Which concept evaluates whether an assessment measures the intended construct?

Which concept evaluates whether an assessment measures the intended construct?

• A. Norming
• B. Reliability
• C. Validity
• D. Standardization

Answer: (C)

Validity is the extent to which an assessment measures what it is intended to measure. It asks whether the test scores meaningfully reflect the specific construct you want to assess. For example, a test aiming to measure algebra understanding should focus on algebraic reasoning and problem-solving, not on unrelated skills like reading comprehension or general test-taking strategies. Different forms of validity help confirm this: content validity checks that items cover the relevant domain; construct validity examines whether the test behaves as expected with related measures and theoretical expectations; criterion-related validity looks at how well scores predict or relate to external outcomes. By contrast, norming is about comparing scores to a reference group, standardization concerns uniform procedures for administration and scoring, and reliability is about the consistency of scores. So the concept that evaluates whether an assessment measures the intended construct is validity.

Validity is the extent to which an assessment measures what it is intended to measure. It asks whether the test scores meaningfully reflect the specific construct you want to assess. For example, a test aiming to measure algebra understanding should focus on algebraic reasoning and problem-solving, not on unrelated skills like reading comprehension or general test-taking strategies. Different forms of validity help confirm this: content validity checks that items cover the relevant domain; construct validity examines whether the test behaves as expected with related measures and theoretical expectations; criterion-related validity looks at how well scores predict or relate to external outcomes. By contrast, norming is about comparing scores to a reference group, standardization concerns uniform procedures for administration and scoring, and reliability is about the consistency of scores. So the concept that evaluates whether an assessment measures the intended construct is validity.