Biographical data about verifiable accomplishments, collected in a structured questionnaire format, could contribute to the selection of school principals or early identification of persons to be developed for eventual succession into the principalship. Three criterion groups, selected to represent increasing levels of average performance, received surveys that generated response rates of 27 percent for the general principal group, 33 percent for the superintendent or research nominees group, and 33 percent for the nationally distinguished principal group. The survey included a seven-item composite (developed in a prior construction sample) that proved moderately efficient in discriminating high performing principals from principals-in-general in two cross-validation samples; the composite also identified modest positive correlations with principals' self-ratings of job performance. No significant sex or race differences in composite scores were observed. The results suggest the feasibility of using simple, inexpensive biographical inventories to supplement existing methods for selecting principals. (18 references and 3 tables) (KM)