Question

5-7 sentences initial thoughts

Selecting appropriate assessment techniques l: high quality assessments For an assessment to be high quality it needs to have good validity and reliability as well as absence from bias. Validity Validity is the evaluation of the “adequacy and appropriateness of the interpretations and uses of assessment results for a given group of individuals (Linn & Miller, 2005, p.68). For example is it appropriate to conclude that the results of a mathematics test on fractions given to recent immigrants accurately represents their understanding of fractions? Is it appropriate for the teacher to conclude, based on her observations, that a kindergarten student Jasmine, has Attention Deficit Disorder because she does not follow the teachers oral instructions? Obviously in each situation other interpretations are possible that the immigrant students have poor English skills rather than mathematics skills, or that Jasmine may be hearing impaired It is important to understand that validity refers to the interpretation and uses made of the results of an assessment procedure not of the assessment procedure itself. For example, making judgments about the results of the same test on fractions may be valid if the students all understand English el. A teacher concluding from her observations that the kindergarten student has Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) may be appropriate if the student has been screened for hearing and other disorders (although the classification of a disorder like ADD cannot be made by one teacher). Validity involves making an overall judgment of the degree to which the interpretations and uses of the assessment results are justified. Validity is a matter of degree (eg. high, moderate, or low validity) rather than all-or none (e.g. totally valid vs invalid) (Linn & Miller, 2005) Three sources of evidence are considered when assessing validity-content, construct and predictive. Content validitv evidence is associated with the auestion: How well does the assessment include the content or tasks it is validity evidence is associated with the question: How well does the assessment include the content or tasks it is supposed to? For example, suppose your educational psychology instructor devises a mid-term test and tells you 236ウ 86des chapters one to seven in the text book. Obviously, all the items in test should be based on the content from educational psychology, not your methods or cultural foundations classes. Also, the items in the test should cover content from all seven chapters and not just chapters three to seven-unless the instructor tells you that these chapters have priority Teachers' have to be clear about their purposes and priorities for instruction before they can begin to gather evidence related content validity. Content validation determines the degree that assessment tasks are relevant and representative of the tasks Judged by the teacher (or test developer) to represent their goals and objectives (Linn & Miller, 20o5). I is important for teachers to think about content validation when devising assessment tasks and one way to help do this is to devise a Table of Specifications. An example, based on Pennsylvania's State standards for grade 3 geography, is in. In the left hand column is the instructional content for a 20-item test the teacher has decided to construct with two kinds of instructional objectives: identification and uses or locates. The second and third columns identify the number of items for each content area and each instructional objective. Notice that the teacher has decided that six items should be devoted to the sub area of geographic representations- more than any other sub area. Devising a table of specifications helps teachers determine if some content areas or concepts are over-sampled (i.e. there are too many items) and some concepts are under-sampled (ie, there are too few items) 236 ct validity evidence is more complex than content validity evidence. Often we are interested in making gments about student's performances than specific skills such as doing fractions. The focus may be on constructs such as mathematical reasoning or reading comprehension. A construct is a characteristic of a person we assume exists to help explain behavior. For example, we use the concept of test anxiety to explain why some individuals when taking a test have difficulty concentrating, have physiological reactions such as sweating, and perform poorly on tests but not in class assignments. Similarly mathematics reasoning and reading comprehension are constructs as we use them to help explain performance on an assessment. Construct validation is the process of determining the extent to which performance on an assessment can be interpreted in terms of the intended constructs and is not influenced by factors irrelevant to the construct. For example, judgments about recent immigrants' performance on a mathematical reasoning test administered in English will have low construct validity if the results are influenced by English language skills that are irrelevant to mathematical problem solving. Similarly, construct validity of end-of-semester examinations is likely to be poor for those students who are highly anxious when taking major tests but not during regular class periods or when doing assignments. Teachers can help increase construct validity by trying to reduce factors that influence performance but are irrelevant to the construct 237 of 364 being assessed. These factors include anxiety, English language skills, and reading speed (Linn & Miller 2005) Style Guidelines 237 A Global Text

Answer 1

5-7 sentences initial thoughts

The material focuses on what makes an assessment qualitatively high and what aspects of the assessment should be focussed on to maintain the quality of research. The importance of validity and reliability are discussed and made clear with an example of administering tests that are valid but not reliable because the results were based on assumptions that are unrelated to the actual cause. Sources of evidence such as content, construct, and predictive are explained with the same example. It is helpful in knowing what affects the validity of a test and how it can be improved by remembering certain aspects of setting up tests and observing results. Relevance to what is being tested is also of great importance. Therefore, we learn that it is important to remember what is being tested, how it is being tested, and who are the participants of the test. As a researcher, it is important for me to remember my audience and what I intend to measure as part of the test results. Validity is pivotal to the assessment that I create and to ensure that it is of high quality.