Page 81 - DEDU504_EDUCATIONAL_MEASUREMENT_AND_EVALUATION_ENGLISH

Unit 6 : Validity – Types , Methods and Usability

The validity of an assessment tool is the extent to which it measures what it was designed to measure, Notes
without contamination from other characteristics. For example, a test of reading comprehension should
not require mathematical ability.
It is fairly obvious that a valid assessment should have a good coverage of the criteria (concepts,
skills and knowledge) relevant to the purpose of the examination. The important notion here is the
purpose. For example :
• The PROBE test is a form of reading running record which measures reading behaviours and
includes some comprehension questions. It allows teachers to see the reading strategies that
students are using, and potential problems with decoding. The test would not, however, provide
in-depth information about a student’s comprehension strategies across a range of texts.
• STAR (Supplementary Test of Achievement in Reading) is not designed as a comprehensive
test of reading ability. It focuses on assessing students’ vocabulary understanding, basic sentence
comprehension and paragraph comprehension. It is most appropriately used for students who
don’t score well on more general testing (such as PAT or e-as TTle) as it provides a more fine
grained analysis of basic comprehension strategies.

Self Assessment

2. State whether the following statements are ‘true’ or false’.

(i) Simple Correlation method is the most prevalent method to calculate validity coefficient.
(ii) Multiple correlation method can not be used when more than one scales are used for
some hypothesis.
(iii) Cut off score is a test score which is used as the demarcation point for accepting or rejecting
students.
(iv) Prediction can be displayed by another method called bar diagram.
(v) The basis of factor analysis is coefficient.
6.5 Summary

• Validity is an extremely essential attribute of a test.
• The following formula will prove useful in remembering validity in brief :
Adequacy + Objectivity → Reliability + Aim → Validity
(i) “The validity of a test or of any measuring instrument depends upon the fidelity with which
it measures what it purports to measure.” — Garrett (1959)
(ii) “In general, the term validity refers to effectiveness of a test in achieving specific purposes.”
—Stodola and Siordohl
• Criterion for Validity : An independent criterion is needed for determining validity. In mental
tests, the measurable elements cannot be seen in their concrete forms, they can be perceived
only through the medium in the form of activities.
• According to the National Committee on Test Standards, validity of a test can generally by
done by the following three types of validity :
(i) Content or curricular validity,
(ii) Criterion-related validity, and
(iii) Construct validity.
• According to Anastasi, “Content validity involves essentially the systematic examination of
the test content to determine whether it covers a representative sample of the behaviour domain
to be measured.”

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 75