ABA House Of Delegates Rejects Proposal To Make The LSAT Optional; ABA Council To Consider Next Steps At Feb. 17 Meeting

Following up on this morning's post:  ABA Journal, Admissions Test Requirement For ABA-Accredited Law Schools Will Remain in Place For Now:

A proposed revision to a law school accreditation standard that removes an entrance exam requirement was rejected Monday by the ABA House of Delegates, at the organization’s midyear meeting in New Orleans.

Resolution 300 was brought by the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar and called for cutting the test requirement in Standard 503. A similar measure, which suggested cutting the standard all together, was brought by the section in August 2018, but withdrawn shortly before the House gathered.

“The Council is disappointed in the House of Delegates’ vote on Resolution 300. It will consider next steps at the Council meeting on Feb. 17, consistent with ABA rules and procedures,” Bill Adams, managing director of ABA Accreditation and Legal Education, said in a statement.

Under ABA rules, proposed revisions to the accreditation standards and rules are sent to the House for concurrence up to two times, but the council has the final decision on matters related to law school education.

I was one of sixty law school deans who signed a comment letter opposing removal of the accreditation requirement that law school applicants take a valid and reliable admissions test like the LSAT and GRE.

• ABA, House of Delegates Rejects Changing Law School Admissions Standards
• Bloomberg Law, LSAT-Optional Law School Admissions Hit Snag With ABA Vote
• Inside Higher Ed, ABA Votes to Keep Standardized Tests
• Law.com, ABA Rejects Proposal to Make Law School Admissions Tests Optional
• Law360, ABA Votes Law School Admissions Tests Must Stay, For Now
• Reuters, ABA Votes to Keep Law School Standardized Test Requirement
• Wall Street Journal, Legal Association Deals Setback to LSAT-Optional Law School Admissions
• Washington Post, Plan to End Mandate For LSAT, Other Law School Admission Exams Stalls in Key Vote

Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:

• New York Times, ABA May Eliminate Standardized Tests For Law School Admissions (May 7, 2022)
• Wall Street Journal, ABA Council Votes To Advance Proposal Permitting Law Schools To Go Test Optional. What Are The Implications Of Admitting Students Who Don't Take The LSAT Or GRE? (May 23, 2022)
• Newsweek, In Defense Of The LSAT (May 28, 2022)
• Inside Higher Ed, The ABA Proposes Eliminating Standardized Tests For Law School Admissions (June 16, 2022)
• Law.com, So Far, Public Comments Largely Support ABA Proposal To Make Law School Admission Tests Optional (June 22, 2022)
• Wall Street Journal, The LSAT And Other Standardized Tests Are Good For Diversity (July 25, 2022)
• Law.com, ABA Gaining Public Support In Proposal To Make Law School Admission Tests Optional (Aug. 3, 2022)
• ABA Journal, ABA Loosens Distance Learning Accreditation Standard; Council Withdraws Diversity Proposal After Public Criticism (Aug. 9, 2022)
• Higher Ed Dive, More On The ABA's Proposal To Make Law School Admission Tests Optional (Aug. 27, 2022)
• ABA, Over 100 Comments On Proposal To Make Law School Admission Tests Optional (Sept. 5, 2022)
• Letter, Sixty Deans Oppose The ABA's Proposal To Make Law School Admission Tests Optional (Sept. 2, 2022)
• Law.com, As ABA Deadline Ends, More Than 100 Public Comments Highlight Split Over Law School Admissions Test Requirement  (Sept. 7, 2022)
• Inside Higher Ed, If ABA Makes LSAT Optional, Will U.S. News Follow Its College Rankings Approach: Reduce Weight Given LSAT Medians (11.25%), Punish Schools (15% Reduction) With < 50% Test-Takers? (Sept. 14, 2022)
• Reuters, ABA Moves Closer To Ending LSAT Requirement For Law Schools (Nov. 8, 2022)
• Brian Leiter (Chicago), The End Of The LSAT Is Coming: What Will U.S. News Do? (Nov. 12, 2022)
• Reuters, Survey: Many Law Schools Won't Abandon LSAT If ABA Votes On Friday To Give Schools That Option (Nov. 16, 2022)
• ABA Legal Ed Council Votes 15-1 To Make LSAT Optional Beginning With Fall 2026 1L Class (Nov. 19, 2022)
• More Commentary On The ABA's Push To Make The LSAT Optional In Law School Admissions (Dec. 1, 2022)
• How Diversity Is Lingering Over The LSAT And U.S. News Law School Rankings (Jan. 26, 2023)
• ABA To Vote Today On Making LSAT Optional Beginning With Fall 2026 1L Class (Feb. 6, 2023)