ACCSC Webinar Series:
A Conversation with the Executive Director
December 17, 2013
Dr. Michale S. McComis
Christopher Lambert
Executive Director
Associate Executive Director
Webinar Logistics
• The slideshow is interactive
• Includes hyperlinks to various websites and forms referenced
in the webinar.
• Please feel free to ask your questions by typing them into the
webinar platform system.
• Staff will do our very best to answer all questions, either
during, or after, the webinar.
• A copy of the webinar will be made available at www.accsc.org
under Events/ Webinars Section
• A copy of the slides will be made available online
Agenda
•
Pending Revisions to the Standards of Accreditation
• Information Sharing
•
Reminder: Independent Third Party Verification of Employment
•
Commission’s Strategic Planning Program of Work
•
External Affairs Activities:
•
NACIQI / Negotiated Rulemaking / Senate Hearing on Accreditation
•
Notice from the Federal Trade Commission:
• Guides for Private Vocational and Distance Education Schools.
•
Member Services:
• New Student Letter
• 2013/2014 Commissioner Election Update
Revisions to the Standards of
Accreditation
• Section X, Rules of Process and Procedure,
Standards of Accreditation
• Section IV(C) Substantive Standards, Standards of
Accreditation
Notification and Information Sharing
Section X, Rules of Process and Procedure
• As outlined in the December 21, 2012 Call for Comment, ACCSC’s
transparency efforts are focused on explaining accreditation in a
manner which enhances the public’s understanding of what
accreditation means and which promote the sharing of information
amongst all members of the regulatory “triad.”
• Currently ACCSC discloses many, but not all, of its accreditation
actions and primarily modeled its current notification and
information sharing rules around the regulations required to be
met by U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting
bodies.
Notification and Information Sharing
Section X, Rules of Process and Procedure
ACCSC is launching a multi-phase transparency initiative as follows:
Phase I
• ACCSC will continue to publically disclose a list of grants of initial
and renewal of accreditation, probation, and adverse actions on its
website at www.accsc.org.
• ACCSC’s published list will include other actions taken such as
show cause orders and deferrals and will publish a copy of the
Commission letter for Probation actions and Adverse Actions
on its website.
• ACCSC will also publish a fact sheet to include an explanation
describing what each Commission action means (e.g., What does
Probation Mean?).
Notification and Information Sharing
Section X, Rules of Process and Procedure
ACCSC is launching a multi-phase transparency initiative as follows:
Phase II
• ACCSC may disclose publically via its website at www.accsc.org, along with the items in Phase I - the Commission’s grant of
accreditation letter for any school that was successful in
achieving initial or renewal accreditation from ACCSC.
• ACCSC will disclose publically via its searchable directory
made available online at www.accsc.org the graduation and
employment rates for each program using the data reported
to the Commission in the most recent ACCSC Annual Report.
Notification and Information Sharing
Section X, Rules of Process and Procedure / Section IV
(C)(3), Substantive Standards, Standards of Accreditation
• The Commission will require that schools disclose both the
graduation and employment rates for all programs offered at the
school as reported to the Commission in the AR. (The Commission
currently requires that employment rates be disclosed).
• The Commission will establish a future date for when these
disclosures are to be made by schools.
• ACCSC will publish a Fact Sheet on its website with information
about how graduation and employment rates are calculated and
reported, and how the Commission calculates its benchmark
student achievement rates.
Reminder: Independent ThirdParty Employment Data Verification
Independent Third-Party Employment Data
Verification
• As stated in the July 1, 2013 Accreditation Alert, the Commission will
implement an independent third-party employment verification
requirement as part of the initial and renewal of accreditation process.
• The Independent Third-Party Employment Data Verification policy will
go into effect for all schools that attend an initial or renewal
workshop AFTER January 1, 2014.
• Those schools beginning the renewal of accreditation process in
2014 will not be subject to the Commission’s own random
sampling and verification of student achievement data as reported
in the ACCSC Annual Report.
Independent Third-Party Employment Data
Verification
Primary Elements:
• The “independent” third-party cannot perform any other services for the school
• The independent third-party auditor selects a minimum of a 50% sample of
graduates classified as employed in the field from each Graduation and
Employment Chart submitted in the AR. (Line 15 on the G&E Chart)
• The independent third-party auditor attempts to verify with the employer or the
graduate the classified employment status.
• Not just a review of the school’s back-up documentation.
• The independent third-party auditor’s report provides a summary of results
and a description of the methodology used for the selection of the sample
and the verification process.
• The independent third-party auditor must include a signed certification attesting
to the accuracy of the auditor’s findings and the auditor’s independence
ACCSC Commission:
Strategic Planning
Strategic Planning Initiative
• Strategic Planning Initiative as a key component of the
Commission’s work.
• Culmination of 2013 Strategic Planning Program of Work
with a full Commission and staff leadership retreat in
December 2013
• Retreat focused on key elements, such as:
• ACCSC’s Mission,Vision, and Values.
• What are ACCSC Strength’s and Challenges?
• Internal and External
• What are ACCSC’s Goals for the next three years?
Strategic Planning Initiative
Initial Results – ACCSC Wants to:
• Ensure that ACCSC as an organization represents its member
institutions; recognizes challenges, trends and innovations; and
continually meets its mission, vision, and values.
