SSA Superintendent Assessment (6991) case studies
SSA Superintendent Assessment (6991) · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The School Superintendent Assessment (SSA, ETS 6991) is a licensure-oriented examination for educators preparing to lead at the district level - assistant superintendents moving up, principals who have completed a superintendent preparation program, and sitting superintendents seeking certification in a new state. It tests professional judgment more than recall: items ask what you would do, in what sequence, with which stakeholders, and against which legal or policy constraint. The SSA Superintendent Assessment (6991) case studies are 5 cases and about 4,428 words.
1The Unposted Academy Request
Your 6,200-student district adopted a three-year strategic plan eight months ago with three priorities: early literacy, algebra readiness, and staff retention. At the last board meeting, the board president -- with no agenda posting and no prior conversation with you -- asked you to bring back a plan for a new $340,000 career-technical academy at the underused north campus by next month, saying 'the community wants it.' Two members nodded.
915 words, about 5 min2Twenty-Two Minutes and a Hallway
Grade-3 reading proficiency on the winter benchmark is 41% at Lincoln Elementary and 78% at Jefferson Elementary -- a gap that has widened for three years. Lincoln serves 88% economically disadvantaged students and 34% English learners; its principal is in year one.
840 words, about 4 min3Ninety-Six Percent Proficient
The district has 14 unfilled special education positions, all covered by long-term substitutes on emergency permits; three of those substitutes teach self-contained classes with students who have significant behavior support needs. Last year's evaluation data show 96% of teachers rated proficient or above on a four-point framework, but nearly all required observations were completed in the final six weeks of the year, and 41 teachers were placed on improvement plans that were never formally closed.
832 words, about 4 min4The June 30 Cliff and the Empty Classrooms
Enrollment has fallen 6.4% in four years and is projected to fall another 3% next year. Nine of your eleven schools operate below 70% of capacity; one elementary is at 104% and uses six portable classrooms.
878 words, about 4 min5Route 14 and 1,800 Parents
On a Thursday afternoon, a kindergarten student on Route 14 is dropped at the wrong stop and is found by a neighbor 40 minutes later. That morning, four drivers called out; dispatch was run by one person using a paper spreadsheet; the route had been double-covered since September.
963 words, about 5 min