What is Depth of Knowledge (DOK)?

Depth of Knowledge (DOK) is a concept, framework, and language developed by Norman Webb that describes how deeply students must demonstrate and discuss their learning. It is not a taxonomy or hierarchy — it is a measure of the cognitive demand required by a learning task, standard, or assessment. DOK has four levels: Recall and Reproduction, Skills and Concepts, Strategic Thinking and Reasoning, and Extended Thinking.

What are Webb's DOK Levels?

Webb's DOK Levels — developed by Dr. Norman Webb — describe four distinct ways students can demonstrate and discuss their learning. DOK Level 1 (Recall and Reproduction) requires students to recall facts, definitions, or procedures. DOK Level 2 (Skills and Concepts) requires students to apply skills and use conceptual knowledge. DOK Level 3 (Strategic Thinking and Reasoning) requires students to reason, plan, justify, and use evidence. DOK Level 4 (Extended Thinking) requires students to synthesize and apply knowledge across multiple contexts over extended time. The levels are not a hierarchy — the goal is alignment between the cognitive demand of the standard and the cognitive demand of instruction and assessment.

What are the four DOK levels?

The four Depth of Knowledge levels are: DOK Level 1 (Recall and Reproduction) — requires students to recall facts, definitions, or procedures; DOK Level 2 (Skills and Concepts) — requires students to apply skills and use conceptual knowledge; DOK Level 3 (Strategic Thinking and Reasoning) — requires students to reason, plan, and justify; DOK Level 4 (Extended Thinking) — requires students to synthesize and apply knowledge across multiple contexts over extended time.

What is Cognitive Rigor?

Cognitive Rigor is a concept developed by Dr. Karin Hess that combines Bloom's Revised Taxonomy with Webb's DOK Levels. It measures two dimensions of a learning task simultaneously: the type of thinking required (Bloom's Taxonomy) and the depth and complexity of that thinking (Webb's DOK Levels). A task can require high-level Bloom's thinking at a low DOK level — for example, a student who creates a poster by copying information from a single source is using Bloom's 'Create' at DOK Level 1. Cognitive Rigor helps educators design learning experiences that are both cognitively demanding in type and depth.

What is the difference between DOK and Bloom's Taxonomy?

Bloom's Taxonomy categorizes the type of thinking required by a task — from remembering to creating. Depth of Knowledge (DOK) describes the depth and complexity of thinking required — how deeply students must engage with content. A task can require high-level Bloom's thinking at a low DOK level, or low-level Bloom's thinking at a high DOK level. They measure different dimensions of cognitive demand.

What are the common misconceptions about Depth of Knowledge?

Common misconceptions about DOK include: DOK is a taxonomy like Bloom's (it is not — it is a framework for cognitive demand); DOK levels are a hierarchy where higher is always better (they are not — the appropriate DOK level depends on the standard and learning goal); DOK is determined by the verb in a standard (it is not — DOK is determined by the context and complexity of the entire task); and all students should always work at DOK Level 3 or 4 (the goal is alignment, not always reaching the highest level).

How is Depth of Knowledge used in education?

Depth of Knowledge is used in education as a framework for alignment studies — ensuring that academic standards, assessments, and instructional tasks require the same level of cognitive demand. Teachers use DOK to design learning experiences that challenge students to think deeply, and administrators use it to evaluate whether curriculum and assessments are aligned to the rigor of state and national standards.

Who is Erik M. Francis and what is his work on DOK?

Erik M. Francis is an internationally recognized educational consultant, author, and speaker recognized by Global Gurus as one of the world's Top 30 Education Professionals. He is the author of Deconstructing Depth of Knowledge, which redefines DOK as a concept, framework, and language for deeper teaching and learning. Through Maverik Education, he provides professional development on DOK, inquiry-based learning, and instructional leadership for K-12 schools and districts.

What is the DOK wheel and should teachers use it?

The DOK wheel is a visual tool that lists verbs associated with each Depth of Knowledge level. While widely used, it is often misapplied — teachers use the verb alone to determine DOK level, which leads to misalignment. Erik M. Francis argues that DOK is determined by the context and cognitive demand of the entire task, not just the verb. The wheel can be a starting point but should not be used as the sole determinant of DOK level.

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What Is Depth of Knowledge?

CONCEPT

Depth of Knowledge (DOK) clarifies the cognitive demand of learning expectations and experiences based on the complexity of the content students must learn and the context in which students must understand and use their learning.

FRAMEWORK

The DOK Levels describe four different and distinct ways students can be engaged and expected to demonstrate and discuss the depth and extent of their learning. It is not a taxonomy that categorizes types of thinking or cognitive action verbs.

LANGUAGE

The language of Depth of Knowledge (DOK) specifies what exactly and how deeply students must comprehend and communicate their learning to demonstrate proficiency and perform successfully.

WARNING!

Do Not Use the DOK Wheel

Dr. Norman Webb, who developed the concept and framework of Depth of Knowledge, has publicly refuted the DOK Wheel as an inaccurate representation of DOK as a concept and framework.

Read Norman Webb's Refutation

Watch & Learn

DOK Videos

What Is Depth of Knowledge?

Learn how Depth of Knowledge (DOK) clarifies the cognitive demand of student learning expectations and experiences.

What Are the DOK Levels?

Learn how the DOK Levels describe four distinct ways students can demonstrate and discuss the depth and extent of their learning.

What Is the Language of DOK?

Learn how Depth of Knowledge (DOK) specifies what exactly and how deeply students must comprehend and communicate their learning.

Why Is the DOK Wheel Inaccurate?

Learn why the DOK Wheel does not determine the level of Depth of Knowledge (DOK) correctly and completely.

Deconstructing Depth of Knowledge

Learn what distinguishes Depth of Knowledge (DOK) as a concept, framework, and language for teaching and learning.

A Conversation with Erik M. Francis

Learn how Erik M. Francis extended Depth of Knowledge (DOK) into a method and model for teaching and learning.

Read & Explore

DOK Articles and Blogs

How to Deconstruct Then Reconstruct Depth of Knowledge

Depth of Knowledge (DOK) continues to be a focus and priority in education — especially now as schools and staff strive to plan and provide teaching and learning experiences that are academically rigorous and effectively responsive. However, there is new information about DOK as a concept and framework that must cause us to not only rethink what exactly DOK is but also reconsider how it could be utilized accurately and appropriately in instruction, learning, and assessment.

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DOK Part 1: How to Align Standards, Activities, Assessments, and AI

E-marketplaces and generative artificial intelligence (AI) platforms have emerged as popular resources and repositories for teachers. However, how closely do those activities and assessments address the learning expectation of a specific standard? Learn how Depth of Knowledge serves as a criterion for determining the degree of alignment — or DOK consistency — between academic standards, curricular activities, assessment items, and instructional practices.

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DOK Part 2: How to Align Standards, Activities, Assessments, and AI

How aligned are e-marketplace and AI activities, items, questions, problems, and/or tasks to the grade level or content area standard being addressed and assessed in your school? Learn how to use Depth of Knowledge as a concept and the DOK Levels as a rating scale to code and compare how closely curricular activities and assessment items address the learning expectation and individual objectives of a specific academic standard.

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Why DOK Labels Confuse and How to Fix Them

What does learning look, sound, and feel like? How could you clarify and communicate the complexity of learning expectations established and evaluated by standards, activities, and assessments? Learn how Depth of Knowledge (DOK) as a language specifies the demand of the mental processing students must perform (DOK Skill), the extent of the response students must provide (DOK Response), and how students may perceive a learning experience (DOK Demand).

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DOK FAQ

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What Is Depth of Knowledge?

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