Test Scores, Validity and Validation of

Validity of test scores, in the very broadest and most commonly accepted sense, refers to the degree to which the interpretation of the meaning of a test score, within the context in which the score is used, is appropriate and justified. Different perspectives of validity and approaches to validation can be found within various validity theories and models. The dominant approach to the validation of test scores today is the concepts and methods set forth in the 1999 Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (Standards). The focus of this approach is the accumulation of sufficient evidence, whether statistical, judgmental, or otherwise, to support a particular score interpretation and use. Recently, Michael Kane's argument-based conceptual framework and approach to validation, which supplements the 1999 Standards, has ...