lsac repor t - Law School Admission Council
Transcription
lsac repor t - Law School Admission Council
LSAC REPORT MAY 2015 NO.2015-1 LSAC REPORT NEWSLETTER OF THE LAW SCHOOL ADMISSION COUNCIL Annual Meeting: Following the Yellow Brick Road At this meeting, you can expect to fill your brain with strategies and techniques for immediate implementation; generate ideas and network with colleagues, the better to keep your heart in your work; and bolster your courage through understanding and managing a constantly changing landscape. The conference, which begins officially on Wednesday, May 27, with an Opening Reception and Welcome Dinner, will conclude on Saturday evening, May 30, with Fiesta del Mar, a Mexicanthemed celebration. Hotel del Coronado Speakers and workshops and beaches, oh my! The charming 19th century Hotel del Coronado, located across the Big Bay from San Diego, will be the setting for LSAC’s 2015 Annual Meeting and Educational Conference. The legendary hotel has a fascinating history: many believe it to be the inspiration for the magic Emerald City of Oz in the Wizard of Oz book series. The annual meeting takes that story as its theme this year: “A Brain, a Heart, and Courage: Leading Law School Admissions Today.” There will be concurrent sessions and mini-sessions, as in previous years. The mini-sessions are 35minute “how-to” workshops that focus on a single topic. If you’re a newcomer, there is an orientation for you, where veteran law school admission professionals will guide you through conference events, pointing out sessions that may interest you. Be sure to stop by the Learning Lounge to chat with members of Law School Support Services (LSSS), who can provide details about LSAC’s electronic services or discuss your training needs. The LSSS team will be on hand throughout the conference. (SEE ANNUAL MEETING, PAGE 5) IN THIS ISSUE PAGE 2 • View from the Chair PAGE 3 • President’s Report PAGE 4 • Board Nominations PAGE 5 • Diversity Initiatives PAGE 7 • LLM Usage PAGE 8 • Fee Waivers • MPRE PAGE 9 • SOGAP PAGE 12 • Research Reports PAGE 13 • Calendar 2 • LSAC REPORT VIEW FROM THE CHAIR The Leadership of Admission Professionals in the Land of Oz “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore. We must be over the rainbow!” ATHORNIA STEELE Professor of Law, Nova Southeastern L egal education, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, has been caught in an ill wind. Negativity about the value of a law degree, ethical dilemmas in the admission process, questions about the qualifications of the applicant pool, declines in the legal job market, increases in student debt, and the resultant decrease in applicants to law school has made for a tumultuous ride. You, the admission professionals, are like Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman, and the Lion courageously in search of a way home, a feeling of stability, and a sense of forward momentum. We are all hoping that there IS a Wizard of Oz, or at least a Good Witch, who will help us in our quest. LSACREPORT Published Biannually © 2015 by Law School Admission Council, Inc. Executive Editor WENDY MARGOLIS [email protected] Managing Editor BONNIE GORDON [email protected] Design and Production Manager DEBORAH VELSOR “Oh, I’d give anything to get out of Oz altogether; but which is the way back to Kansas? I can’t go the way I came!” using technology in administering the LSAT. And, using the test development knowledge and skills of LSAC staff, LSAC is looking at developing skills-assessment tools that might be used by colleges, universities, and law schools in this age of outcome and assessment focus. Similarly, new ways of offering technology-based LSAT test-orientation lessons to prospective students is under consideration. The Board of Trustees identified several initiatives pertaining to mission-related services, support services, diversity initiatives, communications and public relations, technology, and governance that will need further development in the next few years. One such initiative is a comprehensive online education strategy designed to strengthen information available to prospective applicants, admission professionals at member schools, and prelaw advisors. An online tutorial for critical reasoning is another initiative being considered. Diversity initiatives remain a high priority for our organization. LSAC also is working hard to escape Oz with various program initiatives and plans for the future. You will have the opportunity to learn about the exciting potential for Like the journey our Wizard of Oz friends took