Selecting and Developing the 21st Century Principal- Assessment Center

What occurs at the Developmental Assessment Center?

• The Assessment Center activities are designed to accurately reflect the principalship and some of the many key issues and leadership challenges facing school leaders. 
• Participants spend the day in a variety of simulations that reflect many of the leadership challenges faced by principals. 
• Assessors observe each participant and his/her demonstration of skills as demonstrated in the various simulation activities.
•  While there are no specific right or wrong answers, participants’ responses fall within a range of behaviors in a wide variety of skill areas.  These skill areas are those identified as essential leadership skills. 
• Several assessors observe each participant to provide more than one perspective.  Reports are written and then integrated to create one report for each participant. Each participant is provided with an assessment of strengths and development needs as observed during the Assessment Center exercise.
•  This report is provided during a one to one conference with the participant. The report strives to generate insights about situations, assignments and positions that will assist a new leader as they plan and initiate strategies that will facilitate continued development of individual talent and skills, as well as their overall effectiveness as a school leader.
• Reports are confidential and not shared with anyone other than the participant unless the participant indicates otherwise. They are filed at the DASL office for five years.

Assessors complete three days of extensive training on how to accurately observe and describe the behaviors.  The following have attended NASSP’s Center for Principal Development and are certified trainers in the assessment center.  They represent retired and practicing administrators in a variety of positions, such as principal, assistant principal, curriculum specialist, human resource director, school director, and university professor.  The center holds training once a year to certify new assessors.

Staff

Coordinator of Assessment Center

Sharon Brittingham has 36 years of Delaware public education experience with 24 years as a middle school language arts teacher, and 3 years as assistant principal at Seaford Middle School. She was instrumental in Seaford Middle School being selected as a National Blue Ribbon School during her tenure there. Sharon also served nine years as  principal of Frankford Elementary School, a National Blue Ribbon and Title 1 school. Mrs. Brittingham was selected as Delaware’s National Association for Elementary School Principals’  National Distinguished Principal of the Year in 2004.  Since retiring, Mrs. Brittingham has worked for Wilmington University as Coordinator of the Teacher Practicum and taught in their Masters of School Leadership Program. She is currently employed by the University of Delaware at the Delaware Academy for School Leadership, and coordinates the Developmental Assessment Center for School Leaders and the Wallace Distributed Leadership and Succession Planning Projects. 

Technical Assistant Coordinator

Shannon Wilson, is a research assistant with the Institute for Public Administration, and is currently completing her Masters in Public Administration.  Ms. Wilson taught high school social studies at Sussex Technical High School and Sussex Central High School.  She organizes the Delaware Academy for School Leadership projects. Ms. Wilson has presented at numerous state and national conferences regarding Delaware’s Cohesive Leadership System.

Selecting and Developing the 21st Century Principal

Two assessment centers have been conducted for the 2009 school year with a total of eight participants, including aspiring school leaders, practicing principals and assistants. 

Assessors:
Dave Sechler, retired principal, CR, DASL staff
Dr. Everett Toomey, retired principal, Indian River School District
Dr. Sara Wilkinson, retired principal, Cape Henlopen School District
Dr. Sharon Yoder, Wilmington University Professor
Judy Cullen, retired Director of Human Resources, IRSD
Vincent Catania, retired principal, Delaware and Maryland
Dr. Kae Keister, Wilmington University Professor
Joe Potochney, Adult Education, NCCVT
Dr. Hugh Ferguson, retired principal
Dr. Jim VanSciver, Supervisor Secondary Education
Dr. Patricia Oliphant, Head of Sussex Academy for Arts and Sciences
Susan Whitaker, retired principal, CR
Sharon Brittingham, retired principal, IRSD

Technical Assistants
Shannon Wilson, DASL staff
Hilary Mead, DASL staff
Alison Willey, DASL Graduate Assistant

