Chain of assumptions/inferences perspective within an argument-based approach to validity

Research Method · All research methods
Evidence · 6 claims (6 for) · 2 studies (1 associational, 1 theoretical), q1 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 6 claims rest on one study

Description

The article works within an argument-based approach to validity, in which the chain of assumptions and inferences connecting test scores to interpretations and uses is made explicit. The author explores how intended test purpose and test score use are treated "under the chain of assumption/inferences perspective identified within an argument-based approach to validity," using this framework as the lens for the paper's reanalysis of score use.

Accounts

• Chain of assumptions/inferences perspective within an argument-based approach to validity: The article works within an argument-based approach to validity, in which the chain of assumptions and inferences connecting test scores to interpretations and uses is made explicit. The author explores how intended test purpose and test score use are treated "under the chain of assumption/inferences perspective identified within an argument-based approach to validity," using this framework as the lens for the paper's reanalysis of score use. (Garron Gianopulos (2021))

Claims

• An argument-based approach to test score effectiveness can be illustrated by contrasting effectiveness arguments for interim assessments based on a conventional test blueprint versus one augmented with learning progressions [+W]
• For classroom assessments of complex constructs such as learning progressions in math and science, test score use is more effectively conceptualized as part of a potential solution to a problem, or 'job-to-be-done' [+W]
• The lack of guidelines for test score use fails to reflect the ultimate purpose of a test score: helping solve an important problem faced by intended test users [+W]
• The article argues for shifting from the definition of validity to the concept of effectiveness for classroom assessment score use [+W]
• Approaches to test score use and test purpose lack well-developed methodological guidelines and established sources of evidence, unlike score interpretation [+W]
• Interpreting differences in school-aggregate test scores as real differences in school performance raises accuracy concerns even under routine schooling conditions, which the pandemic may exacerbate [+W]

Related Research Methods

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Key Sources

• Garron Gianopulos. (2021). Arguing about the effectiveness of assessments for the classroom. The Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 61. https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/the-journal-of-mathematical-behavior

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	research-method
id	chain-of-assumptionsinferences-perspective-within-an-argument-based-approach-to-validity
title	Chain of assumptions/inferences perspective within an argument-based approach to validity
description	The article works within an argument-based approach to validity, in which the chain of assumptions and inferences connecting test scores to interpretations and uses is made explicit.
status	review
moved_from	theory/chain-of-assumptions-inferences-validity-perspective
generated	by process:sweep-kinds on 2026-10-10
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources	1 — garron-gianopulos-2021

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