[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 215 (Wednesday, November 6, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 88046-88047]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-25785]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Accrediting Agencies Currently Undergoing Review for the Purpose 
of Recognition by the U.S. Secretary of Education

AGENCY: Accreditation Group, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. 
Department of Education.

ACTION: Call for written third-party comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice provides information to members of the public on 
submitting written comments for accrediting agencies currently 
undergoing review for the purpose of recognition by the U.S. Secretary 
of Education.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Herman Bounds, Director, Accreditation 
Group, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 
400 Maryland Avenue SW, Fifth Floor, Washington, DC 20202, telephone: 
(202) 453-7615, or email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#59313c2b343837773b362c373d2a193c3d773e362f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e08885928d818ece828f958e8493a08584ce878f96">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This request for written third-party 
comments concerning the performance of accrediting agencies under 
review by the Secretary of Education is required by 496(n)(1)(A) of the 
Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended, and pertains to the 
winter 2026 meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional 
Quality and Integrity (NACIQI). The meeting date and location have not 
been determined but will be announced in a later Federal Register 
notice. In addition, a later Federal Register notice will describe how 
to register to provide oral comments at the meeting. Note: Written 
comments about the specific agencies identified below will not be 
accepted or provided to NACIQI members if those comments are submitted 
after the deadline provided in this Federal Register notice, which is 
December 6, 2024. Written comments must be submitted to the mailbox 
identified below. Do not submit written comments directly to Department 
officials or to NACIQI members.
    Agencies Under Review and Evaluation: The Department requests 
written comments from the public on the following accrediting agencies, 
which are currently undergoing review and evaluation by the 
Accreditation Group, and which will be reviewed at the winter 2026 
NACIQI meeting.
    The agencies are listed by the type of application each agency has 
submitted. Please note, each agency's current scope of recognition is 
indicated below. If any agency requested to expand its scope of 
recognition, both the current scope of recognition and the requested 
scope of recognition are identified below.

Applications for Renewal of Recognition

    1. American Board of Funeral Service Education. Scope of 
Recognition: The accreditation of institutions and programs awarding 
diplomas, associate degrees, and bachelor's degrees in funeral service 
or mortuary science, including the accreditation of distance learning 
courses and programs offered by these programs and institutions. 
Geographic Area of Accrediting Activities: The United States.
    2. Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges. Scope of 
Recognition: The accreditation of postsecondary, non degree-granting 
institutions and degree-granting institutions in the United States, 
including those granting associate, baccalaureate and master's degrees, 
that are predominantly organized to educate students for occupational, 
trade and technical careers, and including institutions that offer 
programs via distance education. Geographic Area of Accrediting 
Activities: The United States.
    3. Association of Institutions of Jewish Studies. Scope of 
Recognition: The accreditation of postsecondary institutions of Jewish 
Studies within the United States exclusively offering educational 
programs leading to a certificate, associate degree, baccalaureate 
degree or their equivalent credential in Jewish Studies or Classical 
Torah Studies. Geographic Area of Accrediting Activities: The United 
States.
    4. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Scope of 
Recognition: The accreditation and pre-accreditation (Accreditation 
Candidate) of education programs in audiology and speech-language 
pathology leading to the first professional or clinical degree at the 
master's or doctoral level, and the accreditation of these programs 
offered via distance education. Geographic Area of Accrediting 
Activities: The United States.
    5. Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation. Scope of 
Recognition: The accreditation of institutions and programs that award 
postsecondary certificates, postsecondary diplomas, academic associate 
degrees and occupational associate degrees, in the practice of massage 
therapy, bodywork, and aesthetics/esthetics and skin care, and programs 
that include distance education. Geographic Area of Accrediting 
Activities: The United States.
    6. Council on Naturopathic Medical Education. Scope of Recognition: 
The accreditation and preaccreditation of graduate-level, four-year 
naturopathic medical education programs leading to the Doctor of 
Naturopathic Medicine (NMN) or Doctor of Naturopathy (ND), including 
those offered by distance education. Geographic Area of Accrediting 
Activities: The United States.
    7. Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education. Scope of 
Recognition: The accreditation of Montessori teacher education 
institutions and programs including those offered via distance 
education. Geographic Area of Accrediting Activities: The United 
States.
    8. Midwifery Education Accreditation Council. Scope of Recognition: 
The accreditation and pre-accreditation of direct-entry midwifery 
educational institutions and programs conferring degrees and 
certificates, including the accreditation of such programs offered via 
distance learning. Geographic Area of Accrediting Activities: The 
United States.
    9. National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences. 
Scope of Recognition: The accreditation of postsecondary schools and 
departments of cosmetology arts and sciences and massage therapy, 
including those offered via distance education. Geographic Area of 
Accrediting Activities: The United States.
    10. National League for Nursing, Commission for Nurse Education 
Accreditation. Scope of Recognition: The preaccreditation and 
accreditation of nursing education programs which offer a certification 
or diploma or degree at the practical/vocational, diploma, associate, 
baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral levels, including those offered 
via distance education. This recognition extends to the Appeals Panel. 
Geographic Area of Accrediting Activities:

[[Page 88047]]

    The United States. Requested Scope of Recognition: The 
preaccreditation and accreditation of nursing education programs which 
offer a certification or diploma or degree at the practical/vocational, 
diploma, associate, baccalaureate, masters, post-graduate, and doctoral 
levels, including those offered via distance education. This 
recognition extends to the Appeals Panel. Geographic Area of 
Accrediting Activities: The United States.

