What does validity refer to in terms of assessment?

Validity in the context of assessment is fundamentally concerned with whether a test actually measures what it claims to measure. This means that for a test to be considered valid, it must accurately assess the specific skills or knowledge it is intended to evaluate. For example, if a test is designed to measure mathematical ability, it should focus on mathematical concepts and skills instead of unrelated content.

Validity involves various types, such as content validity (how well the test covers the subject matter), criterion-related validity (how well one measure predicts an outcome based on another measure), and construct validity (how well the test reflects the theoretical concepts it is intended to assess). Essentially, a valid assessment provides meaningful and relevant results that can inform decisions about teaching, learning, and student performance.

The other options focus on different aspects of assessments, such as reliability (consistency of results across different administrations or measures), objectivity (how scoring may vary between different evaluators), and scoring consistency. While these elements are important in their own right, they do not define the concept of validity. Validity is specifically about the accuracy and appropriateness of what a test is measuring.