Peer Responses – Ethical Dilemma in Relation to Reliability and Validity
Responding to Isis Palacios’s post
Hello Isis,
Thank you for the insightful post. It is clear from the argument that there are economic and strategic reasons that make it acceptable for private schools to administer a test of known validity. Indeed, private schools aim to work under different patterns than public schools, which may have their main interest in maintaining images and financial viability. The view that the test is the indication of future performance matches the essence of criterion-referenced testing; the testing mechanism was specifically designed to measure against certain criteria as opposed to a group (Sternberg et al., 2022). This point forces more support to the argument, highlighting the fact that the school needs to select learners who shall stand the test of a particular educational program to justify the ethical use of this test from the institutional perspective.
However, one can argue that there is a potential problem, and that is where predictive validity is assumed to be synonymous with fairness and ethical acceptability (Drake et al., 2020). However, even while the test might prove suitable for predicting success within the private schooling system, it fails to answer the main question of whether the test is equally valid for all groups. When fewer scores are obtained, this might suggest that the test is unfair or insensitive to cultural differences, which you need to consider in terms of equality in education. Thus, overemphasizing the financial and competitive perspectives, the equity concerns, and the principles of fairness toward all the students could be neglected.
References
Drake, B., Jonson-Reid, M., Ocampo, M. G., Morrison, M., & Dvalishvili, D. (Daji). (2020). A Practical Framework for Considering the Use of Predictive Risk Modeling in Child Welfare. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 692(1), 162–181. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716220978200
Sternberg, R. J., Chowkase, A., Parra-Martinez, F. A., & Landy, J. (2022). Criterion-Referenced Assessment of Intelligence as Adaptation to the Environment: Is It Possible, Plausible, or Practical? Journal of Intelligence, 10(3), 57. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10030057
Responding to Alex Dollar’s post
Hello Alex,
Thank you for sharing the post. An excellent counterargument to the ethical usefulness of a test that systematically generates low results for a particular population, even if it is highly reliable in that estimation, is provided. The issue of test and intercept bias is rather significant, as it means that the test can only accurately assess some students’ potential. This is in line with APA ethics, which requires that bias must be minimized while other aspects that may influence test performance are considered. Resnik (2020) argues that by focusing on cultural and social aspects, it is shown that tests should be designed in a way that they represent cultural diversities, which is significant support for the argumentation for ethical testing practices.
A potential weakness here that could be raised is the difficulty of achieving a fair forecast alongside predictive accuracy. Andrade (2019) indicates that although it is imperative to develop tests that do not influence culture and, at the same time, are developed to favor specific cultural groups, educational organizations need to have tests that will rightfully predict how a particular student is likely to perform. If the current test is dismissed due to possible bias issues, creating a new one that sufficiently predicts the outcomes of the target population while simultaneously being fair may not be easy and would require time and money. The argument could be further complemented by directing the reader to possible approaches or ways of developing assessments that are fair but can serve the purpose of predicting the performance of the students in future institutions.
References
Andrade, H. L. (2019). A critical review of research on student self-assessment. Frontiers in Education, 4(87), 1–13. Frontiersin. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00087
Resnik, D. B. (2020). What is ethics in research & why is it important? National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/
ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE
We’ll write everything from scratch
Question 
Prompt: In this discussion, you will debate an ethical dilemma around test development while relating it to validity and reliability concepts. Consider the following scenario: A private school utilizes a test with well-established predictive validity for admissions. However, members of a particular group tend to score low on this test. In your initial post, answer the following question:
Peer Responses – Ethical Dilemma in Relation to Reliability and Validity
* Is it ethical for the school to continue to use the test? Why or why not?
**** Reading Resources******
The following is a list of resources that will help you complete the activities in this module. Below each resource are a few guiding questions to consider as you read and review. You do not need to record or submit your answers to these questions.
Textbook: Psychological Testing and Assessment
opens in new window
, Chapters 5 and 6
As you read, think about the following
Chapter 5
* How do you define reliability?
* How do you differentiate between measurement error, random error, and systemic error?
* Can you differentiate between parallel-forms and alternate-forms reliability estimates?
* What is inter-scorer reliability?
* What does a coefficient of reliability give us?
* Compare speed tests to power tests.
* What is item response theory?
Chapter 6
* What is validity?
* Can you compare content validity, criterion-related validity, and construct validity?
* Compare face validity to content validity.
* What are some types of test bias?
* What is test fairness?
A Primer on the Validity of Assessment Instruments
opens in a new window
This article discusses how reliability and validity are utilized to construct assessment instruments. The article also discusses how these two concepts are measured. You can use this resource to help with the Module Three discussion assignment.
No Negative Flynn Effect in France: Why Variations of Intelligence Should Not Be Assessed Using Tests Based on Cultural Knowledge
opens in a new window
Intelligence tests have faced criticism for incorporating cultural bias in their structure and results. This article provides a case study.