across the poppy fields, into the Emerald City, and through the dark forest, the work of LSAC and member law schools The planners of this year’s educational conference, entitled, “A Brain, a Heart, and Courage: Leading Law School Admissions Today,” hope to provide you with information and skill-building sessions enabling you to better do your jobs with renewed confidence and spirit. Three keynote speakers: Ava DuVernay, writer, producer, director, and distributor of independent films including Selma; Richard Clarke, cybersecurity expert and former counterterrorism czar; and Jessica Jackley, founder and former chief marketing officer of KIVA, the world’s first peer microlending website, will inspire us to marshal all the resources at hand and within to get beyond the rough times. As always, there will be information-filled sessions for learning and skill building, as well as plenty of opportunities to have some fun with your friends and colleagues from Kansas and everywhere else. (SEE THE LAND OF OZ, PAGE 10) 3 • LSAC REPORT PRESIDENT’S REPORT A Look into the Crystal Ball DANIEL O. BERNSTINE President, LSAC T he Annual Meeting and Educational Conference is a welcome retreat where we can spend some time in comfortable surroundings and take stock of the state of legal education. I am not going to do that here—my intent is to look ahead and share with you some of the things we in Newtown see in our crystal ball. In an era when travel can be extremely expensive and time-consuming, an increasing number of organizations are relying on online solutions for training, professional development, and other educational needs. As much as we value face-to-face communication for LSAC’s interactions with members, we are investigating ways that we can virtually accomplish some of our goals in this area, with flexible scheduling, consistency in delivery, and the ability to increase our offerings outside of the limits of real-time staff availability. We think implementation of an eLearning strategy could be a win-win for delivery and receiving. The Board of Trustees supports this strategy, and has provided the resources to develop the infrastructure for it over a five-year period. In a similar vein, we are considering ways to enhance our LSAT-orientation offerings online. We are in the early stages of this exploration and will update you as we know more. Leveraging of our knowledge base and inventory of LSAT items is looming large in our crystal ball. Of course, this perfectly segues into our vision of a Digital LSAT. This vision is still a bit blurry in the crystal ball, because there are as many or more hurdles to overcome as there has been progress made; fortunately, there will be repeated opportunities at the annual meeting to see the truly impressive results of our development efforts thus far. I encourage you to make time to go to one of the Digital LSAT sessions to see for yourself. LSAC’s Information Services Division (ISD) has already looked in the crystal ball and has embarked on a modernization campaign that will update many of LSAC’s technological offerings, including ACES2. There will be a variety of options for interacting with ISD staff at the annual meeting. ISD is making a special effort to explore with schools the alternatives to the ACES2 University Systems Interface (USI), now that USI is being phased out. One opportunity for Banner schools will be a luncheon to be held on May 28 at the annual meeting. Of course, what we most want to see in the crystal ball is good fortunes for legal education and law students. I remain optimistic! n 4 • LSAC REPORT Dan Bernstine Tours Law Schools in India LSAC President Daniel Bernstine visited India from March 30 through April 3 to meet with law schools and Pearson Vue, the organization that administers the LSAT—India. Dan visited Jaipur and Hyderabad, as well as Noida, where Pearson Vue offices are located. LSAC Test Development staff in Newtown and Pearson Vue in Noida worked together to put the finishing touches on the LSAT—India test administered on May 17. This year will mark the seventh year of the LSAT—India program, which promises to be the largest administration to date, with registrations currently surpassing last year’s at this time by 25 percent. Sixty-one law schools in India will be accepting LSAT—India scores. The number of seats in Indian law schools reserved for students who take the LSAT—India is larger than the number of seats reserved for any other competitive law school admission test in India. This year, that number will approach 5,000. The LSAT—India is administered