Compliance Reports

    1. Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools. Scope 
of Recognition: The accreditation and preaccreditation 
(``Correspondent'' and ``Candidate'') of advanced rabbinical and 
Talmudic schools to include Associate, Baccalaureate, Masters, 
Doctorate, and First Rabbinic and First Talmudic degree programs. 
Geographic Area of Accrediting Activities: The United States. The 
Compliance report includes findings of noncompliance with the criteria 
in 34 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 602 identified in the 
November 3, 2023, letter from the senior Department official following 
the July 15,2023, NACIQI meeting, available at: https://surveys.ope.ed.gov/erecognition/#/public-documents.
    2. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for 
Education in Nutrition and Dietetics. Scope of Recognition: The 
accreditation and pre-accreditation of Didactic and Coordinated 
Programs in Nutrition and Dietetics at both the undergraduate and 
graduate level, postbaccalaureate Nutrition and Dietetics Internships, 
and Nutrition and Dietetics Technician Programs at the associate degree 
level and for its accreditation of such programs offered via distance 
education. Geographic Area of Accrediting Activities: The United 
States. The compliance report includes findings of noncompliance with 
the criteria in 34 CFR part 602 identified in the November 3, 2023, 
letter from the senior Department official following the July 15, 2023, 
NACIQI meeting, available at https://surveys.ope.ed.gov/erecognition/#/public-documents.
    3. National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on 
Accreditation. Scope of Recognition: The accreditation of freestanding 
institutions and units offering art/design and art/design-related 
programs (both degree- and non-degree-granting), including those 
offered via distance education. Geographic Area of Accrediting 
Activities: The United States. The compliance report includes findings 
of noncompliance with the criteria in 34 CFR part 602 identified in the 
November 3, 2023, letter from the senior Department official following 
the July 15, 2023, NACIQI meeting, available at https://surveys.ope.ed.gov/erecognition/#/public-documents.
    4. Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Scope of 
Recognition: The accreditation and pre-accreditation (``Candidacy 
status'') of institutions, including the accreditation of programs 
offered via correspondence education, and distance education within 
these institutions. This recognition also extends to the Executive 
Committee. Geographic Area of Accrediting Activities: The United 
States. The compliance report includes findings of noncompliance with 
the criteria in 34 CFR part 602 identified in the November 3, 2023, 
letter from the senior Department official following the July 15, 2023, 
NACIQI meeting, available at https://surveys.ope.ed.gov/erecognition/#/public-documents.

Submission of Written Comments Regarding a Specific Accrediting Agency 
Under Review

    Written comments about the recognition of any of the accrediting 
agencies listed above must be received by December 6, 2024, in the 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#396d51504b5d69584b4d407a5654545c574d4a795c5d175e564f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1a4e7273687e4a7b686e63597577777f746e695a7f7e347d756c">[email protected]</span></a> mailbox. Please include in the subject line 
``Written Comments: (agency name).'' The electronic mail (email) must 
include the name(s), title, organization/affiliation, mailing address, 
email address, and telephone number of the person(s) making the 
comment. Comments should be submitted as a PDF, Microsoft Word document 
or in a medium compatible with Microsoft Word that is attached to an 
email or provided in the body of an email message. Comments about an 
agency that has submitted a compliance report scheduled for review by 
the Department must relate to the criteria for recognition cited in the 
senior Department Official's letter that requested the report, or in 
the Secretary's appeal decision, if any. Comments about an agency that 
has submitted a petition for initial recognition, renewal of 
recognition, or an expansion of scope must relate to the agency's 
compliance with the Criteria for the recognition of Accrediting 
Agencies or the Criteria for the recognition of state agencies, which 
are available at: https://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html.
    Only written materials submitted by the deadline to the email 
address listed in this notice, and in accordance with these 
instructions, become part of the official record concerning agencies 
scheduled for review and are considered by the Department and NACIQI in 
their deliberations. Written comments about the specific agencies 
identified in this Federal Register notice that are submitted after the 
deadline will not be considered by the Department or provided to NACIQI 
for purposes of the current cycle review. However, comments may be 
provided orally at the winter 2026 NACIQI meeting, which has not yet 
been scheduled, but which will be announced in a future Federal 
Register notice.
    Electronic Access to this Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free 
internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the 
Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System 
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site, you can view this document, as 
well as all other documents of the Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF, 
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the 
site. You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.
    Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1011c; 20 U.S.C. 1099b.

Nasser Paydar,
Assistant Secretary for the Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2024-25785 Filed 11-5-24; 8:45 am]
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