1
WGU D638 – Monitoring Student Learning Through
Assessment Objective Assessment | OA Questions and
Answers | 2026 Update | 100% Correct
SECTION 1: Assessment Design & Development (Q1–Q12)
Q1: A third-grade teacher wants to check whether students understand the concept of
main idea before moving to independent practice. The teacher asks students to write
one sentence identifying the main idea on an index card and hand it in. This is an
example of:
A. Summative assessment
B. Formative assessment [CORRECT]
C. Diagnostic assessment
D. Standardized assessment
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Correct because formative assessment occurs during instruction, is low-
stakes, and provides immediate feedback to adjust teaching; summative occurs after
instruction.
Q2: A teacher reviews item analysis data for a 25-question multiple-choice science test.
One item has a p-value (difficulty index) of 0.95. This indicates:
A. The item was very difficult
B. The item was very easy [CORRECT]
C. The item had low discrimination
D. The item was biased
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Correct because p-value = proportion of students answering correctly; 0.95
means 95% answered correctly, indicating the item was too easy for this group.
Q3: A social studies teacher designs a unit test. The test includes 10 multiple-choice
items on the causes of World War I, but the unit learning objective requires students to
"analyze the complex interplay of factors leading to WWI." This assessment lacks:
A. Reliability
,2
B. Content validity [CORRECT]
C. Objectivity
D. Accessibility
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Correct because content validity requires assessment items to adequately
represent the full domain of the learning objective; "analyze" requires higher-order
thinking, not recall.
Q4: Which assessment type is most appropriate for measuring a student's ability to
"design and conduct a scientific experiment to test a hypothesis"?
A. Multiple-choice test
B. Short-answer quiz
C. Performance assessment [CORRECT]
D. True/false test
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Correct because performance assessments measure application and
authentic skills through demonstrations, projects, or experiments, aligning with higher-
order learning objectives.
Q5: A teacher is designing a multiple-choice item for a biology test. Which guideline
should the teacher follow to ensure the item is well-constructed?
A. Include "all of the above" as an option to increase difficulty
B. Use negative stems such as "Which is NOT..." for every item
C. Ensure the stem is clear and each distractor is plausible [CORRECT]
D. Include four correct answers to test critical thinking
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Correct because well-constructed selected-response items require a clear
stem, one unambiguous correct answer, and plausible distractors that represent
common errors or misconceptions.
Q6: In backward design, the first step a teacher should take when developing an
assessment is to:
A. Create engaging learning activities
, 3
B. Identify the desired learning objectives and standards [CORRECT]
C. Select the assessment format
D. Design the grading rubric
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Correct because backward design begins with identifying learning objectives
and standards, then determines acceptable evidence of learning, and finally plans
learning experiences.
Q7: A high school English teacher wants to assess whether students can "evaluate the
effectiveness of an author's use of rhetorical devices." Which Bloom's Taxonomy level
does this objective represent?
A. Remember
B. Understand
C. Analyze
D. Evaluate [CORRECT]
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Correct because "evaluate" requires making judgments based on criteria and
standards, which is the Evaluate level of Bloom's revised taxonomy.
Q8: A teacher creates a matching item for a history test that pairs 10 historical figures
with their accomplishments. Which limitation of selected-response assessments does
this item best illustrate?
A. Efficient scoring
B. Objective scoring
C. Limited ability to measure deeper thinking and application [CORRECT]
D. Wide content coverage
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Correct because matching items primarily assess recall and association, not
the deeper analysis, evaluation, or application of historical knowledge.
Q9: When aligning assessment items to learning objectives using Bloom's Taxonomy, a
teacher should ensure that:
A. All items assess the Remember level for consistency
WGU D638 – Monitoring Student Learning Through
Assessment Objective Assessment | OA Questions and
Answers | 2026 Update | 100% Correct
SECTION 1: Assessment Design & Development (Q1–Q12)
Q1: A third-grade teacher wants to check whether students understand the concept of
main idea before moving to independent practice. The teacher asks students to write
one sentence identifying the main idea on an index card and hand it in. This is an
example of:
A. Summative assessment
B. Formative assessment [CORRECT]
C. Diagnostic assessment
D. Standardized assessment
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Correct because formative assessment occurs during instruction, is low-
stakes, and provides immediate feedback to adjust teaching; summative occurs after
instruction.
Q2: A teacher reviews item analysis data for a 25-question multiple-choice science test.
One item has a p-value (difficulty index) of 0.95. This indicates:
A. The item was very difficult
B. The item was very easy [CORRECT]
C. The item had low discrimination
D. The item was biased
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Correct because p-value = proportion of students answering correctly; 0.95
means 95% answered correctly, indicating the item was too easy for this group.
Q3: A social studies teacher designs a unit test. The test includes 10 multiple-choice
items on the causes of World War I, but the unit learning objective requires students to
"analyze the complex interplay of factors leading to WWI." This assessment lacks:
A. Reliability
,2
B. Content validity [CORRECT]
C. Objectivity
D. Accessibility
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Correct because content validity requires assessment items to adequately
represent the full domain of the learning objective; "analyze" requires higher-order
thinking, not recall.
Q4: Which assessment type is most appropriate for measuring a student's ability to
"design and conduct a scientific experiment to test a hypothesis"?
A. Multiple-choice test
B. Short-answer quiz
C. Performance assessment [CORRECT]
D. True/false test
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Correct because performance assessments measure application and
authentic skills through demonstrations, projects, or experiments, aligning with higher-
order learning objectives.
Q5: A teacher is designing a multiple-choice item for a biology test. Which guideline
should the teacher follow to ensure the item is well-constructed?
A. Include "all of the above" as an option to increase difficulty
B. Use negative stems such as "Which is NOT..." for every item
C. Ensure the stem is clear and each distractor is plausible [CORRECT]
D. Include four correct answers to test critical thinking
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Correct because well-constructed selected-response items require a clear
stem, one unambiguous correct answer, and plausible distractors that represent
common errors or misconceptions.
Q6: In backward design, the first step a teacher should take when developing an
assessment is to:
A. Create engaging learning activities
, 3
B. Identify the desired learning objectives and standards [CORRECT]
C. Select the assessment format
D. Design the grading rubric
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Correct because backward design begins with identifying learning objectives
and standards, then determines acceptable evidence of learning, and finally plans
learning experiences.
Q7: A high school English teacher wants to assess whether students can "evaluate the
effectiveness of an author's use of rhetorical devices." Which Bloom's Taxonomy level
does this objective represent?
A. Remember
B. Understand
C. Analyze
D. Evaluate [CORRECT]
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Correct because "evaluate" requires making judgments based on criteria and
standards, which is the Evaluate level of Bloom's revised taxonomy.
Q8: A teacher creates a matching item for a history test that pairs 10 historical figures
with their accomplishments. Which limitation of selected-response assessments does
this item best illustrate?
A. Efficient scoring
B. Objective scoring
C. Limited ability to measure deeper thinking and application [CORRECT]
D. Wide content coverage
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Correct because matching items primarily assess recall and association, not
the deeper analysis, evaluation, or application of historical knowledge.
Q9: When aligning assessment items to learning objectives using Bloom's Taxonomy, a
teacher should ensure that:
A. All items assess the Remember level for consistency
