July 21, 2022
New ED Guidelines Make it Difficult for Colleges to Switch Accreditors
T Tuesday saw the release of guidance from the US Department of Education that may make it more challenging for colleges to switch accreditors and may conflict with the new Florida law that mandates that public colleges in the state switch accrediting agencies every accreditation cycle.
According to the guidelines, colleges must get the agency's approval before attempting to switch accreditors in order to avoid losing their eligibility for federal financial aid. In order to make sure that colleges aren't trying to evade oversight by switching agencies, the Education Department will consider a number of factors. This includes determining whether a facility faces sanctions from its current accreditor.
Cynthia Jackson-Hammond, president of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, said in an email that the Ed Department must be convinced that colleges are changing accreditors to improve their quality.
… Florida law will significantly burden colleges because they will need to hire extra personnel to meet the standards of one accreditor while also applying for another…
In her email, Jackson-Hammond wrote, "This is an additional requirement for institutions, making the process of potentially changing accreditors very time intensive."
The Ed Department referenced the Florida law in a blog post where it announced the guidance. The Ed Department warned state officials that the policy could jeopardise colleges' access to federal financial aid after lawmakers there passed the accreditation law earlier this year.
Jackson-Hammond has previously argued that the Florida law will significantly burden colleges because they will need to hire extra personnel to meet the standards of one accreditor while also applying for another. In a letter sent in March to Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, she warned that students might have to foot the bill.
The accreditation process for higher education was created in order to ensure that universities provide top-notch instruction, are financially secure, and undergo ongoing peer review. Sources claim that colleges that are not accredited by government agencies are not eligible to receive federal financial aid.
Accreditors, however, have long been accused of not exercising enough control. There are also many worries that colleges might use the tactic known as "accreditation shopping" to switch to lenient accreditors in order to avoid punishment for subpar student outcomes or a lack of educational resources.
The new Florida laws, and concerns over accreditation-shopping prompted the ED department to issue guidance. According to Antoinette Flores, a senior advisor in the agency's postsecondary education division, the Ed Department stated that its new policies are intended to prevent this kind of "race to the bottom."
Speaking on the matter, Shelbe Klebs, an education policy advisor at Third Way, a left-leaning think tank said that after the new ED guidance came into place, it will now be challenging for Florida to implement its accreditation law, said.
Posted in News and tagged News, Florida, US Department of Education, Council for Higher Education Accreditation, Federal Financial Aid, Accreditation Shopping
Bookmark the Permalink
