Accreditation

Freedom to Choose

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges supported a change to Title 5 regulations on Accreditation in Resolution 2.01 S14 that would remove the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior College’s on accrediting California’s community colleges;

Student Learning Outcomes and Faculty Evaluation

Whereas, Standard III A.6 of the Accreditation Standards[1] adopted in June 2014 by the Accrediting Commission for Colleges and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) states,

The evaluation of faculty, academic administrators, and other personnel directly

responsible for student learning includes, as a component of that evaluation,

consideration of how these employees use the results of the assessment of learning

outcomes to improve teaching and learning;

Collaborative Response to Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges 2014 Draft Revised Standards

Whereas, The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) has released the draft accrediting standards for first reading in January 2014 and letter from Barbara Beno on March 18, 2014;

Whereas, The new standards propose changes related to the faculty role in various processes such as:

Explore Use of Simulated Accreditation Site Visits

Whereas, Preparing for accreditation site visits can be a complex process for most colleges;

Whereas, A possible resource for colleges to prepare for accreditation team visits is the use of simulated evaluation teams, a group of accreditation-knowledgeable faculty, administrators, and staff either from the college, other colleges in the same district, or outside colleges who visit the college and provide a simulated experience of an actual site visit; and

Modify Title 5 to Indicate that California Community Colleges Shall Be Accredited By a Federally Recognized Accrediting Agency

Whereas, California Code of Regulations, Title 5 §51016 currently requires that, “Each community college within a district shall be an accredited institution. The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges shall determine accreditation;”

Whereas, A basic criterion for participation in federal financial aid programs is that colleges be accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency, not one specific agency

Reinserting terms “Academic Senate” and “Curriculum” in Standard IV, Criterion A.4

Whereas, For more than 20 years, Title 5 §53200(b) has recognized academic senates as “organizations whose primary function is to make recommendations with respect to academic and professional matters”, including curriculum;

Whereas, The proposed revision to Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) Accreditation Standard IV, criterion A.4 (as of November 7, 2013) has completely eliminated any reference to academic senates and curriculum committees and has replaced it with the following wording:

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