• Ensure that ACCSC’s Standards and Processes reflect best
practices in higher education and training and support selfevaluation, innovation, and continuous improvement by its member
institutions
• Provide high quality training opportunities and accreditation
support services for institutions that enhance institutional and
student success.
• Promote the value and relevancy of ACCSC accreditation.
• Position ACCSC as a leading resource and solution provider on
accreditation, accountability, and education assessment and
oversight.
External Affairs
• NACIQI
• Negotiated Rulemaking
• Congressional Hearings
National Advisory Committee for
Institutional Quality and Integrity
• NACIQI provide recommendations to the Secretary of Education
regarding the federal recognition of accrediting agencies and
advises the Secretary of Education on matters related to
postsecondary accreditation
• Immediate Past Chair, of NACIQI Jamie Studley, has been named
Deputy Undersecretary of Education.
• December 2013 issues:
• ACCJC and CityCollege-San Francisco
• Council on Chiropractic Education – Six Hours of Third-Party Testimony
• Dr. Arthur Keiser, Everglades University / Southeastern Colleges elected ViceChair
• Remarks from Outgoing Under-Secretary of Education, Martha Kanter
Negotiated Rulemaking (NegReg):
Gainful Employment
•
The Department Rulemaking session on “gainful employment”
regulations ended without the department-appointed negotiators
reaching consensus on the proposed standards for vocational
programs at for-profit institutions and community colleges.
•
•
Dissent came from representatives of both the forprofit and consumer-group.
The Department will now submit their own final draft of the
regulations for a public comment period.
•
The Department is not bound by proposed language
•
Final Rule should be released early next year.
Negotiated Rulemaking (NegReg):
Program Integrity
On November 20, 2013, ED published a notice in the Federal Register
announcing its intent to establish a negotiated rulemaking committee
that will develop proposed regulations to strengthen the integrity and
improve the Title IV programs. Issues to be negotiated include:
• Cash management — including the use of debit cards and the
handling of Title IV credit balances
• State authorization for programs offered through distance
education or correspondence education
• Clock to credit hour conversion
• The definition of "adverse credit"' for borrowers in the Federal
Direct PLUS Loan Program
• The application of the repeat coursework provisions to graduate
and undergraduate programs
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions: From Hearing to Headline
December 12, 2013
Hearing:
• Full Committee Hearing - Accreditation as Quality
Assurance:
Meeting the Needs of 21st Century
Learning
Headline:
• Senators Say Accreditors Are Ineffective and Beset by
Conflicts of Interest
• Why do so few colleges lose accreditation each year?
• Are accreditors doing enough to ensure institutional quality and
accommodate innovation?
• What is the role of the federal government and should it be
more involved in the accrediting process?
Accreditation SPOTLIGHT
Federal Trade Commission
Notice from the Federal Trade Commission:
Guides for Private Vocational and Distance Education
Schools
The FTC completed its regulatory review of the Guides for Private Vocational and
Distance Education Schools which represent administrative interpretations of laws
such as requirements for advertising, promotion, marketing and sale of, and the
recruitment of students.
The adopted revisions highlighted in the Federal Register include:
§ 254.2 Deceptive trade or business names;
§ 254.3 Misrepresentation of extent or nature of Accreditation or Approval;
§ 254.4 Misrepresentation of facilities, services, qualifications of staff, status, and
employment prospects for students after training.
§ 254.5 Misrepresentations of enrollment qualifications or limitations; and
§ 254.6 Deceptive use of diplomas, degrees, or certificates.
•
A copy of the November 18, 2013 Federal Register Notice can be found by
clicking here.
• More information from the FTC on the Guides for Private Vocational and
Distance Education Schools can be found by clicking here.
Member Services
• New Student Letter
ACCSC New Student Letter
As part of its continued focus on member services, ACCSC has issued
a New Student Letter that schools may download and distribute to
students upon acceptance and enrollment into their program of study.
The intent of the letter is:
• To provide an introduction to accreditation;
• To reinforce to new students that by attending an ACCSCaccredited institution, they are attending an institution has
undergone a rigorous process to ensure the quality of the
education provided; and
• To enhance students’ understanding of the critical role that
accreditation serves.
ACCSC-accredited institutions are encouraged to incorporate this
letter with any existing orientation packet that is provided to new
students.
Commissioner Election /
Appointments
2013 / 2014 Commissioner Elections /
Appointments
During this nomination cycle, the ACCSC Nominating Committee is
charged with filling five (5) vacancies on the Commission to serve
the following terms:
•
•
•
•
•
1 Elected School Commissioner (4 year term)
1 Appointed School Commissioner (2 year term)
1 Appointed School Commissioner (4 year term)
1 Appointed Public Commissioner (2 year term)
1 Appointed Public Commissioner (4 year term)
Process Outline:
1.
Call for Comment for Appointees – December 2013
2.
Nominating Committee Meeting and Interviews - January 2014
3.
Commissioner Interviews of Appointees - February / March 2014
4.
Election in March / April 2014.
Online Member Forum:
Questions & Answers
ACCSC Webinar Series:
A Conversation with the Executive Director
December 17, 2013
Dr. Michale S. McComis
Christopher Lambert
Executive Director
Associate Executive Director