WGU D187: Differentiated Instruction and Individual Differences 2026
1. What is the primary goal of differentiated instruction?
A. To treat all students the same way regardless of background
B. To decrease the workload for teachers in diverse classrooms
C. To group students by intelligence level permanently
D. To maximize each student’s growth and individual success
Answer: D
Rationale: Differentiated instruction aims to meet students where they are and provide
appropriate challenges to ensure individual growth.
2. According to Carol Ann Tomlinson, what are the three student characteristics
that teachers should differentiate for?
A. Age, gender, and socio-economic status
B. Intelligence, behavior, and social skills
C. GPA, test scores, and attendance
D. Readiness, interest, and learning profile
Answer: D
Rationale: Teachers differentiate based on a student’s readiness for a specific task, their
interests, and their preferred learning profile.
,3. Which of the following is an example of differentiating the ‘process’ in a
lesson?
A. Using tiered activities where students work through the same concepts at different levels of complexity
B. Allowing students to choose between a written report or a video project
C. Providing different reading materials based on Lexile levels
D. Changing the seating arrangement of the classroom
Answer: A
Rationale: Process refers to how the student makes sense of the content, often addressed
through tiered activities or varied scaffolding.
4. What does ‘readiness’ refer to in a differentiated classroom?
A. A student’s inherent biological capacity to learn
B. The speed at which a student completes homework
C. How much a student likes a particular subject
D. A student’s proximity to specified learning goals at a given time
Answer: D
Rationale: Readiness is a student’s current skill level and knowledge regarding a specific
learning objective.
5. Which assessment type is most critical for planning differentiated instruction
before a unit begins?
A. Summative assessment
B. Standardized state testing
C. Pre-assessment
D. Peer evaluation
Answer: C
Rationale: Pre-assessments allow teachers to determine the baseline knowledge of
students to plan appropriate differentiation.
, 6. In the context of DI, what is ‘flexible grouping’?
A. Moving students between different groups based on changing needs and data
B. Allowing students to sit wherever they want at all times
C. Keeping students in the same ability groups for the entire school year
D. Grouping students solely by their alphabetical order
Answer: A
Rationale: Flexible grouping ensures that students are not ‘pigeonholed’ and can move
between groups based on readiness, interest, or task needs.
7. Differentiating ‘content’ involves adjusting which of the following?
A. The way students are graded at the end of the term
B. The physical layout of the desks and chairs
C. The what and how of student access to information and ideas
D. The social interactions between students
Answer: C
Rationale: Differentiating content means varying how students access the information,
such as using different reading levels or audio versions of text.
8. What is a ‘Tiered Lesson’?
A. A lesson that offers different levels of difficulty for the same essential concept
B. A lesson designed to be taught three times in a row
C. A lesson where everyone does the same work but is graded differently
D. A lesson focused only on the lowest-performing students
Answer: A
Rationale: Tiered lessons allow all students to focus on the same essential learning goal
but at different levels of complexity or support.
1. What is the primary goal of differentiated instruction?
A. To treat all students the same way regardless of background
B. To decrease the workload for teachers in diverse classrooms
C. To group students by intelligence level permanently
D. To maximize each student’s growth and individual success
Answer: D
Rationale: Differentiated instruction aims to meet students where they are and provide
appropriate challenges to ensure individual growth.
2. According to Carol Ann Tomlinson, what are the three student characteristics
that teachers should differentiate for?
A. Age, gender, and socio-economic status
B. Intelligence, behavior, and social skills
C. GPA, test scores, and attendance
D. Readiness, interest, and learning profile
Answer: D
Rationale: Teachers differentiate based on a student’s readiness for a specific task, their
interests, and their preferred learning profile.
,3. Which of the following is an example of differentiating the ‘process’ in a
lesson?
A. Using tiered activities where students work through the same concepts at different levels of complexity
B. Allowing students to choose between a written report or a video project
C. Providing different reading materials based on Lexile levels
D. Changing the seating arrangement of the classroom
Answer: A
Rationale: Process refers to how the student makes sense of the content, often addressed
through tiered activities or varied scaffolding.
4. What does ‘readiness’ refer to in a differentiated classroom?
A. A student’s inherent biological capacity to learn
B. The speed at which a student completes homework
C. How much a student likes a particular subject
D. A student’s proximity to specified learning goals at a given time
Answer: D
Rationale: Readiness is a student’s current skill level and knowledge regarding a specific
learning objective.
5. Which assessment type is most critical for planning differentiated instruction
before a unit begins?
A. Summative assessment
B. Standardized state testing
C. Pre-assessment
D. Peer evaluation
Answer: C
Rationale: Pre-assessments allow teachers to determine the baseline knowledge of
students to plan appropriate differentiation.
, 6. In the context of DI, what is ‘flexible grouping’?
A. Moving students between different groups based on changing needs and data
B. Allowing students to sit wherever they want at all times
C. Keeping students in the same ability groups for the entire school year
D. Grouping students solely by their alphabetical order
Answer: A
Rationale: Flexible grouping ensures that students are not ‘pigeonholed’ and can move
between groups based on readiness, interest, or task needs.
7. Differentiating ‘content’ involves adjusting which of the following?
A. The way students are graded at the end of the term
B. The physical layout of the desks and chairs
C. The what and how of student access to information and ideas
D. The social interactions between students
Answer: C
Rationale: Differentiating content means varying how students access the information,
such as using different reading levels or audio versions of text.
8. What is a ‘Tiered Lesson’?
A. A lesson that offers different levels of difficulty for the same essential concept
B. A lesson designed to be taught three times in a row
C. A lesson where everyone does the same work but is graded differently
D. A lesson focused only on the lowest-performing students
Answer: A
Rationale: Tiered lessons allow all students to focus on the same essential learning goal
but at different levels of complexity or support.
