ABSTRACT
With the increasing use of automated scoring systems in high-stakes testing, it has become essential that test developers assess the validity of the inferences based on scores produced by these systems. In this article, we attempt to place the issues associated with computer-automated scoring within the context of current validity theory. Although it is assumed that the criteria appropriate for evaluating the validity of score interpretations are the same for tests using automated scoring procedures as for other assessments, different aspects of the validity argument may require emphasis as a function of the scoring procedure. We begin the article with a taxonomy of automated scoring procedures. The presentation of this taxonomy provides a framework for discussing threats to validity that may take on increased importance for specific approaches to automated scoring. We then present a general discussion of the process by which test-based inferences are validated, followed by a discussion of the special issues that must be considered when scoring is done by computer.
