Validity and Reliability Assessment & Intervention

Why are validity and reliability in assessments important? Can you have one without the other?

The NAEYC continues by asserting that kindergarten entry assessment should be a baseline snapshot followed by continuous assessments throughout the school year to inform teachers how instruction should be guided (Sege, 2012). They point out an overview of key issues on building an assessment system:

- Pyschometric characteristics: Assessments should be both reliable and valid. "Reliability refers to the degree to which an assessment provides the same result when administered by different people to the same child or to the same child at two time points in close proximity. Validity refers to the degree to which the results of the assessment accurately capture what they are intending to capture."

- Types of assessment: "Direct assessments are those administered directly to the child. Direct assessment can be costly, time consuming, and require specialized skills to administer; however, because responses are coming directly from the child they are also often assumed to be objective and accurate (although they may in fact vary in validity). Observational measures do not require explicit administration to children, as they are typically assessments completed by adults after or during a period of observing the child (Sege, 2012). (A good system of assessment is a balance between summative and formative).

- Standardization: "The popular concern is that of very young children completing paper and pencil assessments en masse, similar to perceptions of large-scale standardized assessments for older children. The use of this type of assessment is not appropriate for young children. However, the concept of standardization is relevant. Briefly, standardization means that an assessment is administered in the same way each time it is administered (Sege, 2012).

- Components of an early childhood assessment system. "High-quality early childhood education is supported by assessments aligned with instructional goals and approaches. Assessment, however, does not refer simply to the tool being used; it refers to an interconnected system of decisions and activity... The system requires supports and procedures to effectively and appropriately administer the assessment, as well as a data management and analysis system that captures the results of the assessments and allows the data to be used appropriately (Sege, 2012).

Hope this meets your satisfaction, student.

Reference:
Sege, I. (2012) Eye on Education: NAEYC Offers Guidance on Early Childhood Assessment, Strategies for Children, Inc.