SULC Course Level Assessment Process
Students in an assessment course must complete formative assessments, which are conducted mid-semester, and summative assessments, which are part of the final examination cycle. All students are assessed in at least two (2) required courses during the academic year. In the Fall (Spring) semesters, the formative assessment is administered in mid-October (or mid-March). To allow for timely feedback to the students, and to provide an impartial overview of the students’ skill level, SULC has implemented a third-party grading system for grading formative assessments. Using a third-party grader will remove bias and improve the validity of statistical data for each cohort class by academic year. Third-party graders are expected to score each student’s formative assessment by the end of October such that students receive feedback well in advance of summative assessments, and there is enough time for students to incorporate this feedback into their studies and for professors to adjust their course lectures or assignments, if necessary. A common Live Text grading rubric is used to evaluate each of SULC’s Institutional Learning Outcomes in the categories of: Issue Spotting, Quality of Writing, Doctrinal Knowledge and Analysis.
The professor’s goal for formative assessment is to provide timely, detailed feedback that will assist students with identifying deficiencies, increasing student learning, and improving their performance during summative evaluations.
The professor’s goal for summative assessment is to gauge whether there has been improvement during the course and assess where a student is at the end of the course. Professors from each assessment course are encouraged to collaborate on the data from the summative assessments and to determine if any noticeable student progress has occurred between the formative and summative assessment cycles. Professors are also urged to review the data as a mechanism of evaluating course content that students may have had difficulty understanding and to modify instructional methods if necessary.
First-year students who do not score at or above accomplished on the summative assessment in the area(s) identified by the professor are enrolled in the Lawyering Process II course to assist them with developing the skills needed for a better matriculation in law school.
Second-year students who do not score at or above accomplished in their assessment ranking following the second semester of their first year are enrolled in the Legal Methods course, which increases the student’s issue spotting, analytical and writing skills while assigning writing projects that are typically given to junior associates in a law firm or to judicial clerks. These second-year students are given extensive written feedback and have multiple opportunities for conferences with their professors. The number of students enrolled in each section is limited to no more than ten (10) students. Should the student continue to be assessed at or below the “Developing” level, the student is enrolled in the Legal Process course, which is a continuation of the Legal Methods course. However, the Legal Process course includes opportunities for the student to develop their persuasive writing and oral advocacy skills as well.
Lastly, third-year students who do not score at or above accomplished on their assessments following the second-year assessment cycle are required to enroll in Advanced Constitutional Law or Advanced Louisiana Torts Litigation. Students who are assessed at or below “Developing” are enrolled in the appropriate course (either civil law or common law) for that student. Regardless of the student’s matriculation status, SULC has a specific structure in place to address each student’s needs. The intervention courses have been constructed to increase the student’s likelihood of successfully passing the Bar Examination in the state(s) in which they seek bar admission.