FR Doc 05-19695
[Federal Register: October 3, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 190)]
[Notices]
[Page 57570-57573]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03oc05-49]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and
Integrity (National Advisory Committee); Meeting
AGENCY: National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and
Integrity, Department of Education.
What Is the Purpose of This Notice?
The purpose of this notice is to announce the public meeting of the
National Advisory Committee and invite third-party oral presentations
before the Committee. This notice also presents the proposed agenda and
informs the public of its opportunity to attend this meeting. The
notice of this meeting is required under section 10(a)(2) of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act.
When and Where Will the Meeting Take Place?
We will hold the public meeting on Wednesday, December 7, 2005,
from 9:30 a.m. until approximately 5:15 p.m.;
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on Thursday, December 8, 2005, from 8:30 a.m. until approximately 5:15
p.m., and on Friday, December 9, 2005, from 8:30 a.m. until
approximately 12:30 p.m. in the Commonwealth Room at the DoubleTree
Hotel--Crystal City, 300 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA 22202. You may
call the hotel on (703) 416-4100 to inquire about rooms.
What Assistance Will Be Provided to Individuals With Disabilities?
The meeting site is accessible to individuals with disabilities. If
you will need an auxiliary aid or service to participate in the meeting
(e.g., interpreting service, assistive listening device, or materials
in an alternate format), notify the contact person listed in this
notice at least two weeks before the scheduled meeting date. Although
we will attempt to meet a request received after that date, we may not
be able to make available the requested auxiliary aid or service
because of insufficient time to arrange it.
Who Is the Contact Person for the Meeting?
Please contact Ms. Francesca Paris-Albertson, in the office of
Executive Director of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional
Quality and Integrity, if you have questions about the meeting. You may
contact her at the U.S. Department of Education, room 7107, 1990 K St.,
NW., Washington, DC 20006, telephone: (202) 502-7671, fax: (202) 219-
7008, e-mail: Francesca.Paris-Albertson@ed.gov.
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 National 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.
What Are the Functions of the National Advisory Committee?
The Committee advises the Secretary of Education about:
The establishment and enforcement of the Criteria for
Recognition of accrediting agencies or associations under subpart 2 of
part H of Title IV, HEA.
The recognition of specific accrediting agencies or
associations.
The preparation and publication of the list of nationally
recognized accrediting agencies and associations.
The eligibility and certification process for institutions
of higher education under Title IV, HEA.
The development of standards and criteria for specific
categories of vocational training institutions and institutions of
higher education for which there are no recognized accrediting
agencies, associations, or State agencies in order to establish the
interim eligibility of those institutions to participate in Federally
funded programs.
The relationship between: (1) Accreditation of
institutions of higher education and the certification and eligibility
of such institutions, and (2) State licensing responsibilities with
respect to such institutions.
Any other advisory functions relating to accreditation and
institutional eligibility that the Secretary may prescribe.
What Items Will be on the Agenda for Discussion at the Meeting?
Agenda topics will include the review of agencies that have
submitted petitions for renewal of recognition and/or an expansion of
an agency's scope of recognition, and the review of agencies that have
submitted an interim report or a progress report.
What Agencies Will the National Advisory Committee Review at the
Meeting?
The following agencies will be reviewed during the December 7-9,
2005 meeting of the National Advisory Committee:
Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies
Petition for an Expansion of the Scope of Recognition
1. 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 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.) (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, baccalaureate, and
master's degrees, that are predominantly organized to educate students
for occupational, trade and technical careers, and including
institutions that offer programs via distance education.)
Petitions for Renewal of Recognition
1. Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
(Current scope of recognition: The accreditation throughout the United
States of first-professional master's degree and professional master's
level certificate and diploma programs in acupuncture and Oriental
medicine, as well as freestanding institutions and colleges of
acupuncture or Oriental medicine that offer such programs.) (Requested
scope of recognition: The accreditation and preaccreditation throughout
the United States of first-professional Master's degree and
professional Master's level certificate and diploma programs in
acupuncture and Oriental medicine, as well as freestanding institutions
and colleges of acupuncture or Oriental medicine that offer such
programs.)
2. American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Commission
on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (Current and
requested scope of recognition: The accreditation and preaccreditation
(``Candidacy'') throughout the United States of clinical training
programs in marriage and family therapy at the master's, doctoral, and
postgraduate levels.)
3. American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal
Education and Admissions to the Bar (Current and requested scope of
recognition: The accreditation throughout the United States of programs
in legal education that lead to the first professional degree in law,
as well as freestanding law schools offering such programs.)
4. American Osteopathic Association, Commission on Osteopathic
College Accreditation (Current and requested scope of recognition: The
accreditation and preaccreditation (``Provisional Accreditation'')
throughout the United States of freestanding, public and private non-
profit institutions of osteopathic medicine and programs leading to the
degree of Doctor of Osteopathy or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.)