in English for admission to Indian law schools, where the primary language of instruction is English. It is modeled on the LSAT, but is adapted specifically for use in India, where legal education is offered at both the undergraduate and graduate degree levels. Test forms developed for the LSAT—India are subject to a special fairness review by staff at Newtown and at Pearson Vue India to ensure that the subject matter for all test questions is appropriate for test takers in India. Additional information can be found at pearsonvueindia.com/lsatindia. n New Board Members Nominated The 2015 nominees for the LSAC Board of Trustees are Douglas E. Ray, professor of law at St. Thomas University School of Law; Rebecca L. Scheller, assistant dean for admissions and financial aid at the University of Wisconsin Law School; and John Valery White, executive vice president and provost at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Douglas E. Ray The ballot is the result of a nominating process that began in December 2014 with LSAC Chair Athornia Steele’s appointment of a Nominating Committee. That committee was comprised of three individuals: Cynthia R. Mabry (chair), professor of Law, Howard; Robert L. Solomon, assistant dean for admissions and financial aid, director of diversity and inclusion, Ohio State; and Christina B. Whitman, Francis A. Allen Collegiate Professor of Law and professor of women’s studies, Michigan. Rebecca L. Scheller Voting took place through an authenticated balloting procedure that was due at LSAC by May 11. Results of the election will be announced at the LSAC Annual Business Meeting in Coronado, California. The three trustees elected through this ballot will succeed Janice L. Austin, UC-Irvine; Steven I. Friedland, Elon; and Arthur R. Pinto, Brooklyn, whose terms will expire in June 2015. n John Valery White 5 • LSAC REPORT A Diverse Calendar in 2015 LSAC’s Diversity Initiatives office has been busy so far in 2015, with no signs of slowing down. All of their efforts support one of LSAC’s core objectives—to improve access to diversity in legal education and the profession. In January, the New York City Bar Association hosted the annual LSAT/Law School Prep Series—three days of workshops for college students and recent graduates, with information on the law school application process, the LSAT, and the first year of law school. Kent Lollis, executive director for Diversity Initiatives, moderated a panel discussion of important techniques for researching, selecting, and applying to law schools. Yessenia García-Lebrón, assistant director for Diversity Initiatives, presented a workshop about services and products offered by LSAC, as well as navigation of LSAC.org and obtaining fee waivers for the test and the Credential Assembly Service. Annual Meeting (continued from page 1) The winners of the Diversity Matters Award, which honors the highest levels of outreach to racially and ethnically diverse students by particular law schools, will be announced at the Welcome Dinner. More than 500 admission professionals from the United States, Canada, and Australia will participate in this premier event of the law school admission community. In addition to learning, networking, and sharing best practices, guests will enjoy some rest and relaxation at a charming seaside location, experiencing the services of a grand hotel that has served US presidents and Hollywood royalty alike. (You may recognize this hotel as the backdrop of the iconic Marilyn Monroe movie, Some Like It Hot.) There is lots to see inside the hotel, and outside—the beach! n In February, the second annual DiscoverLaw.org Day was held at the Temple University—James E. Beasley School of Law. Nearly 100 high school students attended from three Philadelphia high schools and the Trenton Central High School—West (in New Jersey), a local high school sponsored by LSAC. The day-long program was designed to expose students to various career opportunities in law, provide them with undergraduate and law school resources, and motivate them to stay focused in school so they can continue a successful path to college and law school. The event included a panel discussion with law students, an interactive legal exercise, and local minority attorneys in one-on-one conversations with students during lunch. In March, Yessenia García-Lebrón and Yusuf Abdul-Kareem, assistant director for Diversity Initiatives, served, respectively, on the College Board’s National Planning Conference Committee for the Prepárate: Educating Latinos for the Future of America and A Dream Deferred: