Themes and Variations in Validity Theory

s most of the readers of this A journal know, the 1985 Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA, MA, & NCME, 1985) is under revision. Deciding whether and how to revise the characterization of validity is probably the most significant issue facing the authors of the revised Standards. There is a substantial disjunction between the way validity is characterized in the 1985 standards and in the published work of many who write about the philosophy of validity. While there are dominant themes that run throughout characterizations of validity in the Standards and elsewhere, there are also substantial variations, both with respect to the boundaries of validityhow it is delimited from other concepts-and with respect to its components-how it is analyzed into aspects, constituent parts, or processes to guide validity research. The purpose of this article is to highlight some of the major questions facing the measurement community in deciding how to conceptualize validity in the revised Standards and thereby to encourage dialogue about how these issues might be resolved. Choices made with respect to the boundaries and components of validity are not just topics for the seminar room-they influence the way validity research is carried out, the responsibilities of assessment developers and users, and the rights of those who are assessed.