![]() ![]() Reliability is typically estimated in one of three ways. The key issue of validity is to determine the nature of that something-specifically, whether the test measures what it purports to measure The key issue of reliability, then, is to establish that something is being measured with a certain degree of consistency. A test is highly reliable if a student taking it on two different occasions will get two very similar if not identical scores. In the simplest terms, reliability refers to the stability or reproducibility of a test's results. Although reliability and fairness are in fact aspects of the overarching concept of validity, the three concepts are addressed in turn to highlight their distinctive features. ![]() In addition, the principles of reliability, validity, and fairness in testing have been codified in various forms by professional organizations, and these codes are also addressed in this chapter. In this chapter, we examine these key concepts of testing to provide a basis for the discussion in the rest of the report of the psychometrics of particular high-stakes uses of tests. Tests used for such high-stakes purposes must therefore meet professional standards of reliability, validity, and fairness. The high-stakes decisions for individual students on which this report focuses-tracking, promotion and retention, and graduation or denial of high school diplomas-have profound implications for the development and future life chances of young people.
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