[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 114 (Tuesday, June 13, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37123-37125]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-14876]
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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 whose applications to the
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Secretary for initial or renewed recognition will be reviewed at the
Advisory Committee meeting to be held on December 11-13, 2000. The
notice also invites written comments on agencies submitting interim
reports that will be reviewed at the December meeting.
Where Should I Submit My Comments?
Please submit your written comments by July 28, 2000 to Karen
Kershenstein, Director, Accreditation and State Liaison. You may
contact her at the U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW, 7th
Floor, Room 7105, Washington, DC 20006-8509, 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. 1011. 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. The Criteria are
regulations found in 34 CFR Part 602 (for accrediting agencies) and in
34 CFR Part 603 (for State approval agencies).
We will also include your comments in the staff analyses we present
to the Advisory Committee at its December 2000 meeting. Therefore, in
order for us to give full consideration to your comments, it is
important that we receive them by July 28, 2000. In all instances, your
comments about agencies seeking initial or continued recognition must
relate to the Criteria for the 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 as
complaints. 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. We will also notify the commentors of the disposition of
those comments.
What Agencies Are on the Agenda for 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 December 2000 meeting of the
Advisory Committee:
Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies
Petition for Initial Recognition
1. Midwifery Education Accreditation Commission (Requested scope of
recognition: the accreditation and preaccreditation of direct-entry
(non-nurse) midwifery certificate and undergraduate and graduate degree
educational programs and institutions offering those types of programs)
2. Teacher Education Accreditation Council (Requested scope of
recognition: the accreditation of professional education programs in
institutions offering baccalaureate and graduate degrees for the
preparation of teachers and other professional personnel for elementary
and secondary schools)
Petitions for Renewal of Recognition
1. American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Commission
on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (Current
scope of recognition: the accreditation of clinical training programs
in marriage and family therapy at the master's, doctoral, and
postgraduate levels. Requested scope of recognition: the current scope
of recognition plus the preaccreditation of clinical training programs
in marriage and family therapy at the master's, doctoral, and
postgraduate levels [''Candidacy''] of programs)
2. American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal
Education and Admissions to the Bar (Requested scope of recognition:
the accreditation of programs in legal education that lead to the first
professional degree in law, as well as freestanding law schools
offering such programs)
3. Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
(Requested scope of recognition: the accreditation of first-
professional master's degree and professional master's level
certificate and diploma programs in acupuncture and Oriental medicine)
4. Accrediting Commission on Education for Health Services
Administration (Requested scope of recognition: the accreditation of
graduate programs in health services administration)
5. American Osteopathic Association, Bureau of Professional
Education (Requested scope of recognition: the accreditation and
preaccreditation [''Provisional Accreditation''] of freestanding
institutions of osteopathic medicine and programs leading to the degree
of Doctor of Osteopathy or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine)
6. American Podiatric Medical Association, Council on Podiatric
Medical Education (Requested scope of recognition: the accreditation
and preaccreditation [''Candidate Status''] of freestanding colleges of
podiatric medicine and programs of podiatric medicine, including first
professional programs leading to the degree of Doctor of Podiatric
Medicine)
7. Council on Occupational Education (Requested scope of
recognition: the accreditation and preaccreditation [''Candidate for
Accreditation''] of non-degree granting postsecondary occupational/
vocational institutions and those postsecondary occupational/vocational
education institutions that grant the applied associate degree in
specific vocational/occupational fields)
8. National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
(Requested scope of recognition: the accreditation of professional
education units providing baccalaureate and graduate degree programs
for the preparation of teachers and other professional personnel for
elementary and secondary schools)
9. New York State Board of Regents (Current scope of recognition:
the accreditation [registration] of collegiate
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degree-granting programs or curricula offered by institutions of higher
education located in the State of New York and of credit-bearing
certificate and diploma programs offered by degree-granting
institutions of higher education located in the State of New York.
Requested scope of recognition: the preaccreditation and accreditation
of those degree-granting institutions in New York State that designate
the Board of Regents as their sole nationally recognized accrediting
agency or as their primary nationally recognized accrediting agency for
purposes of establishing eligibility for HEA Title IV funds)
10. North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Executive
Board of the Commission on Schools (Requested scope of recognition: the
accreditation and preaccreditation [''Candidate for Accreditation''] of
schools offering non-degree, postsecondary education in Arizona,
Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan,
Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio,
Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the
Navajo Nation.
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. Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc.
2. Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training
3. Accreditation Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of
Technology
4. Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc.
5. Association of Theological Schools in the United States and
Canada, Commission on Accrediting
6. Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education,
Commission on Accreditation
7. North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on
Institutions of Higher Education
8. New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on
Institutions of Higher Education
9. Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on
Colleges
10. Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting
Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
11. Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting
Commission for Schools
State Agencies Recognized for the Approval of Public Postsecondary
Vocational Education
Petition for Renewal of Recognition
1. Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
Interim Report
1. Missouri State Board of Education
State Agencies Recognized for the Approval of Nurse Education
Interim Report
1. Missouri State Board of Nursing
2. New Hampshire Board of Nursing
Where Can I Inspect Petitions and Third-Party Comments Before and
After the Meeting?
All petitions and interim reports, 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, 1990 K
Street, NW, 7th Floor, Room 7105, Washington, DC 20006-8509, telephone
(202) 219-7011 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday, until November 17, 2000. They will be available again
after the December 11-13 Advisory Committee meeting. It is preferred
that an appointment be made in advance of such inspection or copying.
Authority: 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2.
Dated: June 8, 2000.
A. Lee Fritschler,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 00-14876 Filed 6-12-00; 8:45 am]
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