To help beginning principals create unique professional development plans, Texas A & M University Principals' Center has developed the Management Profile built around a videotaped interview of open-ended questions. Trained assessors review the video, compare responses with a standards matrix, and encourage principals to choose a mentor/coach…

New principals are often ill-prepared to assume the increasingly complex responsibilities of the principalship. An assessment process could eliminate some of the frustration experienced by prospective principals who discover they do not enjoy the duties and responsibilities of school administration. Mentoring and coaching can help beginning…

As part of the 1987-88 Westchester Principals' Center program evaluation, active principals were asked what motivates their participation in professional development activities. This article summarizes their answers, along with perceived participation benefits, visions of the principalship, and the influence of prior experiences on learning…

A new computer-based assessment system will replace the National Teachers Examination by fall 1992. The three-stage system will test state-required basic academic skills during the sophomore year of college, evaluate subject field knowledge and skills using open-ended and multiple-choice questions, and contain a locally based performance…

According to one study, hiring officials wishing to know administrator candidates' job skills cannot learn about them from administering the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and cannot learn much about personality preferences from NASSP Assessment Center data. Hiring officials should use multiple information sources, select appropriate measurement…

At best, competency testing should be used as just one indicator of an individual's proficiency as a school administrator. Evaluation alternatives include the use of assessment centers, on-the-job training and/or assessment, alternative forms of testing, multiple competency indicators, better recruitment strategies, and enhanced school…

Research shows that most school districts lack established policies for selecting teachers or administrators. This article, based on a study of concurrent validity between performance on the Administrator Perceiver Interview and in the NASSP Assessment Center, shows that the two approaches provide different information concerning prospective…

Describes one midwestern city's plan to encourage teachers with leadership potential to consider an administration career. Interested teachers participate in an Initial Skills Audit, a 2-day assessment center designed to provide individual feedback on each person's skill level. A self-assessment instrument provides performance rating estimates on…

Assessment center principles can be used not only to identify effective school administrators, but also to prepare potential administrators during graduate school programs. Five administrator preparation components could benefit from applying the assessment center method: curriculum, instruction, personnel, standards, and research. (MLH)

At the NASSP's Alaska Assessment Center for Principals, aspiring administrators and assistant principals consistently scored lowest in a key characteristic--the leader's strongly held values and ability to create a shared school vision. This article underlines the principal's role as author and choreographer of a shared school vision that must be…

Describes a plan to assess 27 administrator candidates, drawing on a partnership between the Southwest Virginia Regional Assessment Center Leadership Academy and Virginia Tech's principal preparation program. Participants completed a reduced-item inbasket exercise, participated in leaderless-group and fact-finding exercises, and submitted a…

Throughout the United States, the Leadership in Educational Administration program helps new principals hone their administrative skills and provides a network of support and information. This article describes a Louisiana technical assistance program involving 5 universities and 15 beginning principals from various regions in the state. Includes…

Developing, launching, and maintaining an assessment center plan requires continuous attention to three essential ingredients: communication, education, and politics. The four key considerations in developing a master plan are costs, scheduling, sources of funding, and terms of the agreement required by NASSP. A sample agreement is provided. (TE)

The Maryland Assessment Center Program (MACP), conducted in cooperation with the NASSP Assessment Center Project, consists of a Commission on School-Based Administration to review principal selection and training processes, a statewide assessment program, and a Research and Development Laboratory on School Based Administration at the University of…

Thirteen ideas for marketing and implementing the assessment center concept are presented. These call for a primary focus on individuals and on excellence, preparation and organization, assessor training, assessor newsletters, accessible locations, a statewide advisory board, an action plan, confidentiality, both causal and formal meetings,…