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Cognitive rigor is a combined model developed by superimposing two existing models for describing rigor that are widely accepted in the education system in the United States.[1] The concept "is marked and measured by the depth and extent students are challenged and engaged to demonstrate and communicate their knowledge and thinking" and also "marks and measures the depth and complexity of student learning experiences."[2]
Cognitive Rigor is the superposition of Bloom's Taxonomy and Webb's Depth-of-Knowledge levels and is used to categorize the level of abstraction of questions and activities in education. The Cognitive Rigor Matrix assists applying Cognitive Rigor in the classroom.[1] These models are intended for use in curriculum development and lesson planning so that students acquire the rigorous skills and knowledge needed for post-secondary education.[1]
The idea of interlacing Bloom's Taxonomy and Webb's Depth-of-Knowledge to create a new tool for measuring curricular quality was completed in 2005 by Karin Hess of the National Center for Assessment, producing a 4 X 6 matrix (the Cognitive Rigor Matrix or Hess Matrix) for categorizing the Bloom's Taxonomy and Webb's Depth-of-Knowledge levels for each activity or question appearing in curricular materials. The Cognitive Rigor Matrix aligns the six Bloom's Taxonomy levels along the columns of the matrix and the four Webb's Depth-of-Knowledge levels along the rows.
Working independently, John Walkup and Ben Jones of The Standards Company LLC developed an identical matrix in 2007 and used it to measure the cognitive rigor of completed student work collected from two large-scale studies of the enacted curriculum in Oklahoma and Nevada.[3][4] In 2009, Hess, et al. published a paper defining Cognitive Rigor, describing how the model overcomes limitations of using Bloom's Taxonomy, and describing the model's use.[1] The paper shows how Bloom's Taxonomy identifies processes (categorizes cognitive skills), and Webb's Depth of Knowledge shows quantification and application (focuses on depth of understanding and scope of content). The combined models further the application of Bloom's Taxonomy to testing and assessment applications. The Cognitive Rigor Matrix included in the article is often made available as a separate document, with example activities included in each cell of the matrix.[5][6]
The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium adopted the concept of Cognitive Rigor and the Hess Matrix in 2012 to measure the rigor of test items for the Next Generation of Assessments.[7] Various educational organizations, including the Arizona Department of Education, the New York City Department of Education, Chicago Public Schools, and most states currently use the Cognitive Rigor Matrix in training materials for their professional development.
References
edit- ^ a b c d Hess, Karin K.; Jones, Ben S.; Carlock, Dennis; Walkup, John R. (7 March 2009). Cognitive rigor: Blending the strengths of Bloom's Taxonomy and Webb's Depth-of-Knowledge to enhance classroom-level processes (PDF) (Report). ERIC ED517804. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ^ Francis, Erik (6 August 2016). "What is cognitive rigor?". ASCD EDge: A professional networking community for educators. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Archived from the original on 2016-08-08.
- ^ Jones, Ben S. (19 December 2008). Study of the alignment of student assignments to the academic standards in the state of Nevada (PDF) (Report). Clovis, California: The Standards Company LLC / Legislative Counsel Bureau, Nevada State Legislature. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ^ Walkup, John; Jones, Ben S. (17 October 2008). Analysis of the enacted curriculum for the Oklahoma State Department of Education for the collection period February – March, 2008 (PDF) (Report). Clovis, California: The Standards Company LLC / Oklahoma State Department of Education. hdl:11244/337494. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ^ Hess, Karin K. (2011-02-10). "Hess' Cognitive Rigor Matrix and Curricular Examples: Applying Webb's Depth-of-Knowledge Levels to Bloom's Cognitive Process Dimensions – English Language Arts" (PDF). East Texas, PA: Pennsylvania Department of Education. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
- ^ Hess, Karin K. (2011-01-13). "Hess' Cognitive Rigor Matrix and Curricular Examples: Applying Webb's Depth-of-Knowledge Levels to Bloom's Cognitive Process Dimensions – Mathematics and Science" (PDF). East Texas, PA: Pennsylvania Department of Education. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
- ^ Hickman, Judy; Measured Progress; Educational Testing Service (16 April 2012). "Mathematics Item Specifications Grades 3–5" (PDF). Olympia, Washington: Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-11-05. Retrieved 2013-03-08.