What describes the relationship between a test score and future performances?

The concept that describes the relationship between a test score and future performances is predictive validity. Predictive validity refers to the extent to which a test accurately forecasts or predicts outcomes that occur at a later time. For example, if a college entrance exam has high predictive validity, it means that high scores on that exam correlate strongly with successful academic performance in college. This concept is crucial in educational psychology, as it ensures that assessments used for decision-making effectively measure what they are intended to predict, thereby informing educators and policy-makers about the potential future success of students based on their test scores.

This differs from concurrent validity, which looks at the relationship between test scores and current performance; reliability focuses on the consistency of test scores over time, and face validity refers to the extent to which a test appears to measure what it claims to measure based on subjective judgment.