What is the degree to which a test accurately predicts a student's future behavior called?

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The term that describes the degree to which a test accurately predicts a student's future behavior is known as predictive validity. This concept refers to how well the outcomes of a particular assessment or test can forecast the future performance of an individual in a specific context, such as academic achievement or other relevant life outcomes. For instance, if a standardized test reliably forecasts a student's performance in college, it is considered to have high predictive validity.

This is distinct from other types of validity. Construct validity relates to whether a test actually measures the theoretical construct it claims to measure. Reliability pertains to the consistency of a test's results over time or across different administrations. Concurrent validity involves assessing how well a test correlates with another established measure taken at the same time. Each of these concepts plays a significant role in the field of educational psychology, but when focusing specifically on the ability to predict future behaviors, predictive validity is the key term.