A Five-Year Retroactive Analysis of Cut Score Impact: California’s Proposed Supervised Provisional License Program

A five-year cohort of 39,737 examinees who sat for the California Bar Exam (“CBX”) between 2014-18 was analyzed using a simulation model based on actual exam results to evaluate how the minimum passing scores (“cut score”) of 1440, 1390, 1350, 1330, and 1300, if used as qualifying scores for a provisional licensing program, would affect the number of previous examinees, by race and ethnicity, who would qualify to participate within retroactive groupings of five-year, four-year, three-year, two-year, and one-year examinee cohorts.The result of the simulation models indicated that selecting a qualifying score lower than the current California cut score of 1390 will significantly increase both the overall number of eligible participants and the diversity of the group eligible to participate in the proposed alternate licensing program.This study follows an initial study of 85,727 examinees of the CBX from 2009-18 titled, Examining the California Cut Score: An Empirical Analysis of Minimum Competency, Public Protection, Disparate Impact, and National Standards that determined maintaining a high cut score does not result in greater public protection as measured by disciplinary statistics, but does result in excluding minorities from admission to the bar and the practice of law at rates disproportionately higher than Whites

Examining the California Cut Score: An Empirical Analysis of Minimum Competency, Public Protection, Disparate Impact, and National Standards

The selection of a minimum bar exam passing score (“cut score”) shapes the representation of racial and ethnic minorities in the legal profession and the quality of access to justice in the state. California and national policy makers have not had the benefit of detailed exam performance data that analyzes the effect of the cut score on race and ethnicity. Because policy makers consider the cut score an important public protection mechanism, this study also explored whether the selection of higher cut scores better protected the public from attorneys who do not have the minimum competence to practice law. To conduct the analysis, the study used two data sets. The first data set included 85,727 examinees who sat for 21 administrations of the CBX from 2009-18 and the race and ethnicity of each examinee. The second data set included the ABA discipline data from up to 48 U.S. jurisdictions from 2013-18 and the cut scores in each jurisdiction. Using the first data set,the study determined how the selection of a minimum cut score (1) widens or narrows the racial and ethnic impacts of the bar exam and/or (2) alters the racial and ethnic composition of new attorneys joining the legal profession. Both historical actual and simulated cut scores were analyzed. Using the second data set, this study examined a third factor: the relationship, if any, between minimum cut scores and rates of attorney discipline. This analysis determined that initial and eventual passing rates differed significantly between racial and ethnic groups, and this gap was wider at higher simulated cut scores. A simulation analysis using actual examinee scores confirmed that selecting a lower cut score would have significantly narrowed the achievement gap between Whites and racial and ethnic minorities and would have increased the number of newly admitted minority attorneys in California. For example, at 1440, the achievement gap between Whites and Blacks was 27.4 percentage points. But at a simulated cut score of 1300, the achievement gap between these two groups would have been only 14.5 percentage points. This 12.9 percentage point difference in the achievement gap at 1440 and 1300 demonstrates a disparate effect of the higher cut scores. Using the second data set about disciplinary statistics, the study determined that no relationship exists between the selection of a cut score and the number of complaints, formal charges, or disciplinary actions taken against attorneys in the jurisdictions studied. California’s recent decision to lower the cut score from 1440 to 1390 moved California from having the second-highest cut score to the fourth-highest cut score in the country. However, the report data established that at 1390 California will continue to produce significantly disparate pass rates on the basis of race and ethnicity when compared to the national norm of 1350, the New York standard of 1330, and the simulated model of 1300. This study establishes that maintaining a high cut score does not result in greater public protection as measured by disciplinary statistics but does result in excluding minorities from admission to the bar and the practice of law at rates disproportionately higher than Whites

〔研究ノート〕生活困窮者自立支援制度とソーシャルワーク の在り方に関する一考察

　　The System for Self-Support of Needy Person was established in 2000 as a second safety net, with the aim of building up a comprehensive support system that would enable poor people to attain independence and dignity. This paper traces the history of how that system was adopted, and discusses how it is related to the Public Assistance Act. The paper also looks at how the system actually works, and points out the problems it has. The author argues that customized services designed by educated and experienced professional social workers are one of the keys to the success of this system

