Validity and Reliability

“Whether discussing formal or informal assessments, the assessment process must have integrity across an assessment’s development, use, and analysis” (Howard, V. F., & Aiken, E., 2015, p. 93). Before beginning the discussion, make sure you have read section 3.4 of our textbook that discusses the importance of reliability and validity in assessment. Next, watch the following videos on test validity and reliability:

• Introduction to test validity.  To view a transcript of the video, please click HERE.
• Reliability.  To view a transcript of the video, please click HERE.

Then, address the following:

• Summarize your understanding of reliability and validity, including how they are related. 
• Explain the importance of reliability and validity in assessment.
• Analyze the following situation:
  • A center or school is looking for an assessment instrument to measure reading ability. The selection has been narrowed to two possibilities:
    • Test A shows measures of strong validity, but there is no information about its reliability.
    • Test B includes measures of strong reliability, but there is no information about its validity.
  • Which test would you recommend? Be sure to include a comprehensive rationale with three reasons that support why you chose the test you did.

Guided Response: Review several of your peers’ responses. Respond to at least two of your peers by discussing whether you agree or disagree with the test they recommended. Justify your point of view by providing at least two reasons for why you agree or disagree. Also, include examples of how they could increase the validity or reliability of the test they chose.

Though two replies is the basic expectation, for deeper engagement and learning you are encouraged to provide responses to any comments or questions others have given to you. Remember, continuing to engage with peers and the instructor will further the conversation and provide you with opportunities to demonstrate your content expertise, critical thinking, and real-world experiences with this topic.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your discussion.