City officials, however, had complained that results of the state tests would not be available in time to make promotion decisions.

The following year, the complete results should be available in time for the city's promotion decisions.

Scores on state fourth- and eighth-grade tests are also used in promotion decisions.

Thus, it can be difficult, in real life, to tell whether a particular promotion decision has been made for just or unjust reasons.

Lori Mei, the top city education official in charge of testing, said the new policy had brought consistency to promotion decisions.

Of those who failed the test, about a third were promoted anyway, indicating that once again, substantial discretion was used in making promotion decisions.

That outcome would create future administrative headaches because standardized test scores are now a primary factor in promotion decisions.

It is clear leaders who rely on instinct and gut to make promotion decisions are often not effective.

Fewer than half of both men and women said they thought that promotion decisions were made fairly at their firm.

In making their promotion decisions, individual schools can elect to use portfolios and other assessments to determine the fate of any child.