WGU D184: STANDARDS-BASED ASSESSMENT OA EXAM
COMPLETE 75 QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS |
COMPLETE 2026/2027
Q1. Which of the following BEST defines a standards-based assessment?
A. An assessment that compares students to a national norm group
✓ B. An assessment that measures student performance against clearly defined
learning standards
C. An assessment used exclusively for summative purposes
D. An assessment that ranks students from highest to lowest performance
ANSWER: B RATIONALE: Standards-based assessments measure student
achievement relative to clearly articulated learning standards
or benchmarks (e.g., Common Core, state standards). They are
criterion-referenced, not norm-referenced, and can be used for
both formative and summative purposes.
Q2. A teacher wants to determine what students already know before a new
unit. Which assessment type is MOST appropriate?
A. Summative assessment
✓ B. Diagnostic assessment
C. Benchmark assessment
D. Norm-referenced assessment
ANSWER: B RATIONALE: Diagnostic assessments are given before
instruction to identify students' prior knowledge,
misconceptions, and readiness. This allows teachers to plan
instruction that meets students where they are. Summative
assessments occur after instruction; benchmark assessments
monitor progress at set intervals.
Page 1 | For personal study use only
,Q3. Formative assessment is BEST described as:
A. Assessment given at the end of a unit to evaluate student mastery
B. Assessment used to compare students against national norms
✓ C. Ongoing assessment used to monitor learning and adjust instruction
D. Assessment administered once per semester
ANSWER: C RATIONALE: Formative assessment is ongoing and
embedded in the instructional cycle. Its primary purpose is to
provide feedback that guides teaching and learning in real
time, not to assign final grades. It is often low-stakes or
ungraded.
Q4. Which term refers to the degree to which an assessment measures what it is
intended to measure?
A. Reliability
✓ B. Validity
C. Fairness
D. Alignment
ANSWER: B RATIONALE: Validity refers to the accuracy of inferences
drawn from assessment results — whether the assessment
truly measures the intended construct or standard. Reliability
refers to consistency of results; both are necessary but validity
is the foundational quality.
Q5. An assessment is considered reliable if:
A. It measures the correct learning standard
✓ B. It produces consistent results across administrations
C. It is fair to all student subgroups
D. It closely aligns to state standards
Page 2 | For personal study use only
,ANSWER: B RATIONALE: Reliability is about consistency: a reliable
assessment yields similar scores when administered under
similar conditions or scored by different raters. An assessment
can be reliable without being valid, but a valid assessment
must also be reliable.
Q6. Content validity evidence is BEST obtained by:
A. Calculating the correlation between two versions of the same test
✓ B. Reviewing whether test items represent the full range of the intended
learning standards
C. Comparing student scores to a norm group
D. Analyzing inter-rater reliability statistics
ANSWER: B RATIONALE: Content validity evidence is gathered by
examining whether the assessment adequately samples the full
domain of the learning standard. Expert review of a test
blueprint or table of specifications is a common method for
establishing content validity.
Q7. Which type of validity evidence examines the relationship between an
assessment and an external criterion?
A. Content validity
B. Construct validity
✓ C. Criterion-related validity
D. Face validity
ANSWER: C RATIONALE: Criterion-related validity examines the
correlation between assessment scores and an external
criterion (e.g., a standardized test or future performance). It
can be concurrent (same time) or predictive (future). This type
of evidence helps establish that the test scores are meaningful
beyond the test itself.
Page 3 | For personal study use only
, Q8. A teacher scores the same student essay twice and gets very different
scores. This MOST likely indicates a problem with:
A. Content validity
✓ B. Intra-rater reliability
C. Construct validity
D. Predictive validity
ANSWER: B RATIONALE: Intra-rater reliability refers to the consistency
of scores assigned by the same rater across different scoring
occasions. Getting different scores on the same essay indicates
the teacher is not applying criteria consistently. Using a rubric
and anchor papers can improve intra-rater reliability.
Q9. Which assessment framework emphasizes the alignment among learning
goals, instructional activities, and assessments?
A. Universal Design for Learning
✓ B. Backward Design
C. Bloom's Taxonomy
D. Differentiated Instruction
ANSWER: B RATIONALE: Backward Design (Wiggins & McTighe)
begins with identifying desired learning outcomes, then
determines acceptable evidence of learning (assessments), and
finally plans learning experiences. This ensures strong
alignment between standards, assessments, and instruction.
Q10. A table of specifications in assessment design primarily ensures:
A. That the test is easy to administer
✓ B. That items are distributed proportionally across standards and cognitive
levels
C. That all students have equal testing time
Page 4 | For personal study use only
COMPLETE 75 QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS |
COMPLETE 2026/2027
Q1. Which of the following BEST defines a standards-based assessment?
