The Evolution of Validity Theory: Public School Testing,the Courts,and Incompatible Interpretations

Professional measurement standards have evolved during the past 5 decades, creating a more unitary yet nebulous conception of validation. Concurrently, due to the increase of high-stakes testing in public schools, the courts have been forced to rule on the appropriateness of decisions emanating from tests. However, the courts often have failed to apply current validation theory in rendering decisions, preferring the convenience and clarity of earlier perspectives of validity. This rift between validity theory and judicial interpretation threatens to grow into a chasm as more complex views of validation prevail in the profession. Modem measurement practitioners stand astride this chasm in their efforts to implement test validation procedures that are cost effective, legally defensible, and consistent with state-of-the-art theory.