| Publication Date: February 2003 FRPart: |
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Page Numbers: 6127-6128
Recognition of Accrediting Agencies, State Agencies for the Approval of Public Postsecondary Vocational Education, and State Agencies for the Approval of Nurse Education.
Posted on 02-06-2003
[Federal Register: February 6, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 25)]
[Notices]
[Page 6127-6128]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06fe03-40]
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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 June 9-10, 2003.
Where Should I Submit My Comments?
Please submit your written comments by March 24, 2003 to Carol
Griffiths, Chief, Accrediting Agency Evaluation, 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/offices/OPE/accreditation/index.html.
We will also include your comments with the staff analyses we present to the Advisory Committee
at its June 2003 meeting. Therefore, in order for us to give full
consideration to your comments, it is important that we receive them by
March 24, 2003. 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 that are encompassed
within the scope of recognition he grants to the agency. The following
agencies will be reviewed during the June 2003 meeting of the Advisory
Committee:
Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies
Petition for Initial Recognition
1. Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (Requested
scope of recognition: The accreditation of postsecondary English
language programs and institutions in the United States).
2. Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (Requested scope of
recognition: The accreditation and pre-accreditation throughout the
United States of graduate-level, four-year
[[Page 6128]]
naturopathic medical educational programs leading to the Doctor of
Naturopathic Medicine (N.D. or N.M.D.) or Doctor of Naturopathy (N.D.)
degree.
3. Teacher Education Accreditation Council (Requested scope of
recognition: The accreditation throughout the United States of
professional education programs in institutions offering baccalaureate
and graduate degrees for the preparation of teachers K-12)
Petitions for Renewal of Recognition
1. Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (Current
scope of recognition: The accreditation of Montessori teacher education
institutions and programs throughout the United States evaluated by the
following review committees: the American Montessori Society Review
Committee and the Independent Review Committee only.)
2. Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting
Commission for Schools (Current 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. Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges, Commission on
Accreditation
2. American Academy for Liberal Education
3. Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc., Accreditation
Commission
4. American Physical Therapy Association, Commission on
Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education
5. American Veterinary Medical Association, Council on Education
6. Distance Education and Training Council, Accrediting Commission
7. National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission Progress
Report: A report on the agency's implementation of its new
accreditation process.
1. Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting
Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities.
State Agencies Recognized for the Approval of Public Postsecondary
Vocational Education
Petition for Renewal of Recognition
1. Missouri State Board of Education
State Agencies Recognized for the Approval of Nurse Education
Petition for Renewal of Recognition
1. Missouri State Board of Nursing
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 May 16, 2003. They will
be available again after the June 9-10 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.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html
Authority: 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2
Dated: January 31, 2003.
Sally L. Stroup,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 03-2834 Filed 2-5-03; 8:45 am]