FR Doc 04-16144
[Federal Register: July 16, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 136)]
[Notices]
[Page 42705-42707]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16jy04-54]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Recognition of Accrediting Agencies, State Agencies for the
Approval of Public Postsecondary Vocational Education, and State
Agencies for the Approval of Nurse Education
AGENCY: National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and
Integrity, Department of Education (The Advisory Committee).
What Is the Purpose of This Notice?
The purpose of this notice is to invite written comments on
accrediting agencies and State approval agencies whose applications to
the Secretary for initial or renewed recognition or whose interim
reports will be reviewed at the Advisory Committee meeting to be held
on December 13-15, 2004.
Where Should I Submit My Comments?
Please submit your written comments by August 30, 2004 to Ms. Carol
Griffiths, Accreditation and State Liaison. You may contact her at the
U.S. Department of Education, room 7105, MS 8509, 1990 K Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20006, telephone: (202) 219-7011. Individuals who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.
What Is the Authority for the Advisory Committee?
The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and
Integrity is established under Section 114 of the Higher Education Act
(HEA), as amended, 20 U.S.C. 1011c. One of the purposes of the Advisory
Committee is to advise the Secretary of Education on the recognition of
accrediting agencies and State approval agencies.
Will This Be My Only Opportunity To Submit Written Comments?
Yes, this notice announces the only opportunity you will have to
submit written comments. However, a subsequent Federal Register notice
will announce the meeting and invite individuals and/or groups to
submit requests to make oral presentations before the Advisory
Committee on the agencies that the Committee will review. That notice,
however, does not offer a second opportunity to submit written comment.
What Happens to the Comments That I Submit?
We will review your comments, in response to this notice, as part
of our evaluation of the agencies' compliance with the Secretary's
Criteria for Recognition of Accrediting Agencies and State Approval
Agencies. The Criteria are regulations found in 34 CFR Part 602 (for
accrediting agencies) and in 34 CFR Part 603 (for State approval
agencies) and are found at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred
.
We will also include your comments with the staff analyses we
present to the Advisory Committee at its December 2004 meeting.
Therefore, in order for us to give full consideration to your
[[Page 42706]]
comments, it is important that we receive them by August 30, 2004. In
all instances, your comments about agencies seeking initial or
continued recognition must relate to the Criteria for Recognition. In
addition, your comments for any agency whose interim report is
scheduled for review must relate to the issues raised and the Criteria
for Recognition cited in the Secretary's letter that requested the
interim report.
What Happens to Comments Received After the Deadline?
We will review any comments received after the deadline. If such
comments, upon investigation, reveal that the accrediting agency is not
acting in accordance with the Criteria for Recognition, we will take
action either before or after the meeting, as appropriate.
What Agencies Will the Advisory Committee Review at the Meeting?
The Secretary of Education recognizes accrediting agencies and
State approval agencies for public postsecondary vocational education
and nurse education if the Secretary determines that they meet the
Criteria for Recognition. Recognition means that the Secretary
considers the agency to be a reliable authority as to the quality of
education offered by institutions or programs it accredits that are
encompassed within the scope of recognition he grants to the agency.
Please note that the agencies listed below, which were originally
scheduled for review during the National Advisory Committee's June 2004
meeting, were deferred and will be reviewed at the December 2004
meeting.
Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools
American Academy for Liberal Education
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on
Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
National Association of Schools of Art and Design,
Commission on Accreditation
National Association of Schools of Dance, Commission on
Accreditation
National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on
Accreditation, Commission on Non-Degree-Granting Accreditation,
Commission on Community/Junior College Accreditation
National Association of Schools of Theatre, Commission on
Accreditation
New England Association of Schools and Colleges,
Commission on Institutions of Higher Education
New England Association of Schools and Colleges,
Commission on Technical and Career Institutions
Puerto Rico State Agency for the Approval of Public
Postsecondary Vocational, Technical Institutions and Programs
Any third-party written comments regarding these agencies that were
received by March 22, 2004, in accordance with the Federal Register
notice published on February 5, 2004, will become part of the official
record. Those comments will be considered by the National Advisory
Committee when it reviews the agencies at the December 2004 meeting.
The following agencies will be reviewed during the December 2004
meeting of the Advisory Committee:
Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies
Petitions for Renewal of Recognition
1. Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (Current scope of
recognition: The accreditation of private, postsecondary allied health
education institutions and institutions that offer predominantly allied
health programs, private medical assistant programs, and public and
private medical laboratory technician programs leading to the Associate
of Applied Science and the Associate of Occupational Science degrees.)
(Requested scope of recognition: The accreditation of private,
postsecondary institutions in the United States offering predominantly
allied health education programs and the programmatic accreditation of
allied health programs, leading to a certificate, diploma, or the
Associate of Applied Science and Associate of Occupational Science
degrees, including those offered via distance education.)
2. Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of
Technology (Current scope of recognition: The accreditation of private,
postsecondary, non-degree-granting institutions and degree-granting
institutions, including those granting associate and baccalaureate
degrees, that are predominantly organized to educate students for
occupational, trade and technical careers, and including institutions
that offer programs via distance education.) (Requested scope of
recognition: The accreditation of private, postsecondary, non-degree-
granting institutions and degree-granting institutions in the United
States, including those granting associate and baccalaureate degrees,
that are predominantly organized to educate students for occupational,
trade and technical careers, and including institutions that offer
programs via distance education.)
3. American Psychological Association, Committee on Accreditation
(Current and requested scope of recognition: The accreditation of
doctoral programs in clinical, counseling, school and combined
professional-scientific psychology; predoctoral internship programs in
professional psychology; and postdoctoral residency programs in
professional psychology.)
4. National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences
(Current scope of recognition: The accreditation of postsecondary
schools and departments of cosmetology arts and sciences and massage
therapy.) (Requested scope of recognition: The accreditation of
postsecondary schools and departments of cosmetology arts and sciences
and massage therapy in the United States.)
5. Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools,
Accreditation Commission (Current scope of recognition: The
accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidate'' status) of
postsecondary institutions that offer certificates, diplomas, and
associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees, including institutions
that offer distance education.) (Requested scope of recognition: The
accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidate'' status) of
postsecondary institutions in the United States that offer
certificates, diplomas, and associate, baccalaureate, and graduate
degrees, including institutions that offer distance education.)
6. Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting
Commission for Schools (Current and requested scope of recognition: the
accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidate for Accreditation'') of
adult and postsecondary schools that offer programs below the degree
level in California, Hawaii, the United States territories of Guam and
American Samoa, the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of
Micronesia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the
Republic of the Marshall Islands.)
Interim Reports (An interim report is a follow-up report on an
accrediting agency's compliance with specific criteria for recognition
that was requested by the Secretary when the Secretary granted renewed
recognition to the agency.)
1. American Academy for Liberal Education
2. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on
[[Page 42707]]
Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
3. Commission on English Language Program Accreditation
4. Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education,
Commission on Accreditation
5. National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on
Accreditation
6. National Association of Schools of Dance, Commission on
Accreditation
7. National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on
Accreditation, Commission on Non-Degree-Granting Accreditation,
Commission on Community/Junior College Accreditation
8. National Association of Schools of Theatre, Commission on
Accreditation
9. New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on
Institutions of Higher Education
10. New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on
Technical and Career Institutions
11. Teacher Education Accreditation Council, Accreditation
Committee
Progress Report: A report on the agency's experience with its new
method and system to assess its institutions' success with respect to
student achievement.
1. Distance Education and Training Council, Accrediting Commission
State Agencies Recognized for the Approval of Public Postsecondary
Vocational Education
Petitions for Renewal of Recognition
1. Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
2. Puerto Rico State Agency for the Approval of Public
Postsecondary Vocational, Technical Institutions and Programs
Interim Report
1. Missouri State Board of Education
Federal Agency Seeking Degree-Granting Authority
In accordance with the Federal policy governing the granting of
academic degrees by Federal agencies (approved by a letter from the
Director, Bureau of the Budget, to the Secretary, Health, Education,
and Welfare, dated December 23, 1954), the Secretary is required to
establish a review committee to advise the Secretary concerning any
legislation that may be proposed that would authorize the granting of
degrees by a Federal agency. The review committee forwards its
recommendation concerning a Federal agency's proposed degree-granting
authority to the Secretary, who then forwards the committee's
recommendation and the Secretary's recommendation to the Office of
Management and Budget for review and transmittal to the Congress. The
Secretary uses the Advisory Committee as the review committee required
for this purpose. Accordingly, the Advisory Committee will review the
following institution at this meeting:
Proposed Master's Degree-Granting Authority
1. National Defense University, Joint Forces Staff College, Joint
Advanced Warfighting School, Norfolk, VA (request to award a Master's
in Science (M.S.) degree in Joint Campaign Planning and Strategy)
Where Can I Inspect Petitions and Third-Party Comments Before and After
the Meeting?
All petitions and those third-party comments received in advance of
the meeting, will be available for public inspection and copying at the
U.S. Department of Education, room 7105, MS 8509, 1990 K Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20006, telephone (202) 219-7011 between the hours of 8
a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, until November 17, 2004. They
will be available again after the December 13-15 Advisory Committee
meeting. An appointment must be made in advance of such inspection or
copying.
How May I Obtain Electronic Access to This Document?
You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gpo/nara/index.html
.
Authority: 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2.
Dated: July 12, 2004.
Sally L. Stroup,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 04-16144 Filed 7-15-04; 8:45 am]
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