The Future of African Americans—two conferences held back to back in New Orleans with shared sessions and networking opportunities. More than 200 high school administrators, colleges, superintendents, and organizations from across the country attended. Diversity Initiatives staff members were able to reach out to undergraduates and professionals at the conference to discuss the early preparation for legal education often needed by underrepresented students. Finally, in April the first Diversity Retention Conference took place in Las Vegas (see story on next page), and Diversity Initiatives staff attended the Ninth Annual Meeting of Law School Diversity Professionals at the Charlotte School of Law. The conference brought together law school diversity professionals and supporters in a collaborative environment to promote a system of networking, information sharing, and resource sharing. n 6 • LSAC REPORT LSAC Hosts First National Conference on Diversity Retention The first national conference on diversity retention in legal education drew approximately 100 law school representatives to Las Vegas in April. Participants took a close look at what students need to excel and to maximize their potential. The conference aimed to identify the factors that affect student performance, and to leave participants with specific strategies and tools for implementation at their schools. The program included presentations by 19 national experts from education, social science research, and law— and also included a panel of law school students. A highlight of the conference was the keynote speaker, Terrell Strayhorn, director of the Center for Higher Education Enterprise (CHEE) at The Ohio State University. Workshop topics included the importance of an inclusive classroom, institutional barriers to success, and student advising. Among the breakout sessions on best practices were such topics as creating mentoring programs, developing student leaders, creating partnerships with external groups, and educating faculty and staff on diversity and inclusion. n KENT LOLLIS (right), executive director for Diversity Initiatives, stands behind an electronic display of the conference website’s main page. At left is Yusuf Abdul-Kareem, an assistant director for Diversity Initiatives. 7 • LSAC REPORT LLM CAS Usage on the Rise In 2014–2015, more law schools used at least one of the services available as part of the LLM Credential Assembly Service—transcripts, letters of recommendation, or electronic applications. There were 133 schools using LLM CAS as of April 1, 2015, compared to 122 schools at approximately the same time last year. On the candidate side, there were 12,364 registrants in 2014–2015, compared with 11,760 in the previous year. This represents a 5 percent increase. During the same period in 2014–2015, there were 27,781 letters of recommendation processed (a 6 percent increase from 2013 to 2014); 15,080 transcripts received (10 percent more than last year); and 4,710 AACRAO evaluations processed (a 7 percent increase). LLM CAS staff received 14,164 phone calls (a 24 percent rise over the previous year) and 21,620 emails (a 14 percent rise from last year). The majority of LLM service registrants are from the United States (2,582), with China a close second (1,531), and India following (806). n LLM Applicants By Country (First Degree in Law) COUNTRY NUMBER OF APPLICANTS United States of America/Territories 2,582 China 1,531 India 806 United Kingdom 724 Brazil 528 Nigeria 374 France 358 Mexico 294 Saudi Arabia 294 Korea, Republic of (South) 274 Japan 237 8 • LSAC REPORT Fee Waivers Hold Steady A report on the fee waiver applications for 2014–2015 compared with the previous year shows steady numbers in applications, approvals, denials, approvals and denials of appeals, and number by ethnicity and gender. Some noticeable results: • the number of fee waiver applications is about the same—10,511 this year compared to 10,770 last year; • 53.6 percent of eligible applications were approved compared to 55 percent last year; • 46.4 percent of applications were denied compared to 45 percent last year; • total appeals were approximately the same—822 this year compared to 814 last year; • of all the fee waiver appeals reviewed this year, 43.6 percent were approved and 56.4 percent were denied; • 63.6 percent of approved fee waivers are female; 36 percent are male; and • about 34 percent of approved fee waivers are for Black/African American applicants, followed by 25 percent for Caucasian/White, and 16.5 for Hispanic/Latino. Slightly more than half