Discusses a method for identifying candidates for open management slots who not only meet technical requirements but also have good management and administrative skills. (JOW)

The authors investigated trends over a 13-year period in the predictive validity of assessment center data for objective career advancement for a sample of 456 academic graduates. Using year of entry and tenure as controls, findings from research into managerial effectiveness and development were confirmed with respect to the importance of…

Traditional promotion examinations provide limited knowledge of candidates' decision-making, administrative, and leadership skills. Having assessment center evaluators review documentation of work history related to dimensions of the job adds additional information that can improve the effectiveness of prediction of future performance. (SK)

Concludes most organizations have administrator promotion and selection problems. Suggests good selection procedures produce valid, reliable, job-related information; exhibit fairness/are perceived as "fair"; and fit "political" realities. Examines Hamilton and Dufferin-Peel selection procedure models, which also incorporate…

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,…

This article treats specific areas in which the assessment center can make significant contributions to university programs in educational administration: personal-professional growth, contributions to the preparation program, and linkages with the field. (TE)

This brief introductory article describes the NASSP's Assessment Center Project, a comprehensive plan to assist school districts in identifying and developing highly skilled school leaders. As such, it introduces a series of articles in which those who have used the NASSP Assessment Center describe their experiences. (TE)

Based on his successful experience with the NASSP assessment center process in personnel selection and career development, a Maryland curriculum superintendent suggests that assessment center process and results need to be integrated into schools' promotional policies, their training and appraisal procedures, their human resource planning, and…

Two success stories are presented of good teachers who were given a chance by the NASSP assessment center to demonstrate their administrative skills and were subsequently selected to fill administrative positions. Participation in the assessment center has provided more objective information on administrative candidates than was previously…

College and university faculty engaged in the preparation of school administrators should have a vital role in all applications of assessment centers and the principles upon which assessment centers are based. Faculty involvement in uses of assessment center technology can improve administrator preparation programs. (TE)

The success of the South Carolina Assessment Center Project, the first statewide center, is credited to five basic principles that have guided efforts thus far: (1) establish credibility; (2) pay attention to details; (3) apply safeguards; (4) maintain public support; and (5) make the assessment experience humane. (TE)

Directors, assessors, and participants in various NASSP-accredited assessment centers attest to the value of the experience from their own individual perspectives. Regardless of their performance and subsequent assessment, almost all participants indicate that they learned much about themselves. (TE)

A Nebraska principal describes her experience of a two-day workshop in the assessment center at the University of Nebraska. Both the oral and written feedback helped her formulate long- and short-term goals, increased her skills in conflict resolution and stress management, and improved her classroom observation skills. (TE)