Chapter 4: Consequential Validity of Early Childhood Assessments

Validity, the extent to which an assessment measures what it is supposed to measure, is a sine qua non of any assessment. Assessments are evaluated as valid to the extent with which theory and empirical evidence support their uses and interpretations (American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, & National Council on Measurement in Education, 2014). A complicated process, determination of validity must dynamically ascertain if uses and implications of such uses are adequate and appropriate for different individuals and groups across different contexts (Messick, 1995).

Historically, types of validity have included content, construct, and criterion as independent (i.e., a trinity validity perspective, Cronbach & Meehl, 1955), and sometimes interchangeable ways to evaluate validity (Iliescu & Greiff, 2021). In 1989, Messick presented a comprehensive, integrative conceptualization that defined construct validity more broadly (i.e., a unitary validity perspective), encompassing construct, criterion, and a new aspect: consequential validity (Messick, 1989). This integrated the meaning and the interpretation of the results of a measurement and the social uses and impact of those results into a synthesized construct centered on the use of the assessment. Of course, the appropriateness of any assessment also depends on its other aspects of validity. Equitable assessment includes a wide range of issues (Messick, 1995), with consequential validity being one of the most important but often neglected aspects. This chapter will discuss the conceptualization and operationalization of consequential validity, with an emphasis on early childhood assessments.