What does the use of equivalent-forms reliability ensure?

Equivalent-forms reliability focuses on the consistency of test results when different forms of the same assessment are administered to the same group of individuals. This concept is crucial in educational assessment as it verifies that the different versions of the test measure the same underlying construct and yield consistent outcomes. By ensuring that results from multiple forms yield the same outcomes, educators can be confident that the assessments are stable and reliable, regardless of which version a student takes. This aspect of reliability supports fair assessment practices, allowing comparisons across different test forms without compromising the integrity of the results.

In contrast, the other options focus on different aspects of assessment validity or administration. For instance, inter-observer agreement pertains to how well different observers can agree on the performance of students, which relates more to scoring reliability than to the consistency between test forms. Timeliness of assessment completion is more about logistical efficiency and does not relate to reliability. Finally, standardization of assessments speaks to the uniformity and established procedures used in administering tests, which is a separate issue from the concept of equivalent-forms reliability.