What do validity and reliability together represent in assessment?

Validity and reliability are foundational concepts in the field of assessment, particularly in educational settings. When we discuss technical adequacy, we refer to the overall quality and trustworthiness of an assessment tool.

Validity ensures that an assessment accurately measures what it claims to measure. For example, if a test is designed to assess reading comprehension, it should accurately reflect students' understanding of what they read, rather than other factors such as their academic vocabulary or test-taking skills.

Reliability, on the other hand, addresses the consistency of the assessment results. An assessment is considered reliable if it yields the same results over repeated administrations under similar conditions. For instance, if a student took a math test today and scored 80% and then took the same test next week and scored 80% again, that assessment would be deemed reliable.

Together, validity and reliability contribute to the technical adequacy of an assessment. A technically adequate assessment can provide educators and stakeholders with confidence that the results are not only accurate (valid) but also consistent (reliable), thus ensuring better decision-making in educational contexts.