Definition of internal consistency in EC screening instruments?

• A. Two children score past a test's cutoff for assessment need on most of the same items
• B. The same student scores consistently on all items
• C. The instrument yields identical results on retest
• D. It indicates the test measures validity

Answer: (A)

Internal consistency asks how well the items on a screening tool hang together to measure the same underlying skill or behavior. If two children tend to pass the cutoff on most of the same items, that shows the items are functioning together in a coherent way to identify similar needs, indicating the instrument has reliable internal structure. It isn’t about the test yielding identical results when taken again (that’s test–retest reliability), nor about one student scoring the same on every item, nor about validity.