BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 404 (Chiu) - Community colleges: accreditation.
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|Version: June 10, 2015 |Policy Vote: ED. 7 - 0 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: No |
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|Hearing Date: July 13, 2015 |Consultant: Jillian Kissee |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: This bill requires the California Community Colleges
(CCC) Board of Governors (Board) to conduct a survey of
community colleges, as specified, and to develop a report to be
transmitted to specified entities, that reflects a system-wide
evaluation of the regional accrediting agency.
Fiscal
Impact:
The California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office
indicates that this bill would require 0.5 position and
$55,000 General Fund.
Background: State regulations require each community college within a
district to be an accredited institution - with the Accrediting
Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) determining
accreditation. (Title 5 California Code of Regulations (CCR) §
51016)
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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.
Under federal law, the United States Department of Education
(USDE) establishes the general standards for accreditation
agencies and is required to publish a list of recognized
accrediting agencies that are deemed reliable authorities on the
quality of education provided by their accredited institutions.
After an initial accreditation, colleges must have their
accreditation reaffirmed every six years. In addition, colleges
must submit a midterm report every three years and annual
progress reports. The college or district may also have to
submit follow-up reports and host visits as required by the
accrediting agency. Follow-up reports and accreditation visits
are required to retain full accreditation. There are three
levels of sanctions prior to termination of accreditation:
Warning, Probation, and Show Cause.
Most recently the sanctions imposed on City College of San
Francisco have drawn attention to ACCJC and its accreditation
process which led to an audit conducted by the California State
Auditor. The audit raised some concerns about the ACCJC and the
accreditation process and made a series of recommendations to
address the identified concerns.
The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and
Integrity (NACIQI) advises the USDE on matters related to
postsecondary accreditation and the eligibility and
certification process for higher education institutions to
participate in federal student aid programs. The primary
function of the NACIQI is to provide recommendations to the U.S.
Secretary of Education concerning whether accrediting entities'
standards are sufficiently rigorous and effective in their
application to ensure the entity is a reliable authority
regarding the quality of the education provided by the
institutions or programs it accredits.
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According to the author, current law provides no mechanism for a
CCC system-wide performance review of the CCC's regional
accrediting body and providing the overseeing federal entities
with such a review increases accountability of the accrediting
agency and improves participation by CCC faculty and personnel
in the process.
Proposed Law:
This bill requires the Board to conduct a survey of the
community colleges, including consultation with representatives
of both faculty and classified personnel, and to develop a
report to be transmitted to the USDE and the NACIQI that
reflects a system-wide evaluation of the regional accrediting
agency based on the criteria used to determine an accreditor's
status.
This bill also requires the regional accrediting agency to
report to the Board after the NACIQI has notified the regional
accrediting agency of the date by which the agency's application
for continued recognition is due.
Related
Legislation: AB 1385 (Ting, 2015) requires notification to the
Board before an accrediting agency increases membership fees,
special assessments, or other payments charged to a community
college. AB 1385 is pending in the Senate Education Committee.
AB 1397 (Ting, 2015) requires the accrediting agency to meet
specified operational standards. AB 1397 is pending in Senate
Education Committee.
Staff
Comments: The California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office indicates
that this bill would require 0.5 position and $55,000 General
Fund. Workload would include survey development and
implementation; gathering and analyzing data; and completing the
report.
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