WGU D699: Elementary Mathematics Curriculum

What D699 Is and Why It Sits Where It Does in Your Program

WGU D699, Elementary Mathematics Curriculum, is a content-knowledge course in the graduate-level Master of Arts in Teaching, Elementary Education licensure track (its course code is EDUC 5090, and it is worth 2 competency units). If you are pursuing your bachelor's instead, you may see the same title under the code D691. Either way, the goal is identical: to make sure that before you stand in front of a room of children, you genuinely understand the mathematics you will be asked to teach, and how that mathematics is organized into a coherent K-6 curriculum.

Direct answer: To pass D699, study the actual elementary math content the way it is taught in a standards-based curriculum, not the way you learned it as a child. Work through numbers and operations, fractions and rational numbers, algebraic thinking, geometry, measurement, and data, then use the pre-assessment and practice questions to find and close your weak spots before you schedule the proctored exam.

This course usually lands mid-program, after your professional-core and literacy courses, and it pairs closely with the math methods courses that follow. Think of D699 as the "what" of elementary math (the concepts, the domains, and how a curriculum sequences them) while the methods courses focus on the "how" of teaching it. Getting a firm grip here pays off later, because you cannot design strong lessons on shaky content knowledge.

What the Assessment Actually Covers

D699 is assessed by a proctored objective assessment that checks your command of elementary mathematics content and how it maps onto a standards-aligned curriculum. Based on the course description and the way the material is organized, expect questions drawn from these domains:

• Number sense, place value, and operations — whole-number understanding, the base-ten system, and the properties behind addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
• Fractions and rational numbers — equivalence, comparison, and operations with fractions and decimals, plus the common misconceptions children carry.
• Algebraic thinking — patterns, relationships, expressions, and the early foundations of algebra that begin in the elementary grades.
• Geometry and measurement — shapes and their attributes, spatial reasoning, length, area, volume, and units.
• Data, statistics, and probability — representing and interpreting data and reasoning about chance at an age-appropriate level.
• Curriculum and content standards — how math content standards organize learning across grade levels and how a curriculum builds concepts in a logical progression.

Notice the theme: the exam is less about doing hard math and more about understanding elementary math deeply enough to explain it, sequence it, and recognize where students stumble.

How Hard Is D699, and How Long Should You Give It?

Many students report that D699 is manageable, especially if you are comfortable with elementary arithmetic and fractions. The challenge is rarely the difficulty of the math itself; it is the breadth of the content and the shift from "getting the right answer" to "understanding why the procedure works" so you could teach it. If your own math background is rusty, or if concepts like fraction division or place value were always something you did by rote, plan for a little more time to rebuild that conceptual understanding.

A realistic plan for most students is somewhere in the range of two to four weeks of focused study, with the exact timing depending on your comfort with the content and how many hours a week you can protect. Students who already teach, tutor, or have a math-friendly background sometimes move faster; those returning to math after a long gap should not rush it. Because WGU is competency-based, there is no penalty for taking the time you need. The single best pacing tool is the course pre-assessment: if you can pass it comfortably, you are close, and if you cannot, it tells you exactly which domains still need work.

A Study Plan That Fits This Course

Generic "read everything twice" advice wastes the flexibility WGU gives you. Instead, build your plan around the way this exam is structured and around what memory research actually shows works.

• Start with the pre-assessment, not the reading. Take it early and treat a low score as a map, not a verdict. It shows you which of the six domains above to prioritize so you are not spending equal time on material you already know.
• Use active recall, domain by domain. After studying place value, close the book and write out, in your own words, why regrouping works and how you would explain it to a fourth grader. Retrieving the idea from memory builds far stronger recall than rereading the learning resource.
• Space your reviews. Rather than cramming one domain in a single sitting, revisit each topic across several days. Spaced repetition is especially useful here because there are many small, easily confused facts (units of measurement, properties of operations, categories of quadrilaterals) that fade quickly without repeated exposure.
• Practice test relentlessly. Do every practice question you can, then, for each item you miss, articulate the underlying concept before moving on. The exam rewards conceptual understanding, so the value is in the explanation, not just the correct letter.
• Think like a teacher, not a test-taker. For each topic, ask "what would a student get wrong here, and why?" That habit mirrors how the questions are framed and prepares you for the methods courses that follow.

If you are early in the elementary education sequence, the curriculum-planning mindset you build here connects directly to later coursework like D630 Designing Curriculum and Instruction and to how learning is measured in D184 Standards-Based Assessment.

Common Mistakes Students Make in D699

• Assuming elementary math is trivial. The arithmetic is simple; the conceptual understanding expected of a teacher is not. Students who skim get surprised by questions about why a procedure works.
• Ignoring the standards and curriculum framing. A chunk of the material is about how content is organized and sequenced across grades. Studying only the math and skipping the curriculum structure leaves points on the table.
• Skipping fractions and rational numbers. These are the topics adults most often learned by rote, and they generate the most missed questions. Give them extra attention.
• Passive rereading. Highlighting the learning resource feels productive but builds weak memory. Swap it for self-quizzing.
• Scheduling the exam by the calendar instead of by readiness. Book it once your practice scores are consistently strong, not because a term deadline is looming.

Your D699 Readiness Checklist

Before you schedule the proctored assessment, run through these self-checks. You are ready when you can honestly answer "yes" to most of them.

• Can you explain place value and regrouping conceptually, the way you would to a young student?
• Can you compare, order, and operate on fractions and decimals and spot the common errors children make with them?
• Can you describe how early algebraic thinking (patterns and relationships) grows out of arithmetic?
• Can you classify basic geometric shapes by their attributes and reason about length, area, and volume?
• Can you read and interpret a simple data display and talk about probability at an elementary level?
• Can you explain how math content standards sequence learning from one grade to the next?
• Can you take the pre-assessment and pass it comfortably across every domain, not just your strong ones?
• When you miss a practice question, can you state the underlying concept without looking it up?

FAQ

Is D699 an objective assessment or a performance assessment?

Public study materials for D699 are organized as sectioned study guides and pre-assessment questions covering math content and standards, which points to a proctored objective assessment rather than a submitted project. Always confirm the current format in your official course page, since WGU updates courses over time.

How many competency units is D699 worth?

The WGU Institutional Catalog lists D699 (course code EDUC 5090) as a 2-competency-unit course in the graduate elementary education licensure program. The undergraduate version, D691, is listed at 3 CUs.

Is D699 hard?

Many students find it manageable, particularly if they are comfortable with elementary arithmetic and fractions. The difficulty comes from the breadth of content and from being expected to understand concepts deeply enough to teach them, rather than just compute answers.

How long does D699 take to finish?

It varies with your background, but a focused two-to-four-week plan is realistic for many students. Because WGU is competency-based, you can move faster if the pre-assessment shows you are ready, or take more time if you need to rebuild conceptual understanding.

What is the best way to study for D699?

Start with the pre-assessment to find your weak domains, then study with active recall and spaced repetition instead of passive rereading, and finish with heavy practice testing. For each missed question, explain the underlying concept in your own words before moving on.

Where can I find the official course details?

Check your WGU course page and the official WGU elementary education program page for the current, authoritative description and requirements. You can also browse related School of Education guides on our education hub, see a sibling course like D702 Elementary Health and Physical Education Methods, or explore the full guide index.