Dr. Barbara Jacobson

The purpose in conducting this study was to determine if there were relationships between achieving success as a school administrator and the ratings from the NASSP Assessment Center and the course Educational Administration 850 grades and ratings. The study involved 43 participants who had completed both Educational Administration 850 and the NASSP Assessment Center. A panel of educational administration experts validated a definition of success. The five elements identified were human relations skills, job performance, goal attainment, job satisfaction and promotion. Information concerning the elements of success was gathered from the participants and their supervisors through surveys. The participants' grades and ratings were gathered from existing records of the NASSP Assessment Center and Educational Administration 850. To analyze the data, correlation coefficients and multiple regression were used. Significant relationships were found among 850 grades and the peer and instructor ratings as well as between 850 grades and three of the seven NASSP ratings. Instructor and peer ratings from 850 correlated significantly with four of the seven NASSP ratings. Four of the NASSP ratings were found to correlate significantly with three of the elements of success. However, because of the limited number of correlations, the predictive validity of the Assessment Center is low. No predictive validity was found between the success elements and 850 grades and ratings. In the selection process of school administrators, information from the NASSP Assessment Center and formal training has been used. These two experiences can provide relevant information about the potential administrator's strengths and weaknesses. However, the ability to predict success from these sources is limited. Until success can be defined more accurately, predictors will continue to be difficult to determine. Therefore, multiple sources of information must be used in order to select successful school administrators.