In education, there seems to be a certain emphasis placed on reliability and validity in assessment. But, how can we ensure that our assessment methods are both valid and reliable? As argued by Gareis and Grant, in chapter 2, reliability and validity work hand-in hand and are especially important when assessing students. To provide a clear picture, let's begin by defining both terms. As indicated in the chapter, validity refers to the extent in which a test, quiz or project measures what it is supposed to measure. In other terms, you are not having students solve an algebra problem to measure how motivated they are. On the other hand, reliability refers to the extent in which a quiz, test or project provides consistent result. In this context, whether given in the morning, afternoon, or night, the scores on the test or exam are consistent. To further expand on both concepts, the authors provide the metaphor of validity as an archery target and reliability as the results of the shots at the target. Visually, this metaphor is quite appealing because both concepts can be difficult to differentiate. From my understanding, the center of the target or the bull’s eye is a metaphor for the concept you are trying to measure. In this case, validity could be defined as a construct we are trying to define. For example, whether a test accurately assesses a student’s understanding of a mathematical concepts or a test that scores student’s intelligence. On the other hand, as previously mentioned, reliability refers to the extent in which a quiz, test or project provides consistent results. For example, a student might achieve consistent scores on their math homework, but the homework is not relevant to the day's math lesson. In this example, we see that the results are reliable, but are in fact not valid. So, in this case, we could take a look at the second figure in the diagram. The arrows are all clustered in the same general area, but completely missed the target. So, how do you achieve validity and reliability in the classroom? Well, I don't think there is any clear answer to this question, but as teachers, there are certain steps we can take to ensure that our assessment methods are validity and reliability. As maintained by Alias, it is important to begin my setting the objectives. He argues that by having a list of set objectives that your quiz, exam or test is trying to measure, you will be able to begin to gauge whether the test is valid or not. This idea makes me think about how providing students with reliable and valid assessment strategies plays a huge role in the classroom. I think that it is fair to say that assessment is like a science experiment. In order to ensure that the findings and conclusions are valid and reliable, we have to ensure that the proper protocols are taken at each step. Briefly, whatever the case, validity and reliability in our assessment strategies helps us maintain a certain level of accountability. References: Alias, M. (2005). Assessments of Learning Outcomes: Validity and Reliability of Classroom Tests. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from http://www.academia.edu/194058/Assessments_of_Learning_Outcomes_Validity_and_Reliability_of_Classroom_Tests Cassroom Assessment | Basic Concepts. (n.d.). Retrieved September 25, 2016, from http://fcit.usf.edu/assessment/basic/basicc.html J. (2014). Introduction to Reliability and Validity. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr817Iy5pfo
1 Comment
Kaushila Kathayat
1/26/2019 08:19:47 pm
I think avobe description not clear,so I request clear description provide.
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