Project PASS: Shifting from a post-graduation bar exam preparation culture to bar readiness throughout matriculation. PRESENTED BY LeRoy Pernell, Interim Dean Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University College of Law Orlando, FL 32801 1
Project PASS Overview • In late 2017, the College of Law launched the Performance, Assessment and Strategic Support (PASS) initiative. • Project PASS represents our continued efforts to enhance student learning, while strengthening both the core of the curriculum and the overall Program of Legal Education . • With a comprehensive approach , Project PASS has various phases, beginning as early as new student orientation and continuing through the post graduation bar exam preparation study period.
Project PASS Goals • Enhance students' overall academic performance and experience, while optimizing their chances of success on the bar exam . • Increase the use of formative assessments , not only in first-year courses, but throughout the curriculum. • Create an infrastructure to ensure and measure each stage of the Continuous Cycle of Student Learning** is followed at the College of Law. **Source: Better Lesson Plans
Project PASS Summary Initiatives & Programming Goals & Objectives • • Increase the first-time bar pass Summer Post-Admit Program rate for the College of Law • Extended New Student • Establish a bar exam readiness Orientation culture, starting the first day of • Educational Partnership & law school Teaching Resources • Identify and provide additional • assistance to at-risk students, Academic Advising & Academic early in matriculation Enhancement Plans • Increase the use of formative and • Small Sections for Designated summative assessments and First-year Course provide meaningful feedback • Increased Use of Diagnostics and • Provide ongoing comprehensive Formative Assessments academic support to students throughout Program of Legal Education
Summer Post-Admit Program Programming Goals & Objectives • Summer Comprehensive Academic Legal Aimed at bottom quartile of Enhancement (SCALE) entering class • Reduce attrition rate for cohort of • FREE of charge for students students with objectively quantifiable • 2-week program July 9-20, 2018 credentials of concern by the ABA • Daily formative assessments • Familiarize and better prepare students • to succeed in law school Classes taught by faculty • Expose students, pre-matriculation , to • Critical reading, problem solving, the critical, analytical and study skills reasoning, and law school study necessary to be a successful law student skills are taught • Administer diagnostics to assess skills • Housing, meals, and book • Increase focus on critical skills that are scholarship provided to participants linked to poor performance on the Law • Offer additional support services School Admission Test (LSAT), in law school, and on the bar exam based on diagnostic results
Extended New Student Orientation Programming Goals & Objectives • Foundations for Law School Mandatory for all new students Success: Bootcamp • Launched in Fall 2017 • Identify at-risk students, early in • Available August 1-13, 2018 matriculation • • Expose students to critical skills 10-day orientation necessary to be successful law • Writing diagnostic and students assessments administered • Provide student services and • academic workshops to aid in Taught by faculty students’ transition to law school • Grammar and writing skills, • Provide early exposure to the legal study skills, and critical rigors of law school and analytical skills taught
Educational Partnership & Resources Programming Goals & Objectives • Provide up-to-date bar preparation • Partnered with BARBRI, a materials designed to be integrated leading bar review provider during law school, including bar • exam style questions 150 students completed Upper- • Access to diagnostic tools to aid in level diagnostic in Spring 2018 identifying upper-level students at- • Faculty had access to question risk of failing the bar exam • banks and other formative Access to formative assessment tools for both faculty and students assessment tools and resources • Receive real-time data and • All students had access to practice analytics of student performance questions, lectures and other • Equip faculty with bar exam style review materials questions that can be incorporated directly into their courses and/or • Collected data unique to COL assigned to students for additional students and shared with the practice and review faculty
Enhanced Academic Advising Programming Goals & Objectives • • Provide one-on-one course Position created in Fall 2017 selection assistance, and group • Available to all students, special advising sessions emphasis was placed on at-risk • Target students experiencing students (2.0-2.4) academic difficulty • • Every student on academic Serve as a bridge to tie both academic and non-academic probation was required to meet programming and services with the advisor • Identify students in need of • Students received customized strategic support that may not Academic Enhancement Plan have been previously identified by • Student also assigned a faculty other measures advisor at orientation
Small Section Course in First-Year Goals & Objectives Programming • • Enhance student learning by First-year Torts sections had approximately 30 students, while increasing the interaction between other first-year courses had almost professor and student double that number • Increase the number and quality of • Adding additional small section formative assessments and • Aided students in identifying areas feedback provided to first-year of concern, prior to the end of students semester and/or final exam • Provides faculty a better • Multiple assessments, particularly opportunity to regularly observe quizzes and assignments were and assess the progress of their administered in the Torts courses students, both individually and • Professors utilized additional collectively- which serves to teaching tools, including bar inform and enhance their teaching exam style questions
Additional Bar Preparation Support Goals & Objectives Programming • • Provide supplemental bar Partnered with Kaplan and AdaptiBar • preparation study materials to Campaign #OneAndDone was students and graduates launched during the 2018 Spring – semester for prospective May 2018 Early Start Bar Review Material and Diagnostics graduates – Released Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) • Alums and repeat bar exam takers Questions were invited to participate in – Additional Practice Questions Campaign #RaiseTheBar , prior to the – Substantive Law Outlines start of the bar study period – Review Lectures • Both first-timers and repeaters were – Simulated Bar Exams provided over 5,000 practice – Progress Tracking questions, including over 1,700 – Live 2-day Review Lecture released bar questions, in addition to the other resources
Students Signed “I Pledge to PASS”
QUESTIONS LeRoy Pernell Interim Dean College of Law Email: leroy.pernell@famu.edu Phone: (407) 254-3204 Alicia Jackson Associate Dean for Student Learning and Assessment College of Law Email: alicia.jackson@famu.edu Phone: (407) 254-4024
“At FAMU, Great Things Are Happening Every Day.” established 1887
Recommend
More recommend