Imagine it is your first day on the job as the new principal.  Your secretary is unavailable.  You have an in basket filled with letters, emails, and reports. You also have three scheduled meetings planned; one with a parent, one with a teacher and one with your colleagues to prepare a group report for the superintendent. You have until 12:30 to complete all in basket activities, meet with the parent and teacher and prepare for your afternoon meeting. Throughout all of these activities, you are being observed by a trained assessor.  Would you be able to showcase your leadership skills in one eight hour day of simulation?
For the last five years The Delaware Academy for School Leadership has provided principals, assistant principals and administrative interns with the opportunity to participate in the Assessment Center.  The Center is filled with simulation activities which represent the day in the life of a school administrator.  Throughout the eight hour day, participants are engaged in examining various artifacts such as email, data reports, and other correspondence while engaging in scheduled meetings with a parent, a teacher and a group of peers who have to solve a problem.  After each simulation, participants reflect upon the activity and how they handled it. Through the simulation activities participants have the opportunity to demonstrate the skills identified by NASSP as necessary for 21st century school leaders.  From three to six participants can attend the assessment center at a time.  Participants come from different districts and schools.  Having participants not know each other levels the playing field.  Several districts mandate that all new administrators attend the assessment center.
Throughout the day, trained assessors, retired school administrators, assess each participant.  The assessors receive extensive training through NASSP prior to receiving their certification as a trained assessor.  To ensure diverse perspectives, each participant is observed by a different assessor for each simulation. For example, one assessor scripts and analyzes the parent discussion, the teacher conference and another performance task group activity.  Someone else evaluates the in basket activities and another report to the director and biographical information.  Trained role players portray the parent and the teacher. They adhere to a script as much as possible which focuses on identified statements and themes which must be used in each simulation. All of the reports are integrated into one report.  Once the reports are integrated, each assessor reviews the sections he or she writes with the other assessors and scores each skill.  After the scores for all sections are reviewed and the assessors agree with the assessments, the final report is written.  The assessors then develop a professional development plan for the participant which will provide ideas to develop skill areas which need strengthening.
The coordinator of the program meets individually with each participant and reviews the extensive report and the personal professional development plan.   During this conference the coordinator determines whether each participant has a mentor and provides them with a variety of resources to enable them to network throughout the state.  The reports from the assessment center are not shared with anyone other than the participants.  Participants can share the reports.  Some participants have included their mentor when the report is discussed.  Research assistants from the University of Delaware examine the reports, without names attached, for trend data. This trend data is then shared with university leadership programs.

Comments from Participants:
 “When I left the center I was exhausted. I thought to myself that I would never have a day like that in real life.  I replayed the parent conference over and over in my head thinking I should have said this or that.  By the time I got home I had convinced myself that I would never encounter a parent like that one on my job so why worry about it.  However, less than a week later, I encountered a parent that made the one at the assessment center look like an angel. Because I had replayed what I would say and do if I ever met a parent like that, I was ready.  While it wasn’t a perfect conference, I certainly handled myself more professionally than I did at the center and did not allow my emotions to take control.”
 “I had never received a report this detailed.  No one had identified areas that would help me grow professionally.  Most of the feedback I get on the job is specific job related. What I liked from the center was that the professional development plan for me was not to take another course, but to develop my leadership skills through community involvement and job embedded activities.   Through those experiences, I was able to be more sensitive to a more diverse group of people.”

“After the coordinator went over the report, I reflected upon my developmental needs areas.  They were right on target, but I had never thought about how to develop them.  The professional development plan really provided me with numerous suggestions to develop areas that would enhance my leadership abilities.  However, what I found most beneficial was the time the coordinator spent with me. I didn’t realize how badly I needed someone to talk to about school related issues.  She gave my name to the state mentor coordinator and now I have someone outside the district that I can call and network.”
“The assessment center was one of the best experiences I have had as an administrator.  After I received the feedback and report, I spent a lot of time reviewing the report and reflecting.  The assessors had accurately reported every interaction.  I have never had anyone give me feedback after a meeting.  Seeing what I said in print clearly pointed out some of my developmental needs as a school leader.  I now periodically get feedback from colleagues about my interactions.  I feel I have improved in my sensitivity when dealing with others and clearly setting deadlines and expectations.”
“I require all of my administrators to participate in the Assessment Center.  While I emphasize that the report is private, they usually bring it to their goal setting conference and use it to help them set their own professional improvement goals.  The reports validate the skills our succession plan program develops in all of our school leaders.” Assistant Superintendent
The assessment center provides Delaware school leaders and opportunity to receive feedback on their leadership skills.

If you would like to participate in the Assessment Center as a professional growth opportunity, please contact Sharon Brittingham at 302-855-1628 or sharonbr@UDel.Edu.