The conventional focus of validity in educational measurement has been on intended interpretations and uses of test scores. Empirical studies of test use by teachers, administrators and policy-makers show that actual interpretations and uses of test scores in context are invariably shaped by local users' questions, which frequently require…

Adoption studies were reviewed for evidence of the malleability of intelligence quotient (IQ). Although moderate estimates range between 20 and 25 points, it is argued that the standard adoption study provides little evidence about IQ malleability and that a major study of contrasted environments yields even more conservative estimates. (SLD)

Project STAR (Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio) was a large-scale randomized trial of reduced class sizes in kindergarten through the third grade. Because of the scope of the experiment, it has been used in many policy discussions. For example, the California statewide class-size-reduction policy was justified, in part, by the successes of…