The NCBE Validity and Fairness Research Award was conceived by Hon. Phyllis D. Thompson, a judge on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals since 2006. Judge Thompson is a former member of the NCBE Board of Trustees and of the Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. This award is intended to provide support for graduate students and faculty in any discipline whose research identifies aspects of validity evidence including, but not limited to, scoring, response processes, and the impact of licensure and certification testing.
For submission information, please review the Validity and Fairness Research Award 2026 Call for Proposals.
2026 Award Recipient
Roza Nalbandyan, Stanford University, “Emotional Engagement and Response Processes Underlying Performance Assessment of Critical Thinking: Methods and Evidence with Implications for Professional Licensure Testing”
Past Award Recipients
2025: “Legal Examination Improvement Program (LEIP),” Annie Brett, JD, PhD, University of Florida Levin College of Law
2024: “The HBCU Effect: Examining Factors Related to First-Time Bar Passage for HBCU Law School Alumni,” Jade Caines Lee, PhD, University of Kansas
“Bar Passage Indicators and Best Practices for International LL.M. & J.D. Students,” Brian Sites, University of Miami