upward cognitive spiral. Each test comprises a set of themed selections with
unique questions and an additional set of questions that draw upon the
theme.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requires that state assessments be aligned and
“measure the depth and breadth of the state academic content standards for
a given grade level” (US Department of Education, 2003, p. 12). Alignment
is the match between the expectations of student learning described in the
TEKS, CCRS, and questions on the English III College and Career Readiness
Exam. Depth of Knowledge (DOK) was formulated in 1997 by Dr. Norman
Webb in response to a need generated by states to objectively and
accurately align assessment questions to standards for compliance with
federal guidelines. DOK, which measures the cognitive complexity of a task,
is the alignment tool used for state summative assessments. It is a federally
approved method of alignment for state summative assessments that is
currently used by the majority of the states, including Texas.