What does test reliability refer to?

Test reliability refers to the degree of consistency in assessment results. When a test is reliable, it produces stable and consistent outcomes across different administrations or similar forms of the same test. For instance, if a student takes a reliable reading assessment multiple times under similar conditions, the scores should be very similar, indicating that the test accurately measures the same constructs each time.

This consistency is essential for educators and stakeholders because it ensures that the results are trustworthy and can be used confidently to make decisions about student performance, instructional strategies, and curriculum effectiveness. High reliability is necessary for the validity of the conclusions drawn from test scores, connecting the results directly to the students' true abilities or knowledge in a specific area.

The other options address different aspects of testing; while relevance to the curriculum, ease of administration, and complexity of the test items are all important factors in creating effective assessments, they do not define reliability. Reliability specifically focuses on the consistency of results across various testing situations.