of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals applications were approved—54 percent this year as compared to 50.8 percent last year. n MPRE 2014, By the Numbers In 2014, more than 67,000 test takers took the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), a test that is given by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and administered by LSAC. The two-hour, 60-question, multiple-choice exam is administered three times a year around the US. Last year, there were 361 centers open for the March MPRE administration, 352 centers for August, and 336 for November. Nearly 23,000 test takers took the March test last year; just over 17,000 in August, and just under 20,000 in November. A positive working relationship between LSAC and NCBE has contributed to the success of the MPRE administrations since the partnership began in 2013. n 9 • LSAC REPORT Statement of Good Admission Practices Revised The long process of reviewing and revising the Statement of Good Admission Practices (SOGAP) that began over a year ago has resulted in approval of the new version by the LSAC Board of Trustees. Following the SOGAP work group’s initial revisions and feedback solicited from member schools, the work group convened in February to discuss the feedback and provide recommendations for a final draft that captured the core ideals of law school admission professionals in the emerging legal education environment. The Statement was edited to ensure consistency and restructured to make it easier to find relevant sections; in addition, some suggested guidelines for transfer admissions were added. The Services and Programs Committee approved the suggested recommendations, and submitted the revised version to the Board of Trustees. The work group has recommended that the Services and Programs Committee periodically reassess the Statement to refine the language as needed. The new statement is available at LSAC.org/lsacresources under Publications. n Reporting of Older Scores to End Officially, We’re 222 Law Schools Now Now that the Board of Trustees has approved Lincoln Memorial University— John J. Duncan, Jr. School of Law; Widener University Delaware Law School; and Widener University Commonwealth Law School, there are 222 LSAC-member law schools. That includes 204 US member (ABAapproved) schools, 17 Canadian member schools, and one Australian member school. n We want to make sure that this message is disseminated as widely as possible so that affected test takers will take action to obtain their scores for their records before July 1, 2015. As of July 1, LSAC will no longer provide scores older than five years plus the current testing year either to law schools or to candidates. Scores earned prior to June 1, 2010, will neither be reported to law schools nor available to candidates. Please help us spread the word. n 10 • LSAC REPORT New SuperPrep to Be Published A new LSAT preparation book, The Official LSAT SuperPrep II, is being prepared for publication and should be available by mid-June. Like its predecessor—the original SuperPrep— published more than 10 years ago, the book will include three previously administered tests with an explanation for each question. This amounts to 303 mini-lessons. This practice book will help users learn how to approach LSAT questions as they prepare to take the test. SuperPrep ll will replace SuperPrep as the test prep book provided to LSAC fee waiver recipients upon request. n The Land of Oz (continued from page 2) will not take place overnight and without some challenges. Unlike the journey to Oz, we’re not dreaming up these challenges; they are very real. For more information about how LSAC is working to help you and others reach your goals, I encourage you to review the committee reports posted on LSACorg. I have always loved the story of the Wizard of Oz and believe it to be a story directed to adults as well as children. If you go to your library’s catalog or Google any combination of the words leadership and/or personal development along with Wizard of Oz, a number of books and articles written on the leadership and personal development lessons of the Wizard of Oz appear. Of course, many of you have long ago observed that the Scarecrow complaining of no brain, the Tin Woodsman lamenting the absence of a heart, and the Cowardly Lion crying about his lack of courage each possessed and demonstrated that which they thought they lacked. Granted, it took a journey, confrontation with a wicked witch, and a little eye-opening assistance from the Wizard and Glinda, the Good Witch, for them to recognize