USING DATA ON OFFICERS WHO WERE PROMOTED TO SERGEANT OR DETECTIVE POSITIONS BETWEEN 1971 AND 1975, THE ANALYSIS COMPARES JOB PERFORMANCE IN THE TWO POSITIONS WITH TOTAL PROMOTION SCORES AND WITH COMPONENTS OF THE TOTAL SCORES: WRITTEN TEST SCORES; TENURE SCORES (BASED ON THE NUMBER OF YEARS AN OFFICER HAS SERVED WITH THE DEPARTMENT); AND DEPARTMENTAL PERFORMANCE RATINGS (BASED ON SEMIANNUAL EVALUATIONS OF JOB PERFORMANCE). THE ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT THE TOTAL PROMOTION SCORE PREDICTS JOB PERFORMANCE, AND THAT THE OVERALL PROMOTION SYSTEM THEREFORE IS VALID. WRITTEN-TEST SCORE AND TENURE SCORE ARE PREDICTIVE INDIVIDUALLY OF PERFORMANCE, BUT DEPARTMENTAL PERFORMANCE RATING IS NOT. THE WEAKEST COMPONENT OF THE PROMOTION SYSTEM IS CONCLUDED TO BE THE PERFORMANCE-RATING SYSTEM, AND GUIDELINES FOR CONSTRUCTING NEW PERFORMANCE EVALUATION FORMS AND PROCEDURES FOR POSITIONS THROUGH THE RANK OF CAPTAIN ARE PRESENTED. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT PERFORMANCE DIMENSIONS AND RATING PROCEDURES DEVELOPED IN THE COURSE OF EVALUATING THE DEPARTMENT'S PERSONNEL PRACTICES BE USED TO DESIGN NEW PERFORMANCE EVALUATION FORMS AND PROCEDURES FOR THE DEPARTMENT. GUIDELINES FOR CONSTRUCTING PROMOTION TESTS FOR THE POSITIONS OF DETECTIVE, SERGEANT, LIEUTENANT, AND CAPTAIN ARE PRESENTED, AND IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE GUIDELINES BE FOLLOWED IN DEVELOPING BOTH EXAMS AND PROMOTION READING LISTS FOR CANDIDATES. A TABLE SHOWING THE WEIGHTS TO BE ASSIGNED TO SPECIFIC CONTENT AREAS IN PROMOTION TESTS IS INCLUDED. METHODOLOGICAL DETAILS OF THE VALIDITY ANALYSIS ARE PROVIDED. APPENDED MATERIALS INCLUDE THE DEPARTMENT'S PROMOTION READING LISTS, A TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF JOB PERFORMANCE EVALUATION SCALES USED BY LIEUTENANTS AND CAPTAINS TO EVALUATE SERGEANTS AND DETECTIVES, COPIES OF THE SCALES, AND OTHER SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION. FOR OTHER VOLUMES OF THE HOUSTON STUDY, SEE NCJ-51910-51912, 51917, AND 51941-51945. (LKM)