Department of Education

January 22, 2020 

Accreditation – webinar #1 

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Other Accreditation Webinars

January 23:

January 30:

Substantive Change

Compliance

Timeframes

Alternate Standards

Student Outcomes

Teach-outs

School Closures

Additional Locations

State Authorization for Distance Education

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January

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Accreditation Regulations – Today’s Topics•	Accreditation Rulemaking•	New Recognition Process•	Accreditation Standards•	Implementation Timeline

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Accreditation

Abbreviations

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)

Department of Education (ED)

Higher Education Act (HEA)

Institution of Higher Education (IHE)

Section (§)

Title IV of the HEA (Title IV or TIV) 

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Accreditation Rulemaking

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Accreditation Rulemaking  •	Public Hearings:	1) 9/6/2018 	- Washington, DC	2) 9/11/2018	- New Orleans, LA	3) 9/13/2018	- Sturtevant, WI

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Accreditation Rulemaking•	Website: www2.ed.gov	Search: rulemaking	Subject: 2018-2019 Rulemaking•	Contains: rulemaking public hearing and 	session documents, negotiator list, links to 	Federal Register Notices, etc.

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Accreditation Rulemaking •	Website: www.regulations.gov	Contains: public comments	Docket ID: ED-2018-OPE-0076 •	Website: www.federalregister.gov	Contains: Federal Register Notices and 	related documents (official) with various 	search and filter options

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Accreditation Rulemaking•	4 sessions in 2019:	1) January 15-16 (14th – weather cancellation)	2) February 19-22	3) March 25-28 (extended hours)	4) April 1-3 (additional session and extended hours)•	Topics grouped into 3 buckets•	Consensus reached on all

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Accreditation Rulemaking •	Main Committee:	Accreditation and Subcommittee Topics •	Subcommittees:	1) Distance Education	2) TEACH Grants	3) Faith-Based Initiatives

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Accreditation Rulemaking Notable Dates:6/12/2019	NPRM published7/12/2019	30-day comment period ended~200 substantive public comments received & reviewed11/1/2019	regulations published7/1/2020	most regulations effective 7/1/2021	remaining provisions effective

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New Recognition Process

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Scope of Recognition - DefinitionScope of recognition (scope): the range of accrediting activities for which ED recognizes an agency ED may limit an agency's scope for Title IV, HEA purposes  ED’s scope designation defines recognition granted based on coverage of—1)  Types of degrees and certificates2)  Types of institutions and programs3)  Types of preaccreditation status, if any4)  Accrediting activities related to distance education 5)  Accrediting activities related to correspondence courses

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New Recognition Process   Accrediting experience (§ 602.12) Prior to submitting an initial recognition application, an agency must demonstrate that it has granted accreditation or preaccreditation to at least—• 1 institution (for an institutional accrediting agency)• 1 program (for a programmatic accrediting agency)• must cover the range of the specific degrees, certificates, institutions, and  	programs for which it seeks recognition• must be in the geographic area for which it seeks recognition• must have conducted accrediting activities for at least 2 years prior to 	application	• includes decisions on granting or denying accreditation/preaccreditation  Exception: if the agency seeking initial recognition is affiliated with 			or a division of a recognized agency

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New Recognition Process Accrediting experience (§ 602.12) A recognized agency seeking an expansion of scope:• must follow the requirements of §§ 602.31 and 602.32• must have engaged and show support for expansion from relevant 	constituencies• must show that it has policies in place to meet the recognition criteria	• includes covering the range of the specific degrees, certificates, 			institutions, and programs for which it seeks the expansion of scope A change to an agency's geographic area of accrediting activities does not constitute an expansion of the agency's scope of recognition • must notify ED of this change• must publicly disclose it on its website

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New Recognition Process Accrediting experience (§ 602.12) If an agency cannot demonstrate experience in making accreditation/ preaccreditation decisions under the expanded scope at the time of its application or review, we may—• limit the number of institutions or programs* for which an agency may grant 	accreditation under the expanded scope for a designated time period	(*as applicable - institutional or programmatic accrediting agency)• require a monitoring report regarding accreditation decisions made under 	the expanded scope	

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New Recognition Process  Purpose and organization (§ 602.14) 4 categories of ED-recognized accrediting agencies: 1)  A State agency that—	• accredits IHEs, higher education programs, or both as its 			principal purpose	• has been listed by ED as a nationally recognized accrediting 		agency on or before 10/1/1991.	

