| Educational Accreditation |
Article Index for Educational |
Website Links For Educational |
Information AboutEducational Accreditation |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT EDUCATIONAL ACCREDITATION | |
| school accreditors | |
| unaccredited institutions of higher learning | |
| evaluation methods | |
| educational assessment and evaluation | |
| quality assurance | |
|
In most countries in the world, the function of accreditation for educational institutions is conducted by a government ministry of education. In the United States , however, educational accreditation is performed by private Nonprofit membership associations. ACCREDITATION IN THE UNITED STATES When discussing accreditation in the United States , it is important that the concept of accreditation not be confused with the authority to operate. The authority to operate a school in the U.S. is granted by each of the states individually. The U.S. is a federal republic, and the federal government possesses only specific limited powers with all others reserved to the states (pursuant to the Tenth Amendment To The United States Constitution ). Therefore, the authority of the U.S. Department Of Education does not extend to authorizing schools to operate, to enroll students, or to award degrees. In addition, the U.S. Department of Education is not responsible for accreditation of institutions. The Council For Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) oversees accrediting agencies for institutions of Higher Education and provides guidelines as well as resources and relevant data. CHEA website In the United States the accreditation of schools has long been established as a Peer Review process coordinated by accreditation commissions and the members. The federal government began to take a limited role in accreditation in 1952 with reauthorization of the GI Bill for Korean War Veteran s. The original GI Bill legislation had stimulated establishment of new colleges and universities, including some of dubious quality, creating a perceived need for a federal quality review process for higher education institutions. Instead, the 1952 legislation designated the existing peer review process as the basis for measuring institutional quality; GI Bill eligibility was limited to students enrolled at accredited institutions included on a list of federally recognized accredited institutions published by the U.S. Commissioner of Education. Recognition of Accreditation Organizations: A Comparison of Policy & Practice of Voluntary Accreditation and The United States Department of Education , CHEA, January 1998. Over time federal recognition criteria became more elaborate and the government assumed an increasing role in the process, but the process still relies on private accreditation organizations. As the U.S. Department of Education officially states U.S. Department of Education, Accreditation in the United States , it does not accredit schools. Instead, accreditation commissions are formed, funded, and operated by their members to create an academic community that is self-regulating. With the advent of the U.S. Department of Education and under the terms of the Higher Education Act Of 1965 , as amended, the U.S. Secretary Of Education is required by law to publish a list of Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies that the Secretary determines to be reliable authorities as to the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education and the higher education programs they accredit. The federal government makes no distinction between accreditation bodies, giving all equal standing. There is no similar federal government list of recognized accreditation agencies for primary and secondary schools. There is wide variation among the individual states in the requirements applied to non-public primary and secondary schools.U.S. Department of Education, State Regulation of Private Schools , June 2000. Regional accreditors There are six Regional Accreditors . They include among their membership nearly all elementary schools, junior high schools, middle schools, high schools, community colleges, public universities, and private universities. National accreditors There are 52 recognized national accrediting bodies. Accreditation Search from the United States Department Of Education The national accreditors include a variety of religious, professional, and vocational accreditors, and get their name from their common policy of accrediting schools nationwide or even worldwide. Requirements for accreditation vary from each national accreditor according to the specialty. In general terms, the national accreditors may be divided into those that accredit academic programs leading to a degree, those that accredit vocational programs leading to preparation for a career, and those that offer specialized and professional accreditation as an add-on to other accreditation. The major national accreditors for academic programs include the Distance Education And Training Council (DETC) for distance learning institutions, and the Accrediting Council For Independent Colleges And Schools . Accreditation bodies for institutions that focus on developing career-oriented skills include the Accrediting Commission Of Career Schools And Colleges Of Technology (ACCSCT), Accrediting Council For Continuing Education And Training , and Council On Occupational Education . Of the specialized and professional accreditors, the more visible include the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation, the American Bar Association (whose accreditation is a prerequisite to sitting for the bar exam in the vast majority of states, with the most notable exception being California ), the Association Of American Medical Colleges for medical schools, The Association To Advance Collegiate Schools Of Business for business schools, the American Veterinary Medical Association for schools of Veterinary Medicine , and the Accreditation Board For Engineering And Technology for engineering schools. Religious schools may seek regional accreditation or a secular national accreditation, or they have the option of four different specialized