Validity and Validation

Abstract Validity underscores all aspects of testing, from conceptualizing the targeted construct to evaluating the consequences of test score interpretations and uses. Validation entails constructing and evaluating coherent arguments for and against test score interpretations and uses, as well as the resulting consequences. The chapter begins with the view that validity is an overarching concept that subsumes reliability, generalizability, and fairness. This is followed by a discussion on the evolution of validity theory that has led to the argument-based approach to validity and validation. The position that consequences of test use are essential to validity and the validation process is then solidified. Following this is a discussion on meaningfully assessing individuals from diverse cultural, linguistic, racial, and economic backgrounds in terms of the implications for validity and validation. The chapter closes with a section on applications of validity theory to testing programs to further illustrate the implementation of an argument-based approach to validity.