D659: Assessing and Monitoring Student Learning

D659 builds assessment literacy for teacher candidates at Western Governors University.

WGU describes it as a targeted course for candidates who want to improve how they evaluate student progress and educational outcomes, covering formative and summative assessment, standardized and benchmark tests, progress monitoring and alternative assessment.

The course also includes a foundation in data analysis so educators can understand data and present it to stakeholders, plus online and digital assessment tools. Candidates often find the hard part is the link between data and decisions: collecting scores is easy, saying what you would change in teaching because of them is the skill assessed.

What D659 Covers

The first competency in every WGU course is to discuss your course planning tool report with your instructor and create your personalized plan.

Key Concepts Explained

Formative and Summative Purposes

Formative assessment happens during learning to adjust teaching; summative assessment judges learning at the end of a unit. The same tool can serve either purpose, so state which you intend.

Reading Class Data

Look for patterns before individuals: which item was missed most, and by whom.

Effective Feedback

Useful feedback names a strength, identifies the next step and arrives while it can still be used. "Good job" does not meet that test; "Your topic sentence states the claim; now add evidence from paragraph 2" does.

Choosing the Right Assessment Type

Tasks often ask you to justify which tool you chose. A simple comparison helps you decide, and gives you language for the rationale.

No type is better in general. The right one depends on the objective: a performance objective such as "build a model" is poorly measured by a multiple-choice quiz, while recall of vocabulary may suit a short quiz well.

Also think about validity and fairness. An assessment that depends on reading ability may not measure a science objective for a pupil still learning English. Mention accommodations or alternative formats where relevant.

Typical Work and How to Approach It

Where Students Get Stuck

• Assessing what was not taught. Check each item against the objective.
• Data without decisions. Always finish with "so I would...".
• Only using tests. Show a mix, including observation, projects or student self-assessment.
• Vague feedback. Make every comment specific and tied to the criteria.

Study Tips for D659

• Learn the vocabulary: formative, summative, benchmark, progress monitoring, rubric.
• Practice with a small invented data set and write a three-sentence interpretation.
• Use a simple chart or table to present data clearly.
• Check that every rubric line has a visible answer in your submission.

Final Checklist Before You Submit

• Each assessment item maps to one stated objective.
• You use more than one assessment type, with reasons.
• Data is presented clearly and followed by an interpretation.
• You state the teaching decision that follows from the data.
• Feedback examples are specific, timely and actionable.
• Any digital tool is justified and accessible.

Presenting data to stakeholders is part of the course description, so keep charts and summaries simple and labeled.

How We Help with D659

Send the task instructions, objectives, any sample data and the rubric. A writer with education experience can explain assessment alignment, review your plan, or provide a custom plan with a short commentary on each choice.

GradeEssays is independent and not affiliated with WGU. Our work is a study and reference aid, to be used for learning before you complete and submit your own work under WGU's academic integrity policy. We never log in to course portals. Orders include free revisions within the scope of your original request and a full refund if late.