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Glossary for Validity
Term Definition
Assessment validity
The most significant concept in assessment, assessment validity reflects
the defensibility of the score-based inference made on the basis of an
educational assessment procedure.
Bloom’s taxonomy
A continuum of increasing cognitive complexity—from remembering to
creating.
Concurrent validity
See Criterion validity.
Consequential validity
Refers to whether or not the USES of test results are valid.
Construct-related validity
evidence
The extent to which an assessment corresponds to other variables, as
predicted by some rationale or theory. Construct-related evidence of
validity for educational tests is usually gathered through a series of
studies. There three types of strategies that are most commonly used in
construct-related evidence studies:
•Intervention studies
•Differential-population studies
•Related-measures studies
Content-related validity
evidence
The extent to which the content of the test matches the instructional
objectives.
Convergent evidence of
validity
Answers the question: Are test scores related to behaviors and tests that it
should be related to?
Criterion-related validity
evidence
The extent to which scores on the test are in agreement with or predict an
external criterion.
Criterion validity
Demonstrates the degree of accuracy of a test by comparing it with
another test, measure or procedure which has been demonstrated to be
valid. There are two contexts for using criterion validity:
•Predictive validity is when one measure is done in the present and one is
done at a later date. The later test is known to be valid. This approach
allows one to show the current test is valid by comparing it to a future
valid test.
•Concurrent validity is when both measures are current. This approach
allows one to show the test is valid by comparing it with an already valid
test. I can do this if I can show my test varies directly with a measure of
the same construct or indirectly with a measure of an opposite construct.
