Higher demands on administrators have rendered traditional selection methods less adequate. Many schools have responded by adopting assessment centers to identify administrator qualifications. Previous research and contact with assessment centers through letters, phone calls, and a survey furnished the information for this study. Twenty-five of the 50 centers surveyed responded. In the United States, over 50 administrator assessment centers have been implemented by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) to select, place, and promote administrators. The exercises used in these centers incorporate 12 administrative skill dimensions and reveal prospective administrators' behavioral strengths and weaknesses. The exercises include group discussions, interviews, simulations, schedule-making, management games, written tests, public speaking, and negotiations. The training and effectiveness of assessors is crucial to the efficiency of assessment centers. According to studies conducted by the NASSP, relationships exist between assessment center scores and subsequent job performance and school climate. Financial obstacles to implementation can be avoided by operating the centers in schools during the summer; time consumption obstacles can be remedied through the computerization of scoring. Other benefits of assessment centers include the self-evaluation of assessors and assessees, improved observation skills, improved teacher evaluation, and the standardization of skill expectations. Thirty-seven references and four figures are included. (RG)