A. An assessment that compares students to a national norm group
✓ B. An assessment that measures student performance against clearly defined
learning standards
C. An assessment used exclusively for summative purposes
D. An assessment that ranks students from highest to lowest performance
ANSWER: B RATIONALE: Standards-based assessments measure student
achievement relative to clearly articulated learning standards
or benchmarks (e.g., Common Core, state standards). They are
criterion-referenced, not norm-referenced, and can be used for
both formative and summative purposes.
Q2. A teacher wants to determine what students already know before a new
unit. Which assessment type is MOST appropriate?
A. Summative assessment
✓ B. Diagnostic assessment
C. Benchmark assessment
D. Norm-referenced assessment
ANSWER: B RATIONALE: Diagnostic assessments are given before
instruction to identify students' prior knowledge,
misconceptions, and readiness. This allows teachers to plan
instruction that meets students where they are. Summative
assessments occur after instruction; benchmark assessments
monitor progress at set intervals.
Page 1 | For personal study use only
,Q3. Formative assessment is BEST described as:
A. Assessment given at the end of a unit to evaluate student mastery
B. Assessment used to compare students against national norms
✓ C. Ongoing assessment used to monitor learning and adjust instruction
D. Assessment administered once per semester
ANSWER: C RATIONALE: Formative assessment is ongoing and
embedded in the instructional cycle. Its primary purpose is to
provide feedback that guides teaching and learning in real
time, not to assign final grades. It is often low-stakes or
ungraded.
Q4. Which term refers to the degree to which an assessment measures what it is
intended to measure?
A. Reliability
✓ B. Validity
C. Fairness
D. Alignment
ANSWER: B RATIONALE: Validity refers to the accuracy of inferences
drawn from assessment results — whether the assessment
truly measures the intended construct or standard. Reliability
refers to consistency of results; both are necessary but validity
is the foundational quality.
Q5. An assessment is considered reliable if:
A. It measures the correct learning standard
✓ B. It produces consistent results across administrations
C. It is fair to all student subgroups
D. It closely aligns to state standards
Page 2 | For personal study use only
,ANSWER: B RATIONALE: Reliability is about consistency: a reliable
assessment yields similar scores when administered under
similar conditions or scored by different raters. An assessment
can be reliable without being valid, but a valid assessment
must also be reliable.
Q6. Content validity evidence is BEST obtained by:
A. Calculating the correlation between two versions of the same test
✓ B. Reviewing whether test items represent the full range of the intended
learning standards
C. Comparing student scores to a norm group
D. Analyzing inter-rater reliability statistics
ANSWER: B RATIONALE: Content validity evidence is gathered by
examining whether the assessment adequately samples the full
domain of the learning standard. Expert review of a test
blueprint or table of specifications is a common method for
establishing content validity.
Q7. Which type of validity evidence examines the relationship between an
assessment and an external criterion?
A. Content validity
B. Construct validity
✓ C. Criterion-related validity
D. Face validity
ANSWER: C RATIONALE: Criterion-related validity examines the
correlation between assessment scores and an external
criterion (e.g., a standardized test or future performance). It
can be concurrent (same time) or predictive (future). This type
of evidence helps establish that the test scores are meaningful
beyond the test itself.
Page 3 | For personal study use only
, Q8. A teacher scores the same student essay twice and gets very different
scores. This MOST likely indicates a problem with:
A. Content validity
✓ B. Intra-rater reliability
C. Construct validity
D. Predictive validity
ANSWER: B RATIONALE: Intra-rater reliability refers to the consistency
of scores assigned by the same rater across different scoring
occasions. Getting different scores on the same essay indicates
the teacher is not applying criteria consistently. Using a rubric
and anchor papers can improve intra-rater reliability.
Q9. Which assessment framework emphasizes the alignment among learning
goals, instructional activities, and assessments?
A. Universal Design for Learning
✓ B. Backward Design
C. Bloom's Taxonomy
D. Differentiated Instruction
ANSWER: B RATIONALE: Backward Design (Wiggins & McTighe)
begins with identifying desired learning outcomes, then
determines acceptable evidence of learning (assessments), and
finally plans learning experiences. This ensures strong
alignment between standards, assessments, and instruction.
Q10. A table of specifications in assessment design primarily ensures:
A. That the test is easy to administer
✓ B. That items are distributed proportionally across standards and cognitive
levels
C. That all students have equal testing time
Page 4 | For personal study use only
