In assessment tools, what does 'reliability' refer to?

Reliability in assessment tools focuses on the consistency of the results produced over time. When an assessment tool is reliable, it means that repeating the assessment under similar conditions will yield similar results consistently. For instance, if a student takes the same test multiple times, a reliable tool would provide comparable scores each time, indicating that it measures consistently across different instances. This consistency is crucial for ensuring that the results can be trusted and used effectively to make decisions based on the assessment data.

While accuracy, variety of scenarios, and relevance are important aspects of assessment tools, they pertain to different attributes. Accuracy relates to how well the tool measures what it is supposed to measure, variety concerns the different contexts in which the tool can be applied, and relevance addresses how applicable the tool is to current issues. However, the defining feature of reliability specifically relates to the stability and consistency of the tool’s results over time.