what they had. Legal education in general, and admission professionals in particular, are engaged in a journey. It may take a bit more than clicking our heels together to overcome the wicked witch of the scam bloggers, rankings, negative media stories, declining applications, and pressuring deans, but at least at this annual meeting and educational conference, we can take some time to consider possibilities, recharge our internal strengths, and bask in the support of our friends and colleagues (and some lovely beaches and sunshine). Of course, a conference with our theme would not be as much fun if it didn’t have a song from the movie (singing is permitted). So here it is: Cowardly Lion: Tin Woodsman: Scarecrow: Dorothy: Scarecrow: Tin Woodsman: Dorothy: Cowardly Lion: I'd be brave as a blizzard ... I'd be gentle as a lizard ... I'd be clever as a gizzard ... If the Wizard is a wizard who will serve. Then I'm sure to get a brain ... A heart ... A home ... The nerve! n 11 • LSAC REPORT Selected Statistics Applicants by CRS Registration This graph shows the number of fall applicants to ABA-approved schools who did, and who did not, register for the Candidate Referral Service (CRS). The graph shows applicant numbers for the past six years. LSAT Takers by Administration This graph shows LSAT takers by test administration for the last two testing years. The most recent December and February administrations show an increase over last year's administrations by 0.8% and 4.4%, respectively. 12 • LSAC REPORT Research Reports Available on the LSAC Website This list includes reports published online since May 2014. These reports and many other LSAC-sponsored research reports (RR), computerized testing reports (CTR), statistical reports (SR), grants reports (GR), and LSAT technical reports (TR) can be downloaded at LSAC.org. RESEARCH REPORTS GRANTS REPORTS Dmitry I. Belov Research Report 14-01: Comparison Study of Item Preknowledge Detectors March 2015 Elizabeth H. Gorman and Fiona M. Kay Grants Report 14-01: Law Firm Employment Practices and the Representation of Minority Associates and Partners March 2014 Sukaesi Marianti, Jean-Paul Fox, Marianna Avetisyan, and Bernard P. Veldkamp Research Report 14-02: Testing for Aberrant Behavior in Response Time Modeling March 2014 Jean-Paul Fox Research Report 14-05: Modeling Differential Working Speed in Educational Testing October 2014 Bernard P. Veldkamp Research Report 14-06: Some Practical Issues in Computerized Adaptive Testing With Response Times October 2014 LSAT TECHNICAL REPORTS Susan P. Dalessandro, Lisa C. Anthony, and Lynda M. Reese LSAT Technical Report 14-02: LSAT Performance With Regional, Gender, and Racial/Ethnic Breakdowns: 2007–2008 Through 2013–2014 Testing Years October 2014 Andrea Thornton Sweeney, Deborah A. Suto, and Lynda M. Reese LSAT Technical Report 14-03: Summary of Self-Reported Methods of Test Preparation by LSAT Takers for Testing Years 2011–2012 Through 2013–2014 October 2014 n Admission Professionals Survey Results Coming Soon The third Admission Professionals Survey was administered in April to all LSACmember school admission directors. The results will be reported initially at the Annual Meeting and Educational Conference, with broader dissemination later in the summer. LSAC first published information about the status of law school admission professionals in 2003. Data was compiled on their roles, responsibilities, skills, education, staff numbers, and salaries. That study was replicated in 2007 to track the data over time. Given the upheavals in legal education in recent years, we are especially interested to see how the latest results compare to those from the earlier surveys. n LSAC CALENDAR MAY 2015 27–30 Annual Meeting and Educational Conference Coronado, CA OCTOBER 2015 2 Services and Programs Committee TBA 2–3 Test Development and Research Committee TBA 3 LSAT Administration 10 Law School Recruitment Forum Los Angeles, CA 16–17 Law School Recruitment Forum New York, NY 17 Law School LLM Recruitment Forum New York, NY 19 Law School Recruitment Forum Houston, TX 23 Law School Recruitment Forum Atlanta, GA 29 Law School Recruitment Forum Boston, MA JUNE 2015 8 LSAT Administration 12–13 Committee Chairs Meeting Aspen, CO JULY 2015 25 Law School Recruitment Forum Washington, DC AUGUST 2015 7–8 Board of Trustees Retreat TBA SEPTEMBER 2015 9–13 Newcomers’ Conference Philadelphia, PA LSACREPORT PO Box 40, Newtown PA 18940 LSAC.org 26 Law School Recruitment Forum Miami, FL 28 Canadian Law School Recruitment Forum Toronto, ON DECEMBER 2015 5 LSAT Administration