To Assess How Well Students Can . . .
Focus on a question or identify the main idea
Analyze arguments
Compare and contrast
Evaluate materials and methods for their intended
purposes
Put unlike things together in a new way
Provide This Kind of Material . . .
A text, speech, problem, policy, political cartoon,
or experiment and results
A text, speech, or experimental design
Two texts, events, scenarios, concepts, characters, or
principles
A text, speech, policy, theory, experimental design,
work of art
A complex task or problem
And Ask Students To . . .
• Identify the main issue, the main idea, or the
problem, and explain their reasoning
• Identify what evidence the author gives that
supports (or contradicts) the argument
• Identify assumptions that must be true to
make the argument valid
• Explain the logical structure of the
argument (including identifying
irrelevancies, if they exist)
• Identify elements in each
• Organize the elements according to
whether they are alike or different
• Identify the purpose the author or designer
was trying to accomplish
• Identify elements in the work
• Judge the value of those elements for
accomplishing the intended purpose
• Explain their reasoning
• Generate multiple solutions
OR
• Plan a procedure
OR
• Produce something new
 To Assess How Well Students Can . . .
Assess their own work (self-assess)
Make or evaluate a deductive conclusion
Make or evaluate an inductive conclusion
Evaluate the credibility of a source
Identify implicit assumptions
Provide This Kind of Material . . . And Ask Students To . . .
A set of clear criteria and one or more examples • Identify elements in their own work
of their own work • Evaluate these elements against the
criteria
• Devise a plan to improve
Statement or premises • Draw a logical conclusion and explain their
reasoning
OR
• Select a logical conclusion from a set of
choices
OR
• Identify a counter-example that renders the
statement untrue
A statement or scenario and information in the • Draw a logical conclusion and explain their
form of a graph, table, chart, or list reasoning
OR
• Select a logical conclusion from a set of
choices
A scenario, speech, advertisement, Web site or • Decide what portion of the information is
other source of information believable, and explain their reasoning
An argument, speech, or explanation that has some • Explain what must be assumed (taken for
implicit assumptions granted) in order for the argument or
explanation to make sense
OR
• Select an implicit assumption from a set of
choices
Afterword
continued
145

Figure A.1 ❋ Specific Strategies for Assessing Higher-Order Thinking (continued )
To Assess How Well Students Can . . .
Identify rhetorical and persuasive strategies
Identify or define a problem
Identify irrelevancies to solving a problem
Describe and evaluate multiple solution strategies
Model a problem
Identify obstacles to solving a problem
Provide This Kind of Material . . .
A speech, advertisement, editorial, or other
persuasive communication
A scenario or problem description
A scenario or problem description that may include
some irrelevant material
A scenario or problem description
A scenario or problem description
A scenario or problem description
146
How to Assess Higher-Order Thinking Skills in Your Classroom
And Ask Students To . . .
• Identify elements of the communication that
are intended to persuade, and explain why
• Identify any statements or strategies that are
intentionally misleading, and explain why
• Identify the problem that needs to be
solved
OR
• Identify the question that needs to be
answered
• Identify the elements that are relevant and
irrelevant to solving the problem, and explain
their reasoning
• Solve the problem in two or more ways
• Prioritize solutions and explain their
reasoning
• Draw or diagram the problem situation
• Explain why the problem is difficult
• Describe obstacles to solving the problem
• Identify additional information needed for
solving the problem
 To Assess How Well Students Can . . . Provide This Kind of Material . . . And Ask Students To . . .
Reason with data A text, cartoon, graph, data table, or chart and a • Solve the problem and explain their
problem that requires this information for its reasoning
solution
Use analogies A scenario or problem description (and possibly a • Solve the problem and explain how the
solution strategy) solution would apply to other scenarios or
problems
OR
• Explain how the solution would apply to
other scenarios or problems
Solve a problem backward A scenario or problem description and a desired • Plan a strategy to get to the end state from the
end state or solution problem statement
OR
• Describe how to reason backward from the
solution to the question
Think creatively A complex problem or task that requires either • Produce something original
brainstorming new ideas or reorganizing OR
existing ideas or a problem with no currently • Organize existing material in new ways
known solution OR
• Reframe a question or problem in a
different way

Afterword
147