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New Recognition Process Purpose and organization (§ 602.14) 4 categories of ED-recognized accrediting agencies: 2) An agency that—• Has a voluntary membership of IHEs• Has as a principal purpose the accrediting of IHEs and uses that accreditation to provide a link to Federal HEA programs -and-• Satisfies the “separate and independent” requirements

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New Recognition Process  Purpose and organization (§ 602.14) 4 categories of ED-recognized accrediting agencies: 3) An agency that—• Has a voluntary membership; and• Has accreditation of IHEs or programs as its principal purpose, and the accreditation it offers is used to provide a link to non-HEA Federal programs in accordance with §602.10.

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New Recognition Process  Purpose and organization (§ 602.14) 4 categories of ED-recognized accrediting agencies: 4) An agency that, for determination of Title IV, HEA program eligibility has—• voluntary membership of individuals participating in a profession –or-• accredits programs within institutions that are accredited by another 	nationally recognized accrediting agency as its principal purpose  –and-• Satisfies “separate and independent” requirements or obtains a waiver of 	those requirements

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Accreditation Standards

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Accreditation Standards  Accreditation and preaccreditation standards (§ 602.16) The agency must demonstrate that it has standards for accreditation (and preaccreditation, if offered) • standards must be rigorous enough to ensure that the agency is a reliable 	authority regarding the educational quality provided by institutions or 	programs it accredits• includes various requirements

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Accreditation Standards  Requirement: Agencies must establish clear expectations for accredited institutions/programs: •	with respect to student achievement• relates to the institution's mission• may include different standards for different institutions/programs, as established by the institution

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Accreditation Standards

Examples of factors to consider: •	State licensing examination scores•	Course completion•	Job placement rates	•	Curricula•	Faculty	•	Facilities, equipment, and supplies•	Fiscal and administrative capacity•	Student support services

•	Recruiting and admissions practices•	Academic calendars, catalogs, publications, 	grading, and advertising•	Measures of program length and objectives 	of the credentials offered•	Record of student complaints received by, 	or available to, the agency •	Record of HEA Title IV compliance with the 	institution’s program responsibilities	o	student loan cohort default rate data 		provided by ED	o	audit or program review results	o	other information that ED provides to the 		agency

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Accreditation Standards§602.16 Accreditation and preaccreditation standards.Preaccreditation standards must--•	Be appropriately related to the agency's accreditation standards; and  •	Not permit the institution or program to hold preaccreditation status for 	more than 5 years before a final accrediting action is madeAgencies may exempt institutions that do not participate in Title IV, HEA programs from standards described in paragraph (a)(1)(x). If an institution is not participating in Title IV programs, there would not need a review of compliance for Title IV responsibilities. •	Under such circumstance, the accreditation or preaccreditation must specify 	that the institution’s requested that its accreditation not include Title 	IV, HEA program participation.

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Accreditation Standards§602.16 Accreditation and preaccreditation standards•	If an agency only accredits programs and is not an institutional 	accrediting agency for any of those programs, its accreditation 	standards must address the type and level of the program 	rather than the institution.•	The agency’s standards must effectively address (and it must 	evaluate) the quality of an institution's distance education, 	correspondence courses, or direct assessment education in the 	applicable areas. 

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Accreditation Standards  Other noteworthy information: •	An agency is not required to have separate standards, procedures, or policies for the evaluation of distance education or correspondence courses. •	If not an institutional accrediting agency, an agency would not be required to prescribe to standards that are relevant to Title IV, such as (a)(1)(viii) and (a)(1)(x).•	An agency may establish additional accreditation standards.

