Will the NextGen Bar Exam Be a Catalyst to Elevate the Work of ASPs?
I recently had the pleasure of hosting Ashley London , director of bar studies and assistant professor at Duquesne University School of Law, for a webinar on academic support professionals (ASPs), the NextGen Bar Exam, and how the advent of the new exam might put a spotlight on ASPs and their work. The audience was comprised almost exclusively of individuals working in the academic support and bar passage fields.
For those who may not know — academic support and bar passage are growing fields in legal education. Both types of programs are designed to equip students with the academic and analytical skills necessary to perform their best in law school, on the bar exam, and in practice. This work is especially critical because more and more students are coming to law school academically underprepared .
As Ashley described, academic support and bar passage positions tend to involve a massive workload and untold numbers of hours of one-on-one student contact. In addition, the director of academic support is one of the few professionals in the building whose impact is measured by objective data — namely, bar passage results. While the whole law school is theoretically responsible for graduating students who can pass their state’s bar exam, bar preparation is often seen as exclusively the job of ASPs, and their fates rise and fall with every administration of the exam. Add to this the fact that recent changes to U.S. News’ rankings methodology place a great deal of weight on bar passage results, and ASPs are in a pressure cooker.
But despite the heavy workload and high level of accountability, ASPs generally do not benefit from the protections of tenure enjoyed by other academics. There are multiple reasons for this which are beyond the scope of this post. Suffice it to say that ASPs carry a heavy teaching load and are often responsible for initiating difficult conversations with their colleagues, but at the same time, they are among the most vulnerable in terms of employment status.
The purpose of this webinar was to consider ways in which the advent of the NextGen Bar Exam might create opportunities for ASPs to elevate their status within the law school ecosystem. The extent to which this is possible depends on one’s view of the new exam. Some believe its adoption will have little effect on the status quo. Others believe it could catalyze a sea change in legal education. Specifically, they believe that NextGen — which is heavily focused on practical lawyering skills — will require reevaluation of the entire curriculum, including revisiting teaching methods and assessments.
If this is true (as I believe it to be), ASPs with their extensive experience guiding students to bar success will need to be at the center of the conversation. This will amplify their voices in several ways. First, it increases visibility for ASPs (many of whom are isolated in their own law schools) as they step forward to share with faculty insights on the question types in NextGen and how best to prepare students for them. Second, these presentations will showcase the expertise of ASPs in training students to perform their best on time-pressured legal analysis assessments. Third, the advent of NextGen creates a perfect opportunity for ASPs to collaborate with their doctrinal colleagues around small, achievable classroom exercises which, when woven throughout the curriculum, will help increase students’ NextGen readiness.
Following are concrete steps ASPs can take right now to elevate their position at their law schools:
- Make a presentation to your faculty about the NextGen Bar Exam that showcases your expertise.
- Become an advocate for curriculum review with respect to NextGen subjects and skills.
- Encourage implementation of a NextGen-style learning outcome assessment.
Longer-term actions might include:
- Revisit your job description to make sure the workload is realistic.
- Volunteer for an important committee like Appointments, Curriculum, or Admissions.
- Cultivate relationships with faculty allies.
- Meet with your dean to highlight the value you are adding to the program of education and discuss your career goals.
