BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 2247 Page 1 Date of Hearing: May 7, 2014 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Mike Gatto, Chair AB 2247 (Williams) - As Amended: April 24, 2014 Policy Committee: Higher EducationVote:12-0 Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: Yes Reimbursable: Yes SUMMARY This bill requires all campuses of every public and private postsecondary education institution in California that receives state or federal financial aid funding to make available on the institution's website the following accreditation documents: the institution's self-study report, the accreditation team's final report, and the accreditation agency's final action letter. FISCAL EFFECT Any costs to the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges to post these documents would be minor and absorbable. Almost all campuses of the three segments already do so. COMMENTS 1) Background . Accreditation is a voluntary, non-governmental peer review process used to determine academic quality. Accrediting agencies are private organizations that establish operating standards for educational or professional institutions and programs, determine the extent to which the standards are met, and publicly announce their findings. Both accredited and unaccredited education and training programs are allowed to operate in California. However, only accredited institutions are authorized to participate in federal and state financial aid programs and private accredited institutions are provided a streamlined pathway to approval by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education AB 2247 Page 2 (BPPE). 2) Accreditation Documents . This bill would require the following documents to be posted on each accredited institution's website: a) Institutional Self-Study Report . At the outset of the initial and renewal accreditation process, faculty, staff, administrators, and students review the entire institution and document its strengths and weaknesses. The written report is submitted to the accrediting agency visiting team for review prior to their site visit. b) Visiting Team Report . Visiting teams are generally composed of faculty and administrators from the accrediting agency's member schools. Service is voluntary and done with the understanding that by helping another school in the accreditation process, such service will be reciprocated for the individual's own school. After the institutional review and site visit, a visiting team report is generated and provided to the accrediting commissioners to assist in the commission's decision to provide, continue, sanction or discontinue an institution's accreditation. c) Accrediting Agency Final Action Letter . Action letters are provided to an institution from the accrediting agency memorializing the agency's decision/action regarding the institution's accreditation status. 3) Purpose . According to the author, California relies heavily on accrediting agencies to ensure that colleges and universities are providing quality educational programs for students. By obtaining accreditation, private (including for-profit) institutions are guaranteed the ability to operate in California, and both public and private institutions are provided access to billions of dollars in state and federal financial aid funding. The state's ability to monitor the work of accrediting agencies themselves is virtually nonexistent. Given that accredited institutions are able to access billions of dollars in state and federal financial aid, this bill seeks to ensure a basic level of transparency in the accreditation process by providing public access to the substance of accreditation reviews. AB 2247 Page 3 4) Opposition . The University of Phoenix (UOPX) argues the bill fits a one-size-fits all approach, based on the standards of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), regardless of whether an institution is accredited by WASC, another regional accreditor, or a national accreditor. UOPX is opposed to posting self-study and team visiting reports, especially those written with the expectation of privacy. Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081