Secondary Mathematics Curriculum at Western Governors University (WGU) is a course in the Master of Arts in Teaching, Mathematics Education (Secondary) program. It is the curriculum capstone of the maths strand.
WGU's guide lists four competencies, three of them applied-content and one about evaluating maths resources for alignment to secondary standards and individual student needs. This page focuses on that evaluative, planning side, since MAT candidates usually bring strong content knowledge and need to show professional judgment.
Course at a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| University | Western Governors University (WGU) |
| Course code | D902 |
| Level | Graduate (MAT Mathematics Education, Secondary) |
| Size | 2 competency units in the MAT guide (catalog version 202504) |
| Subject area | Secondary mathematics curriculum |
| Typical work | Resource evaluation, standards alignment, unit planning |
What D902 Covers
| Competency (WGU wording, summarized) | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Apply number systems, algebraic structures and calculus to solve problems | Operations, expressions and continuous functions |
| Apply functional analysis and geometric reasoning to relationships and spatial problems | Variables, shapes and measurement |
| Apply statistical methods and probability to interpret data and make predictions | Variability and inference |
| Evaluate maths resources for alignment to secondary standards and individual student needs | Selecting and adapting materials |
Key Concepts Explained
Alignment Is About Student Work
A resource aligns with a standard when the tasks students complete demand what the standard describes. Titles and topic labels are not enough. Read the problems and the verbs.
Example: A standard asks students to interpret the slope and intercept of a linear model in context. A worksheet gives ten equations and asks students to find the slope of each. Partial alignment: computation is covered, interpretation is not. You could add a context question such as "What does the 12 mean in this taxi-fare model?" and rate the resource as aligned once that is included.
Mathematical Practices
Many states pair content standards with practice standards, such as making sense of problems, reasoning abstractly and constructing viable arguments. Check which practices a resource actually asks students to use.
Adapting for Learners
Evaluate readability, representation options, scaffolding and extension. Name a specific change for a specific learner profile.
Typical Assignments and How to Approach Them
| Task type | What it tests | How to approach it |
|---|---|---|
| Resource evaluation | Judgment against standards | Use criteria, cite examples from the resource and give a verdict |
| Content problem solving | Mathematical knowledge | Solve fully, justify steps and interpret the answer |
| Technology plan | Purposeful tool use | State the tool, the student action and the expected insight |
| Unit sketch | Sequencing and alignment | Link each lesson to a standard and an assessment |
An Evaluation Rubric You Can Reuse
Rate each criterion and justify with evidence from the resource.
| Criterion | Strong evidence looks like | Weak evidence looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Standards alignment | Tasks need the standard's reasoning | Topic matches but tasks are routine |
| Cognitive demand | Explain, justify, model | Compute only |
| Representations | Several linked representations | One representation |
| Accessibility | Supports and extensions | One entry point |
Adapting a Resource Without Losing Rigor
Evaluations often end with recommended changes. Good adaptations raise access without lowering the thinking required.
Example: A unit gives only procedural exercises on exponential functions. Keep the exercises for fluency, then add a task where students compare two savings plans and justify which grows faster, plus a graph prediction prompt. Add sentence starters for students who need language support. Rigor rises for everyone and access improves for those who need it.
State what stays, what changes and why for each adaptation.
Showing Content Knowledge as a Teacher
Even in an evaluation-heavy course, expect to solve problems correctly. Show the answer, the reasoning and a note on how a student might approach it differently.
Example: Solve 3x^2 - 12 = 0. Factor out 3 to get x^2 - 4 = 0, so x = 2 or x = -2. A student might divide both sides by x and lose a solution, so the note explains why that move is invalid. This pairing of solution and student thinking is what shows specialized knowledge for teaching.
Where Students Get Stuck
- Describing instead of judging. State a verdict and defend it.
- Using topic labels as evidence. Quote tasks.
- Neglecting learner needs. Link every adaptation to a learner profile.
- Content slips. Check your own worked solutions as carefully as the resource's.
Study Tips for D902
- Practice evaluating one lesson with the rubric above and compare with a peer or mentor.
- Keep the exact text of your state standards at hand.
- Write a sentence of mathematical reasoning for each solution step.
- Draft the verdict first, then collect the evidence.
How We Help with D902
Send the prompt, standards, rubric and the resource if allowed. A writer with maths teaching experience prepares a model evaluation, reviews your draft or helps you structure your reasoning.
GradeEssays is independent of WGU. Our work is a study and reference aid. Use it to learn the approach, then write and submit your own work under WGU's academic integrity policy. Orders are written from scratch, with free revisions within the scope of your original request and a full refund if late.
Make Sense of Your D902 Task
Share the prompt and rubric. A maths writer prepares a worked model evaluation you can study.
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Frequently Asked Questions
WGU's MAT guide lists four, including one on evaluating maths resources for standards alignment and student needs.
2 in the MAT guide (catalog version 202504).
D902 is the graduate course in the MAT program; D901 is the undergraduate version. This page stresses resource evaluation.
The ones your task or state names. Many states use standards modeled on common national frameworks.
Quote the standard, quote the task and explain how the task meets or misses it.
Yes. Send the task and draft and we check evidence, reasoning and rubric coverage.