日本における盲導犬の普及に関する課題の考察

The number of guide dogs in Japan is much smaller than in Western countries. This paper summarizes the history of guide dogs in Japan, compares the development of the assistance dogs in Western countries, and points out problems that have hampered their spread in Japan. In the 1930s Western countries began breeding and training guide dogs, and in 1938 an American for the first time introduced a guide dog into Japan. But it was in 1957 that the first Japanese-trained dog for the visually handicapped began to serve. The Law enacted in 2002 legally defined how the dogs be trained. The author explores Japanese cultural and environmental restrictions in the propagation and training of guide dogs, the lack of social understanding towards the treatment of guide dogs, and points out that the dogs should be cared for properly. The author also points out that the lack of popularity of guide dogs will not be solved by simply increasing the number of the dogs. Steadfast steps towards further improvement of the support for the visually impaired such as the introduction of guide dog robots are also suggested

In vivo evaluation of a vibration analysis technique for the per-operative monitoring of the fixation of hip prostheses

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The per-operative assessment of primary stem stability may help to improve the performance of total hip replacement. Vibration analysis methods have been successfully used to assess dental implant stability, to monitor fracture healing and to measure bone mechanical properties. The objective of the present study was to evaluate in vivo a vibration analysis-based endpoint criterion for the insertion of the stem by successive surgeon-controlled hammer blows.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A protocol using a vibration analysis technique for the characterisation of the primary bone-prosthesis stability was tested in 83 patients receiving a custom-made, intra-operatively manufactured stem prosthesis. Two groups were studied: one (n = 30) with non cemented and one (n = 53) with partially cemented stem fixation. Frequency response functions of the stem-femur system corresponding to successive insertion stages were compared.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The correlation coefficient between the last two frequency response function curves was above 0.99 in 86.7% of the non cemented cases. Lower values of the final correlation coefficient and deviations in the frequency response pattern were associated with instability or impending bone fracture. In the cases with a partially cemented stem an important difference in frequency response function between the final stage of non cemented trial insertion and the final cemented stage was found in 84.9% of the cases. Furthermore, the frequency response function varied with the degree of cement curing.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The frequency response function change provides reliable information regarding the stability evolution of the stem-femur system during the insertion. The protocol described in this paper can be used to accurately detect the insertion end point and to reduce the risk for intra-operative fracture.</p

Esophagectomy without mortality: What can surgeons do?

Introduction: Surgical resection remains the mainstay treatment for patients with localized esophageal cancer. It is, however, a complex procedure. Mortality rate used to be high, but in recent years, death rate has been reduced to below 5% in specialized centers. Methods: Outcome of esophagectomy can be improved by paying attention to (1) appropriate patient section, (2) choice of surgical techniques and their execution, and (3) optimizing perioperative care. A volume-outcome relationship is also evident. Surgeons can perform esophagectomy without mortality, but a multi-disciplinary team management is essential to achieve this goal. © 2009 The Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract.postprin

Mechanical evaluation of hip pads to protect against fracture of elderly femurs in falls

Hip fracture in the aged easily occurs by falls and may cause these persons to become bedridden. Hip pads are effective in protecting hip fracture as they directly deflect and absorb the impact forces by falls. It is necessary for the material and the structure of hip pads to be designed to realize both high impact absorption and compliance (comfort during wearing). In this report, an impact testing system was developed to test the impact absorbing performance of hip pad with air cushions designed by the research group. The impact absorbing performance was evaluated by the impact load, collision time, and maximum load. To confirm the effectiveness in protecting against hip fracture, an impact force was applied to the greater trochanter of the human femur and the degree of fracture was measured by X-ray examination. As a result, the hip pad with air cushions had a high impact absorbing performance and was sufficiently effective to protect against hip fracture