Social validity is a concept that, in part, deals with the social or applied importance of the effects of intervention programs. Given the importance of assessing social competence in school-age children and youth, it is critical that these measures be socially valid. That is, these measures should reflect outcomes that social systems such as the schools consider important. Various assessment methods were classified as Type I, Type II, and Type III measures based on their social validity. Conclusions focused on the increased use of Type I measures, the establishment of appropriate normative groups for these measures, the adoption of a competence-correlates definition of social skills, and the increased use of multivariate research methods in the area of social skills assessment.
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