agencies, which include Association Of Advanced Rabbinical And Talmudic Schools (AARTS), Association Of Theological Schools In The United States And Canada (ATS), Association For Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), and Transnational Association Of Christian Colleges And Schools (TRACS). These groups specialize in accrediting theological and religious schools including Seminaries and graduate schools of theology, as well as broader-scope universities that teach from a religious viewpoint and may require students and/or faculty to subscribe to a Statement of Faith. The remainder of the accrediting organizations are formed by groups of professional, vocational, or trade schools whose programs are industry/profession specific and at times can require technical oversight not provided by the broader accrediting organizations (i.e. the Commission On Opticianry Accreditation , the Accreditation Council For Pharmacy Education ). Regional v. National Accreditation Regionally accredited schools are predominantly academically oriented, non-profit institutions. Nationally accredited schools are predominantly for-profit and offer vocational, career or technical programs. Every college has the right to set standards and refuse to accept transfer credits. However, if a student has gone to a nationally accredited school it may be particularly difficult to transfer credits (or even credit for a degree earned) if he or she then applies to a regionally accredited college. Some regionally accredited colleges have general policies against accepting any credits from nationally accredited schools, others are reluctant to because they feel that these schools' academic standards are lower than their own or they are unfamiliar with the particular school. The student who is planning to attend a regionally accredited school after studying at a nationally accredited one should examine the transfer policies of the regionally accredited school he or she intends to transfer credits to before she enrolls in the nationally accredited school. ''Demanding Credit'', Inside Higher Education website, dated Oct. 19, 2005 by Scott Jaschik ''Tussling Over Transfer of Credit'', Inside Higher Education website, February 26, 2007 by Doug Lederman ''Types of Accreditation'', Education USA website ''What is the Difference Between Regional and National Accreditation'', Yahoo! Education website There have been lawsuits regarding nationally accredited schools who led prospective students to believe that the would have no problem transferring their credits to regionally accredited schools, most notably Florida Metropolitan University and Crown College, Tacoma Washington.[http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=crown24m&date=20060224&query=%22University+of+Washington%22 ''Student Takes on College and Wins'', Seattle Times, February 24, 2006 by Emily Heffter and Nick Perry] ''Bad Education'' Orlando Weekly, April 14, 2005, by Jeffrey C. Billman ''A Battle Over Standards At For-Profit Colleges'', Wall Street Journal, October 3, 2005 by John Hechinger Unaccredited institutions Despite the widely recognized benefits and accountability of accreditation, some institutions choose, for various reasons, not to participate in an accreditation process. According to the United States Department of Education, it is possible for postsecondary educational institutions and programs to elect not to seek accreditation but nevertheless provide a quality postsecondary education. United States Department of Education. Diploma Mills and Accreditation (accessed 15 Sept 2006) Yet, other unaccredited schools simply award degrees and diploma without merit for a price. Some religious schools claim that accreditation could interfere with their mission or philosophy even though organizations do exist specifically to accredit religious institutions without compromising their doctrinal statements.Christian Liberty Academy School System. (n.d) What Is CLASS - Accreditation Some states, such as California, allow exemption from accreditation for religious schools. Thus, occasionally , have had their accreditation status revoked after failing to meet minimum requirements. An ongoing problem within higher education accreditation is the existence of Diploma Mills and Accreditation Mill s. These organizations exist to grant apparent degrees without course work to give a willing buyer a degree for money. Sometimes both the buyer and seller know this or a potential student is not aware of the fraud. In some cases a diploma mills and/or its "accreditor" is Unrecognized and exists only at a Post Office Box or Web Page owned by the proprietor of the school. Accreditation of certification bodies Organizations which certify third parties against many official standards are themselves formally accredited by the standards bodies, hence they are sometimes known as "accredited certification bodies". {Link without Title} The accreditation process ensures that their certification practices are acceptable i.e. they are competent to test and certify third parties, behave ethically, employ suitable quality assurance and other measures etc. Examples include accredited test laboratories and certification specialists that are permitted to issue official certificates of compliance with physical, chemical, forensic, quality, security or other standards. {Link without Title} Without accreditation, anyone would be able to issue certificates and bad practices or incompetence might discredit the certification process as a whole. The flip side, of course, is that accreditation and formal processes incur additional costs. Legal considerations In the , a crime of fraud that could warrant five years in prison and a $10,000 fine." Oregon has a procedure in which unaccredited schools can apply for authorization from the state, which maintains a list of approved and exempt unaccredited schools which are permitted there. An Oregonian wishing to use an unaccredited degree not approved by the state must make it clear that the school is not accredited.