Develop a leadership theories matrix that describes the definition and characteristics of various leadership theories and approaches to leadership, including trait leadership, behavioral leadership, contingency leadership, skills leadership, and situational leadership. Provide one or more examples to support the definition or characteristics of each form of leadership. Write out your explanations in each section; each section should contain about 350 words. Format your matrix consistent with APA guidelines. References APA-formatted citation set 3, Validity and reliability are two key ideas in assessment. In the last issue of set I looked at the concept of validity and how it might inform the assessment decisions we make as classroom practitioners and school leaders. In this article I address the issue of reliability, and how it too can help inform our assessment strategies and practices. What is reliability?
Reliability refers to the consistency of the results we obtain from an assessment. This may mean:
Consistency across time—would the results have been the same if the test or assessment had taken place on another day, or at another time?
Consistency across tasks—would the result have been the same if other tasks had been chosen to assess the learning?
Consistency across markers—would the results have been similar if another marker had scored the assessment?
The higher the level of consistency, the more reliable are the results. No results, however, can be completely reliable. There is always some random variation that affects the assessment.
Chase (1974) helps us understand reliability by using an analogy from everyday life. When we measure the length of a room, the consistency of the results we get will vary depending on what instrument we use to take the measurement. For instance, a conventional metre ruler will give us much more consistent results than an elastic tape measure. The ruler is rigid and stable; however, many times we use it to measure the room, there will be a high degree of agreement from one measurement to the next. The elastic tape measure, on the other hand, will need to be stretched just the right amount to show an exact metre, and so will produce much less consistent measurements.
Sometimes we will stretch the tape too far and end up underestimating the length; sometimes we will not stretch the tape far enough, and overestimate it. The elasticity of the tape measure introduces an element of
random variation into our measuring process that will make our measurements less consistent, and so less reliable. When the results of an assessment are reliable, we can be confident that repeated or equivalent assessments will provide consistent results. This puts us in a better position to make generalised statements about a student’s level of achievement, which is especially important when we are using the results of an assessment to make decisions about teaching and learning, or when we are reporting back to students and their parents or caregivers.