Validity of Test Interpretation and Use

Validity is an integrated evaluative judgment of the degree to which empirical evidence and theoretical rationales support the adequacy and appropriateness of interpretations and actions based on test scores or other modes of assessment. The principles of validity apply not just to interpretive and action inferences derived from test scores as ordinarily conceived, but also to inferences based on any means of observing or documenting consistent behaviors or attributes. The key issues of test validity are the meaning, relevance, and utility of scores; the import or value implications of scores as a basis for action; and the functional worth of scores in terms of the social consequences of their use. For some time, test validity has been broken into content validity, predictive validity and concurrent criterion-related validity, and construct validity. The only form of validity neglected or bypassed in these traditional formulations is that bearing on the social consequences of test interpretation and use. Validity becomes a unified concept when it is recognized, or assured, that construct validation subsumes considerations of content, criteria, and consequences. Speaking of validity as a unified concept doGs not mean that it cannot be differentiated into facets to underscore particular issues. The construct validity of score meaning is the integrating force that unifies validity issues into a unitary concept. (Contains 1 table and 25 references.) (SLD) **u******************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***********************************************************************