Optimizing Sustainability Competence: Reliability and Validity Analysis of Pre-Learning Assessments for Junior High School Students

The development of pre-learning assessments that integrate the Minimum Competency Assessment (MCA) with Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) content is crucial for equipping students with the knowledge and skills necessary to address global challenges. This study aims to create a pre-learning assessment instrument that combines MCA and ESD materials on the topic of work and energy, targeted at eighth-grade junior high school students. The research participants included students from grades VII to IX SMP Negeri 1 Sinunukan, Sinunukan District, Mandailing Natal Regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia, to test the instrument's generalizability, utilizing the 4-D model by Thiagarajan et al., which consists of the define, design, develop, and disseminate phases. The final product is a pre-learning assessment instrument tailored for the second semester of grade VIII. Data analysis employed qualitative and quantitative descriptive methods using the Rasch model via Winsteps 5.7.1 software. Supplementary analysis, including data triangulation and in-depth interviews with students and teachers, enriched the interpretation of the results. The findings indicate that the instrument meets high-quality criteria, with an average validation score of 2 (excellent), an instrument reliability of 0.98 (exceptional category), a respondent reliability of 0.85 (good category), content validity fulfilling the set requirements, and construct validity ranging from 0.53 to 0.71, demonstrating overall validity.