Validating a Fidelity Scale to Understand Intervention Effects in Classroom-Based Studies:

K–12 intervention studies often include fidelity of implementation (FOI) as a mediating variable, though most do not report the validity of fidelity measures. This article discusses the critical need for validated FOI scales. To illustrate our point, we describe the development and validation of the Implementation Validity Checklist (IVC-R), an observation tool for measuring FOI of a research-based instructional reading approach, Collaborative Strategic Reading. Following Kane (2006), Wilson (2004), and the guidelines of the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (Standards: AERA, APA, & NCME, 2014), findings suggest the IVC-R is a valid instrument for measuring fidelity to CSR. We hope this process will provide an informative model for the validation of FOI observation tools in future classroom-based efficacy studies.