[http://www.osac.state.or.us/oda/unaccredited.html Some state laws allow authorities to shut down large illegal operations of unaccredited schools or '' 25 November 2005 In 1998, Tyndale Theological Seminary was fined $173,000 for issuing degrees as a seminary without a license. {Link without Title} ACCREDITATION OUTSIDE THE U.S. In much of the world, institutions of higher education are authorized to operate by the government, typically through a Ministry of Education (MOE). The MOE is responsible for ensuring the institutions meet government standards, so in a sense the government serves as an accreditation body, too. For example, in Australia, higher education providers generally need approval of the federal or state governments (or a non-government body to whom this power has been delegated), or an Act of Parliament, depending on the nature of the institution. Germany An accreditation system has been introduced while introducing a bachelor/master schema for higher education in Germany. Within the so-called Bologna Process a foundation was set up by the education ministers of the States Of Germany to offer a central, unified accredition process. India Accreditation is compulsory for all universities in explains, "the right of conferring or granting degrees shall be exercised only by a University established or incorporated by or under a Central Act, or a State Act, or an Institution deemed to be University or an institution specially empowered by an Act of the Parliament to confer or grant degrees. Thus, any institution which has not been created by an enactment of Parliament or a State Legislature or has not been granted the status of a Deemed to be University, is not entitled to award a degree." {Link without Title} Accreditation for higher learning is overseen by autonomous institutions established by the University Grants Commission {Link without Title} : Ireland Legitimate higher education qualifications in Ireland are placed on, or formally aligned, with the National Framework of Qualifications. This framework was established by the National Qualifications Authority Of Ireland in accordance with the Qualifications (Education and Training) Act (1999). It is illegal under the Univeristies Act (1997) for any body offering higher education services to use the term "university" without the permission of the Minister for Education and Science. It is likewise illegal under the Institutes of Technologies Acts (1992-2006)to use the term "institute of technology" or "regional technology college" without permission. Malaysia Accreditation by the National Accreditation Board (''Lembaga Akreditasi Negara'') {Link without Title} , a statutory body created through an act of Parliament, is required for certificates, diplomas and degrees granted by private higher educational institutions (defined as institutions providing tertiary or Post-secondary education) under the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996 and the Lembaga Akreditasi Negara Act 1996. Prior to the enactment of these legislations, no specific framework for accreditation existed and institutions only required a valid registration status from the Ministry Of Education of Malaysia. Accreditation is granted to individual academic programmes rather than to institutions and three courses are required for all academic programmes in order to be eligible for accreditation consideration; Bahasa Melayu (Malay Language), Malaysian Studies, and Islamic Studies or Moral Studies (the former being compulsory for Muslims and the latter for non-Muslims). Russia In Russia accreditation/ national recognition is directly overseen by the international regulations to ensure Russian institutions and international institutions meet high quality standards. It is illegal for a school to operate without government approval. South Korea It is illegal to falsely claim a degree in South Korea if it does not meet accredited approval. For example, in March of 2006 prosecutors in Seoul "broken up a crime ring selling bogus music diplomas from Russia, which helped many land university jobs and seats in orchestras." {Link without Title} People who falsely used these degrees were criminally charged. United Kingdom In the UK it is illegal to offer a qualification that is or might seem to be UK degree unless the awarding body is recognised by the Secretary of State, a Royal Charter or Act of Parliament to grant degrees.The Education Reform Act 1988, section 214 (Unrecognised degrees) Prosecutions under the Education Reform Act are rare, as many Unaccredited Awarding Bodies are based outside UK jurisdiction. It is also worth noting in this context that the Business Names Act 1985 made it an offence for any business in the UK to use the word "university" in its name without the formal approval of the Privy Council .Evidence given by Charles Clarke , then Secretary Of State For Education And Skills MP , to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education and Skills, 7 July 2004 [http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmeduski/168/4070702.htm Private higher (HE) and further education (FE) institutions (here distinguished from the qualifications that they offer) are unregulated, but may choose to become accredited by various non-regulatory bodies such as the British Accreditation Council or the British Council in order to demonstrate third-party assessment of the quality of education they offer. The Universities Funding Council, and Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council established in the UK under the 1988 Education Reform Act 1988 Education Reform Act sections 132 and 133 have responsibility for the public funding of the FE and HE sector. Prosecutions under legislation other than the Education Reform Act 1988 do occur. In 2004 Thames Valley College in London was prosecuted under the Trade Descriptions Act for offering degrees from the 'University of North America', a Limited Liability Company set up by themselves in the US with no academic staff and no premises other than a mail forwarding service.Alex Thompson, 2004. College fined £1,000. ''East End Life'' 29/11/04, Tower Hamlets Council. Google cache SEE ALSO
REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS Accreditation resources
|
|
|