LSAC Update

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LSAC Update

• NAPLA 2009

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Topics

• Prelaw Advisor Website (PAWS)
• Secure area of LSAC.org (Online Services)
• Forums
• LORs
• Test date change policy
• New Out and In on website
• Fee waiver update

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Topics

• Information Book Changes
• Index Reporting for International Applicants
• DoE Racial/ethnic categories
• Recruitment calendar
• Candidate Referral Service
• LSAT/Accommodations

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PAWS Update

• 500 Advisors Using Action Reports
• New Links (Equal Justice Works)
• Prelaw and admission directories
• Demos and how tos
• Reminder of access policy

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Action Reports

• Policy changes
• Sole/Coordinating advisor grants access to
  supporting advisors
• Each advisor will have access to action reports
• Every advisor must sign confidentiality agreement
  each year
• In effect spring 2009

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New Action Report

• Matriculated Applicant Report
• Alphabetic
• By law school
• Two separate reports
• Same format as applicant report
• Help with organizing information over time
• At request of prelaw advisors

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By Applicant
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By Law School
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Candidate Application Report

• Applicant releases info to advisor
• Application is submitted to law school
• Name of applicant and school
• Advisor can track set of applications
• Offer guidance on where to apply

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Advisor Contact Information

• Sole/coordinating advisor opts to have all
  advisors displayed to candidates
• Same contact information displayed for all based
  on sole/coordinating advisor choices
• Up to 3 on candidates dashboard, others
  alphabetically on separate page
• Department will be added this year

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(No Transcript)
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Sole / Coordinating Prelaw Advisor will Be
displayed first. Any Supporting prelaw advisors
will appear underneath in alpha order ascending.
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New Secure Area of LSAC.org

• Spring 2009
• Application-centric
• Intuitive
• What do I need to do?
• Application status available
• My law school list

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Letters of Recommendation

• No more targeted, general
• LSAC collects letters
• Applicant must assign each letter to each law
  school based on school requirements
• No more first in, first out
• Applicant has complete control

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Where to Find Demo

• www.lsacnet.org
• Go to PLA Information Center
• Click on Home
• Fifth bulletsite for virtual, interactive
  lsac.org

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LSAC.org login page
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LSAC.org Create an Account Page Top
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LSAC.org Create an Account Page Middle
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CRS Landing Page
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My Account / Fee Waiver (default landing page
pre-registration)
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My Account / Fee Waiver decision status page
(other decision statuses exist)
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LSAT Overview landing page
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LSAT Registration Step 2 Date and Center
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LSAT Registration Step 2 Date and Center
continued
Select a center
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LSAT Step 4 Added to Cart
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Shopping Cart
Messaging will alert the user of any actions they
need to take
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LSAT / LSAT Status page
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Apply / Overview landing page
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Apply / Credentials Credential Assembly Service
Evaluation (LSDAS) process
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Apply / Credentials Step 1 Identify
Institutions Register for Credential Assembly
Service (LSDAS)
The candidate has the opportunity to add all
institutions they have attended Including
Bachelors Degree, Graduate Degree, Other, and
International Institutions (see next page).
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Apply / Credentials Step 2 Confirmation
Credential Assembly Service Evaluation (LSDAS)
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Apply / Transcripts Top of page
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Apply / Transcripts Continuation of page.
Schools entered during the Credential Assembly
Service registration process will appear below.
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Apply / LoRs Landing page (View 1 - top of page)
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Apply / LoRs Grid 1. Add a recommender data
entry screen. Identify the recommender and number
of letters the recommender will submit.
Recommender information
Click Submit to save changes
Letter Information Description
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Apply / LoRs Grid 1. Add a recommender data
entry screen. Populated recommender grid.
Recommender information added to the Recommender
Grid on the LoR page
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Apply / LoRs Grid 2. Assign Letters of
Recommendation (LoR) data entry screen.
Letters identified in the Recommender grid (Grid
1) will be available for the user to select in
each LETTER drop down box.
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Apply / LoRs Grids 1 2 populated with Law
School Recommender information.
The letter is now assigned to the law school
and will be sent when LSAC law school LoR
requirements are met. School specific
requirements are listed For each school (see LoR
Requirements Link).
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Apply / Applications / School List Default
view, before schools have been added to the
school list
Before a candidate has identified the schools
they would like to apply to, they will be
presented with a blank School List Page.
Schools can be added to the school list via the
SCHOOL SEARCH button. All U.S., Canadian, and
International Member (and Non-member) schools
can be added to the users School list.
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Apply / Applications / School List page (J L).
All schools saved by the user are added to the
school list.
Each school added to the school list will include
links to school specific information and a button
to begin the application process.
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Apply / Applications / Active Tab After the
user selects the Term and Application Method, the
school is added to the users ACTIVE tab. The
user is also presented with school specific
information that will lead them through the
application process and present them with an
updated status of their account credentials.
1
2
3
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Apply / Applications / Active Tab Submit
Application button
After the user has filled out the primary
Application (and related documents), they can
begin the electronic application process by
clicking on the Submit Application button. After
previewing the application, the Continue button
will be enabled and the user can move to the
next step in the application process.
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Apply / Applications / Application Submission
Application Fee Payment and Certification
page All application fee payment method(s)
accepted by the school will be listed on this
page. Any fee waivers, or coupons will also be
entered Identified on this page. The school
specific certification is also displayed on this
page. The candidate must follow the
Instructions outlined on the page in order to
move to the next step in the process.
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Apply / Applications / Completed Tab
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Forums / Overview
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Forums / Registration - All upcoming forums will
be listed. The REGISTER button will present the
user with the Forum Registration page. After
registering for a forum, a registration
confirmation page will be presented.
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Shop / Publications All LSAC publications (LSAT
prep tests, law school guide, etc.) are available
for purchase.
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Forums

