Validity
The district compares student scores on a benchmark test with state assessment results to see if they line up.
What is checking criterion-related validity?
A teacher notices that student test scores change drastically depending on the time of day the test is given.
What is a reliability concern?
A teacher asks students to draw a picture to show understanding of photosynthesis, but some students are graded down because they can’t draw well.
What is poor construct validity?
A teacher makes sure each math quiz covers addition, subtraction, and place value, which were the skills taught that week.
What is ensuring content validity?
A team of teachers creates a shared rubric and calibrates scoring before assessing student projects.
What is improving reliability?
A teacher creates a quiz on the water cycle but accidentally includes several questions about the rock cycle instead.
What is a threat to content validity?
A school switches to a new reading comprehension test and ensures it matches the intended curriculum outcomes.
What is ensuring validity?
A teacher gives students multiple chances to demonstrate mastery through exit tickets, quizzes, and projects, ensuring consistency in performance.
What is improving reliability?
The same test is given in two different classrooms, one quiet and one noisy, and the results differ widely.
What is a threat to reliability?
A school uses a single math benchmark to determine placement for gifted services without considering teacher input or other data.
What is a validity problem?
The same student scores very differently on two tests that are supposed to measure the same reading skills.
What is low reliability?
A kindergarten teacher assesses fine motor skills by asking students to cut out shapes, but some students score low because the scissors keep sticking.
What is a reliability issue caused by inconsistent testing conditions?
An English teacher uses a rubric that focuses mostly on grammar when assessing a persuasive essay meant to measure argument quality.
What is a validity issue?
The school’s new computer-based assessment sometimes crashes mid-test, causing some students to re-start the test.
What is a threat to reliability?
During a reading comprehension test, students are unfamiliar with the topic of the passage and struggle even though they can read well.
What is a validity issue (lack of construct validity)?