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Uncivil Procedure: Ranking Law Students Among Their Peers, Douglas A. Henderson

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Article does not argue against evaluation, testing, or assessment within law school or outside of it. Nor does it argue against the use of standardized assessment procedures. This Article attempts to discredit the institutional practice of ranking law students among their peers. Part I presents a brief overview of the present system of testing and ranking, its impact on law student careers and the present justifications for these practices. Part II evaluates ranking, and the single end-of-term essay on which it is based, according to psychometric theory, learning theory, and statistical theory. Part III justifies abandoning the system by …