Which situation would undermine the reliability of a diagnostic speech-language assessment?

• A. Consistent examiner scoring across trials
• B. Use of standardized procedures
• C. Testers discuss scoring rubric before administration
• D. Inconsistent examiner scoring the same response

Answer: (D)

Reliability means the assessment yields consistent results across different occasions and scorers. When the same response is scored inconsistently by an examiner, or by different examiners, that inconsistency introduces measurement error and lowers inter-rater reliability. This is what undermines trust in the results, because the scores reflect who did the scoring more than the child’s actual abilities. The other practices—having consistent scoring, using standardized procedures, and discussing the scoring rubric beforehand—support reliability by promoting uniform application of criteria and administration. Inconsistent scoring the same response directly erodes that stability, making the diagnostic results less dependable.