One major objective of the Special Education Supervisor Training (SEST) project was to develop a model for competency specification that would be appropriate for both preservice and inservice preparation of any leadership personnel. This involved the two problems of specifying competencies in valid and utilitarian ways, and assessing competence. A competency specification model was developed for identifying and describing competencies as complex patterns of task-related performance. Twenty-four critical competencies within seven broad leadership task areas were specified and verified for professional supervisory personnel. A competency assessment system for providing diagnostic outcomes through heavy emphasis on the self-assessment process was also developed and is being tested. (Author/JG)