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Accreditation Standards  Agencies may:•	involve members in setting standards for institutions/programs seeking agency review•	apply accreditation standards to institutions/programs that seek agency review•	allow an institution to develop and use institutional standards to show success with student achievement, which achievement may be considered as part of any accreditation review•	have separate standards for instructors teaching dual enrollment, concurrent enrollment, or career and technical education courses, if the agency determines that the instructors qualify based on education or work experience•	have separate standards for curriculum approval to more effectively meet the recommendations of--	o  Widely recognized industry standards and organizations	o  Credentialing or other occupational registration or licensure	o  Industry advisory boards that include employers who hire program graduates	o  Employers in a field or occupation, in making hiring decisions	

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Recognition Criteria

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Recognition Criteria  Agencies will respond to criteria that are relevant for the type of agency that they are (institutional, programmatic).Guidance will be provided through memo from the Director of the Accreditation Group. Direct specific questions to your analyst.

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Implementation

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Implementation

Items to note:

Agencies that submit petitions before July 1, 2020 will submit under the current focus review and regulations. 

Once implemented, agencies may petition ED staff to review under new regulations if the review would provide a more favorable compliance outcome.

The June 30, 2020 final analysis publication date for the Summer 2020 NACIQI meeting allows agencies currently working toward initial recognition to be reviewed under the current regulations, instead of starting over in demonstrating compliance with the new regulations. 

ED will review an agency seeking initial recognition that would be reviewed at a meeting after that time under the new regulations.

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Implementation

Items to note:

ED will delay the 180-day agency response period in regulation at 602.32(g)(3) for implementation until January 1, 2021.

ED will delay staff observation activities at 602.32(d)(1)(i-iii) until July 1, 2021.

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Implementation

Items to note:

ED will modify the e-Recognition system to accommodate the new regulations and processes

The first petition the system could accept under the new regulations and processes would be Sept. 2020.

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Implementation

Items to note:

ED established Sept. 2020 as the due date for the agencies scheduled for review at the Summer 2022 meeting.

ED staff will notify an agency of a significant deficiency when found and would not wait for the draft staff analysis.

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Accreditation Regulations

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Accreditation Regulations

Encourage institutions to fairly evaluate the merit of transfer credits and prior learning assessment

reduce the need for students to take/pay for classes twice

Allow for different methods of monitoring institutional success, based on the institution’s mission and the goals of its students

Provide flexibility for agencies to support innovation, recognizing risk, and monitoring the innovation carefully to intervene when student success is at risk

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Accreditation Regulations

Engage employers more directly in the program quality evaluation

Allow for institutional decision-making models that give employers a more prominent role in recommending program or curriculum updates

Provide opportunities for agencies to increase accountability standards

Provide appropriate time for institutions to make changes to meet accountability standards

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Accreditation Regulations

Allow agencies to take earlier action: 

require struggling institutions to submit teach-out plans of

permit teach-out agreements before a school announces a closure

Reduce credential inflation, especially in programs that lead to State license, to allow low-income students an opportunity to pursue those occupations 

Ensure that the cost of qualifying for work does not exceed likely earnings

Reduce the time and complexity for approving an agency’s initial or renewal recognition application

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Questions?

Recognition of Accrediting Agencies:Herman Bounds:	herman.bounds@ed.gov or (202) 453-7615 Elizabeth Daggett: 	elizabeth.daggett@ed.gov or (202) 453-6190  State Authorization:Scott Filter:  		scott.filter@ed.gov or (202) 453-7249Sophia McArdle:  	sophia.mcardle@ed.gov or (202) 453-6318 Other Provisions:Barbara Hoblitzell:  	barbara.hoblitzell@ed.gov or (202) 453-7583Annmarie Weisman:  	annmarie.weisman@ed.gov or (202) 453-6712*TDD/TTY: (800) 877-8339

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