experimental or investigative scenario;
AND
collect relevant data, reason logically,
devise hypotheses, make predictions,
design and/or systematically evaluate
experiments and/or identify appropriate
use of tools?
Applying Concepts / Making Relevant  Identifies and describes relevant applications
Connections with Science
to personal/societal issues using sciencebased evidence
Does the task require students to think
 Identifies and discusses consequences and
scientifically in the context of the
alternatives
individual and society;
 Provides solutions that contain accurately
AND
identified and discussed science connections
apply information, illustrate with
relevant to appropriate scientific and
examples, find solutions, analyze and
technological principles
interpret problems, consider
 Distinguishes inference from opinion
consequences and alternatives, and/or
integrate and synthesize scientific
information?
o Accurate facts
o Science concepts
o Relationships
o Organization
o Analyses, conclusions and
evidence
o Trends and patterns
How does the student show
that he/she can plan and
conduct meaningful scientific
investigations?
o
o
o
o
Scientific questions
Methods and tools
Future steps
Predictions
How does the student
demonstrate an understanding
of science applications and
how science connects to
individuals and society?
o Solutions
o Consequences
o Alternatives