Actionable Results
LSSSE results are actionable – they point to aspects of student and institutional performance that law schools can use to to set benchmarks and chart progress toward their goals.
Reports and Analysis Tools
Law schools receive their results in the form of custom reports, data analysis tools, and raw data. Responsible statistical comparisons with similar schools (including two custom peer groups that you select) add meaningful context.
Case Studies
See how schools have used LSSSE to identify areas for improvement and to implement change.
Translate Data into Action
Student engagement data helps law schools identify areas for improvement and measure progress toward goals. By administering the LSSSE Survey schools can acquire extensive information about the experiences of their students.
ABA Accreditation
Recent changes to the ABA Standards require law schools to establish and assess student learning outcomes. Interpretation 315-1 identifies “student evaluation of the sufficiency of their education” as one method that may be used to measure the degree to which students have attained desired learning outcomes. LSSSE’s focus on the student experience provides insight on how the process of legal education affects student development. LSSSE is a valuable measure of the kinds of activities that are empirically associated with student learning and institutional effectiveness.
Accreditation Toolkit. Law schools receive an Accreditation Toolkit, which provides detailed information on how 60 individual LSSSE questions can be used as evidence that your school is satisfying specific standards set forth by the ABA. The Accreditation Toolkit also includes timelines and strategies for using LSSSE in the accreditation and review process.
Accreditation Report. The Accreditation Report provides law schools with functional information for use in the accreditation process. Your law school specific results are organized into three broad categories that reflect core themes in the ABA Standards and Interpretations: (1) Diversity and Inclusion; (2) Program of Legal Education; and (3) Law School Resources. Learn more here.
Assessment
Since 2003, the Law School Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE) has administered retrospective surveys to law school students nationwide. Among other things, LSSSE asks students about work habits, classroom experiences, social activities and relationships, and general law school satisfaction. When analyzed properly, LSSSE data serve as a powerful tool for assessing student experiences, learning and performance. The data can also provide a foundation for telling compelling, data-driven stories about the curriculum. See examples of how law schools have used LSSSE data to assess programs and in curricular reform here.
“With the passing of new ABA standards on learning outcomes and assessments, law schools will be in search of assessment tools that track and assess institutional policies. Law schools that are not yet familiar with LSSSE will find it to be an invaluable assessment tool because of the breadth of questions, the target tracking of first year and upper division students, and the ability to select peer schools for comparative results.”
– Catherine Carpenter, Southwestern Law School
Get To Know Your Students
How much time do your students spend preparing for class? What do they feel they have gained from various aspects of the law school curriculum? Are certain types of students more likely to engage in educationally effective practices? Are some students experiencing law school differently than others?
LSSSE can help you develop a clearer understanding of the student experience. Data can be analyzed from an overall perspective or disaggregated based on a host of relevant factors, including race, gender, and enrollment class.
Communicate Data and Results
LSSSE Survey data has broad relevance to internal and external audiences. Therefore, communicating results can be an effective way to promote successes or help forge change. Some law schools make their LSSSE results available to the public, often on their websites. This type of transparency can inspire trust towards the institution, while also allowing the institution to tout positive outcomes.
For example, University of California—Irvine School of Law places its LSSSE results on its website as a means of providing information to prospective students and other members of the public about the student climate. In framing the results, the law school discusses how the results compare to peer schools and the national pool.