5. American Podiatric Medical Association, Council on Podiatric
Medical Education (Current and requested scope of recognition: The
accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidate Status'') throughout
the United States of freestanding colleges of podiatric medicine and
programs of podiatric medicine, including first professional programs
leading to the degree of Doctor of Podiatric Medicine.)
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6. Council on Occupational Education (Current scope of recognition:
The accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidacy status'')
throughout the United States of non-degree granting postsecondary
occupational/vocational institutions and those postsecondary
occupational/vocational education institutions that have state
authorization to grant the applied associate degree in specific
vocational/occupational fields.) (Requested scope of recognition: The
accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidacy status'') throughout
the United States of postsecondary occupational education institutions
offering non-degree and applied associate degree programs in specific
career and technical education fields, including institutions that
offer programs via distance education.)
Note: This requested scope of recognition differs from the
requested scope of recognition in the July 25, 2005 Federal Register
that invited written comments. The agency requested the revised
language to clarify the scope and replace the terms ``vocational/
occupational'' with ``career and technical.''
7. National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (Current
and requested scope of recognition: The accreditation throughout the
United States of professional education units providing baccalaureate
and graduate degree programs for the preparation of teachers and other
professional personnel for elementary and secondary schools.)
8. New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on
Technical and Career Institutions (Current and requested scope of
recognition: The accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidate
status'') of secondary institutions with vocational-technical programs
at the 13th and 14th grade level, postsecondary institutions, and
institutions of higher education that provide primarily vocational/
technical education at the certificate, associate, and baccalaureate
degree levels in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
Rhode Island, and Vermont. This recognition extends to the Board of
Trustees of the Association jointly with the Commission for decisions
involving preaccreditation, initial accreditation, and adverse
actions.)
Interim Report (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. Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools.
2. National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on
Accreditation.
3. National Association of Schools of Dance, Commission on
Accreditation.
4. National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on
Accreditation, Commission on Non-Degree-Granting Accreditation,
Commission on Community/Junior College Accreditation.
5. National Association of Schools of Theatre, Commission on
Accreditation.
6. North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School
Improvement, Board of Trustees.
7. North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, The Higher
Learning Commission.
8. New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on
Institutions of Higher Education.
9. Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting
Commission for Schools.
Progress Report (A report describing the agency's implementation of
its process for measuring success with respect to student achievement
in the institutions that it accredits.)
1. American Academy for Liberal Education.
State Agencies Recognized for the Approval of Public Postsecondary
Vocational Education
Interim Reports
1. Pennsylvania State Board for Vocational Education, Bureau of
Career and Technical Education.
2. Oklahoma Board of Career and Technology Education.
State Agency Recognized for the Approval of Nurse Education
Interim Report
1. Montana State Board of Nursing.
Who Can Make Third-Party Oral Presentations at This Meeting?
We invite you to make a third-party oral presentation before the
National Advisory Committee concerning the recognition of any agency
published in this notice.
How Do I Request To Make an Oral Presentation?
You must submit a written request to make an oral presentation
concerning an agency listed in this notice to the contact person so
that the request is received via mail, fax, or e-mail no later than
November 16, 2005. Your request (no more than 6 pages maximum) must
include:
1. The names, addresses, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail
addresses of all persons seeking an appearance,
2. The organization they represent, and
3. A brief summary of the principal points to be made during the
oral presentation.
If you wish, you may attach documents illustrating the main points
of your oral testimony. Please keep in mind, however, that any
attachments are included in the 6-page limit. Please do not send
materials directly to Committee members. Only materials submitted by
the deadline to the contact person listed in this notice and in
accordance with these instructions become part of the official record
and are considered by the Committee in its deliberations. Documents
received after the November 16, 2005 deadline will not be distributed
to the National Advisory Committee for their consideration. Individuals
making oral presentations may not distribute written materials at the
meeting.
If I Cannot Attend the Meeting, Can I Submit Written Comments Regarding
an Accrediting Agency in Lieu of Making an Oral Presentation?
This notice requests third-party oral testimony, not written
comment. Requests for written comments on agencies that are being
reviewed during this meeting were published in the Federal Register on
July 25, 2005. The National Advisory Committee will receive and
consider only written comments submitted by the deadline specified in
the above-referenced Federal Register notice.
How Do I Request To Present Comments Regarding General Issues Rather
Than Specific Accrediting Agencies?
At the conclusion of the meeting, the National Advisory Committee,
at its discretion, may invite attendees to address the Committee
briefly on issues pertaining to the functions of the Committee, which
are listed earlier in this notice. If you are interested in making such
comments, you should inform Ms. Paris-Albertson before or during the
meeting.
How May I Obtain Access to the Records of the Meeting?
We will record the meeting and make a transcript available for
public inspection at the U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K St., NW.,
Washington, DC 20006 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
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It is preferred that an appointment be made in advance of such
inspection.
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.gov/nara/index.html.
Authority: 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2.
Dated: September 27, 2005.
Sally L. Stroup,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 05-19695 Filed 9-30-05; 8:45 am]
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