13
TEST DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH
LSAC Products and Services:
The Committee discussed LSAC products and services that had
been previously introduced or were currently being developed or envisioned, providing input and
suggestions. The possible development of an online LSAT preparation tool was discussed.
Test Security:
The Committee received updates on test-security procedures being implemented
for the LSAT, as well as the types of test-security cases being investigated. Potential revisions to the
current test-security procedures were also discussed. The Committee recommended Board
approval of two proposed policy changes intended to enhance test security: (1) test takers with a
reportable score of 180 be barred from repeating the test, and (2) approval of exceptions to the
limitation of taking no more than three tests in two years be shifted from the law schools to LSAC.
Ongoing Projects:
The Committee received reports and provided input on global issues, the Skills
Readiness Inventory, the Evaluation Service, admission-model research, standardized interviews,
LSAT validity beyond the first year of law school, and collaborative research efforts with the Higher
Education Research Institute (HERI)—all ongoing work carried out by LSAC staff.
Research Proposal:
The Committee considered and recommended Board approval of a funding
request by Bernard P. Veldkamp and Cees A. W. Glas of the University of Twente for their research
project titled
Data Mining Applied to Testlet Response Modeling
.
The Board concurred with the
committee recommendation and granted funding of this project.
Research:
The research activities of LSAC staff and external researchers resulted in the
Committee’s approval of seven reports for publication. Through the work of the Grants
Subcommittee, the Committee considered six full proposals for research funding and one request
for additional funding of a previously funded research project. One full proposal and the request
for additional funding were granted, and two proposals were returned to the researchers with
advice to revise and resubmit them.