• Three in February
• Evaluate after 2009
• Online advertising
• Social networking ads
• Law school participation gt90
• LSAT video available online

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Forums

• Boston moved to Saturday in 2010
• Not adjacent to New York
• Atlanta one day in 2010
• Bay area forum in Oakland in 2010
• New PLA QA sheet at Forum 101
• Interviews in NY about PLA advising
• Expectations/efficiency

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Recruitment Calendar Committee

• PLA/law school rep from each APLA
• Coordinate regional events
• Minimize cost/inconvenience for schools
• Law school budget considerations
• Maximize law school participation

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LSAC Tech Projects

• Application fee waivers
• Selected persons in CRS search
• School gives waiver code to applicant
• Service continuity plan
• ACES2
• E-transcripts
• Credit card processing outsourced

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LSAT

• Testers up 1.3 for Fall 2008
• 142,300 testers
• Major city sites fill quickly
• 2009-10 should reveal whether test date change
  policy has affected behavior

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LSAT Accommodations Request Update/February

• Type of Disability
• LD 167, 81 additional time, 47 denied, 27
  incomplete
• ADHD 155, 36 extra time, 48 denied, 48 incomplete
• Visual condition 55, 32 extra time, 9 incomplete
• Neurological/physical 89, 15 extra time, 21
  incomplete, 20 small request

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Fee Waiver Update

• Approximately 11,000 requests
• 97 online
• 62 are approved
• Tax documents must be sent within 45 days
• 1000 appeals, 39 approved
• Two years to use waiver
• 2 LSATs, LSDAS, Super Prep book, 4 law school
  reports

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Test Date Change Policy

• Security Issues
• Unused tests
• Less-than-optimal sites
• New proctors
• Cost
• In effect June 2009

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Goals

• Provide good customer service to all stake
  holders.
• Provide high quality standardized test
  environment
• Good location
• Conscientious, trained test center staff
• Appropriate physical space
• Secure environment.

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History

• LSAT registrants permitted to request test date
  changes late in process Monday after the test.
• Fee to change is low only 33.
• Unlimited number of test date changes permitted.
• Difficult to retain test centers and staff.

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Challenges

• Inflated registration numbers
• Requiring additional test center capacity
• Hiring inexperienced staff
• Using sub-optimal venues location, rooms, desks,
  lighting, etc.
• Additional expense
• Renting hotels in urban areas
• Paying for space and staff not needed on test day
• Potentially impacting test security.

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Challenges

• 25 of registrations request test date changes.
• 70 of test date changes occur within 10 days of
  testing, resulting in inflated registration
  numbers for centers.
• Average of 25 (as high as 40) attrition rate at
  centers.

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Consequences

• Many legitimate test takers not able to get into
  first-choice testing locations.
• Entire LSAT test-taking population shouldering
  added expense of service provided to those
  changing frequently.
• Supervisors frustrated at preparing for numbers
  who regularly are no shows.

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Changes

• Move the test date change deadline from Monday
  after test to three weeks prior to test date.
  (This remains several days after the final
  registration deadline date.)
• Increase the test date change fee to be 50 of
  the LSAT Registration fee.

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Anticipated Results

• Seats will free up earlier in the process,
  allowing LSAC to use open seats more effectively.
  
• Test center supervisors will be better able to
  provide an enhanced test environment and utilize
  the most experienced staff.
• Reduction in hotel space.
• Strengthened test security as a result of the
  above.

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CRS

• Searches use average score
• ABA reporting requirements
• Schools will have option for highest or average

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Racial/Ethnic Category Changes

• Dept. of Education/2010
• Two questions
• Hispanic/Latino or not
• Six other categories, including 2 or more races

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Racial/Ethnic Categories

• LSAC preparing to support schools
• Can compress subcategories for longitudinal data
  studies
• Collected with LSAT/LSDAS Registration
• Up to five categories reported on LSDAS banner
  sheet

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Racial/Ethnic Categories

• LSAC collecting 29 subcategories
• ExampleAsian
• Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Japanese,
  Korean, Malaysian, Pakistani, Thai, Vietnamese,
  Other Asian
• Hispanic/Latino
• Central American, Chicano/Mexican, Cuban, South
  American, Other Hispanic/Latino

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Information Book

• Changes in 2010
• Short brochure guiding readers to website
• pdf of sample test on website
• Will print on demand
• Same mailing schedule for prelaw advisors
• Design underway

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LGBT

• New publication for applicants
• Survey of law schools
• Emphasis on personal experience in admission
  process and in law school
• Available online
• Includes student testimonials