So how can schools implement them? In research, reliability and validity are often computed with statistical programs.
The validity of the instrument chosen to answer the research questionĪlthough reliability may not take center stage, both properties are important when trying to achieve any goal with the help of data.
The validity of the research question itself in quantifying the larger, generally more abstract goal Moreover, schools will often assess two levels of validity: But, clearly, the reliability of these results still does not render the number of pushups per student a valid measure of intelligence.īecause reliability does not concern the actual relevance of the data in answering a focused question, validity will generally take precedence over reliability. Returning to the example above, if we measure the number of pushups the same students can do every day for a week (which, it should be noted, is not long enough to significantly increase strength) and each person does approximately the same amount of pushups on each day, the test is reliable. The property of ignorance of intent allows an instrument to be simultaneously reliable and invalid. In this context, accuracy is defined by consistency (whether the results could be replicated). Reliability, on the other hand, is not at all concerned with intent, instead asking whether the test used to collect data produces accurate results. If the wrong instrument is used, the results can quickly become meaningless or uninterpretable, thereby rendering them inadequate in determining a school’s standing in or progress toward their goals. a standardized test, student survey, etc.) is optimal. However, the question itself does not always indicate which instrument (e.g. These focused questions are analogous to research questions asked in academic fields such as psychology, economics, and, unsurprisingly, education. An understanding of the definition of success allows the school to ask focused questions to help measure that success, which may be answered with the data.įor example, if a school is interested in increasing literacy, one focused question might ask: which groups of students are consistently scoring lower on standardized English tests? If a school is interested in promoting a strong climate of inclusiveness, a focused question may be: do teachers treat different types of students unequally? They need to first determine what their ultimate goal is and what achievement of that goal looks like. Schools interested in establishing a culture of data are advised to come up with a plan before going off to collect it. Such considerations are particularly important when the goals of the school aren’t put into terms that lend themselves to cut and dry analysis school goals often describe the improvement of abstract concepts like “school climate.” One of the biggest difficulties that comes with this integration is determining what data will provide an accurate reflection of those goals. Schools all over the country are beginning to develop a culture of data, which is the integration of data into the day-to-day operations of a school in order to achieve classroom, school, and district-wide goals. You want to measure students’ perception of their teacher using a survey but the teacher hands out the evaluations right after she reprimands her class, which she doesn’t normally do.Ĭontinue reading to find out the answer-and why it matters so much. You want to measure student intelligence so you ask students to do as many push-ups as they can every day for a week. One of the following tests is reliable but not valid and the other is valid but not reliable.
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