Is the accreditation system “broken” as claimed by successive Secretaries of Education and some recent reports? This book addresses this question head-on, asking whether accreditation is indeed in need of radical reform, and whether the agencies’ authority should be curtailed; or whether in fact the changes now underway – that accrediting agencies contend ensure rigorous and consistent standards and degrees that are a reliable gauge of student attainment – are moving the academy and the nation in the right direction. In a sweeping and ambitious book, Paul Gaston deploys his knowledge and experience as a peer reviewer for three regional accrediting agencies, a former board member and chair of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors, and his involvement in the early stages of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, to go beyond the polemics to explore whether a strategy that builds on the emerging values and good practices can achieve the substantive and positive improvements the public is demanding.As an introduction for readers new to the debate, he provides a brief overview of the development of accreditation, its terminology, and structure, describing how it currently works, and what it has achieved; and offers insight into the proliferation of the missions of accreditation – as well as the multiplicity of stakeholders with an interest in its outcomes – to question whether the mandate of accreditation should, as some contend, be expanded, or particular missions reassigned or abandoned. This established, he undertakes a dispassionate analysis of the arguments and recommendations of critics and supporters of the current direction of accreditation to identify common ground and explore constructive ways forward, paying specific attention to current and potential reforms of the three sectors of higher education accreditation: the seven regional accrediting associations, the national accreditors, and programmatic, or “specialized” accreditation. The book concludes by outlining a comprehensive approach to reform. His proposal would preserve practices that already work well while advancing important changes that can be incrementally implemented. The result would be a higher education accreditation structure more cost effective, more efficient, more transparent and accountable, and more responsive to institutional and public needs.

In the book the editors bring together the expertise of different stakeholders to illustrate the complexities of the accreditation system and to map the critical issues that must be navigated goind forward

Beginning with the earliest efforts to regulate schools, the author reveals the rationale behind accountability and outlines the historical development of how US federal and state policies, accreditation practices, private-sector interests, and internal requirements have become so important to institutional success and survival

Accreditation at our nation's institutions of higher education has undergone dramatic changes in the past decade. Harland G. Bloland was an insider during the establishment of a new organization, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). This book chronicles his unique experiences with the players, processes, and history involved in CHEA's creation. Harland G. Bloland, in this new title from the American Council on Education (ACE)/Oryx Press Series on Higher Education, chronicles his rare, insider experiences with the players, processes, and history involved in creating the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Bloland was present at the meetings of the National Policy Board and the Presidents Work Group as they set the parameters for the creation of CHEA, the crucial entity that recognizes accrediting agencies for colleges and universities across the United States. Reviewing the past accrediting oversight of FRACHE, NCA, COPA, and CORPA, and then following the progress of CHEA through its first year and attending its board meetings, Bloland has constructed a unique, complete history of the accrediting process. Institution and organization creation theory, borrowed from the field of sociology, provided the basis for his research. His analysis concerning the obstacles and possibilities confronted by a new organization helps to characterize CHEA and previous accrediting organizations, and to answer the following questions: BL What is accreditation and why is it important? BL What is the social and political context within which CHEA was developed? BL What occurred in the process of creating CHEA? BL What roles do accreditation and CHEA play in American higher education? BL What were the issues that CHEA and accreditation faced in its infancy? BL What is the current state of CHEA and accreditation?

A behind-the-scenes look at how college and university accreditation affects your education—and the value of your degree. Accreditation is essential to colleges and universities. Without it, they are unable to participate in federal student aid programs or confer legitimate degrees. In Accreditation on the Edge, Susan D. Phillips and Kevin Kinser bring together the expertise of different stakeholders to illustrate the complexities of the accreditation system and to map the critical issues that must be navigated going forward. Accreditation can be seen both as an invaluable resource and as a barrier to needed reform. Presenting an array of different perspectives—from accreditors and institutions to policymakers and consumers—the book offers nuanced views on accreditation's importance to higher education and on the potential impact of proposed reforms. The contributors reveal that accreditation is currently on the edge of a policy precipice, as the needs of higher education and the interests of the many stakeholders may well outstrip its ability to perform. But, they argue, accreditation is also on the cutting edge of the transformation of higher education in the twenty-first century. Intended for policymakers, accreditors, institutional leaders, and scholars in higher education, Accreditation on the Edge offers a comprehensive analysis of the critical issues that accreditation reform needs to address if it is to serve the future of a fast-changing higher education environment. Contributors: Armand Alacbay, David A. Bergeron, Alana Dunagan, Judith S. Eaton, Peter T. Ewell, Madeleine F. Green, Thomas L. Harnisch, Michael B. Horn, Kevin Kinser, Edwin W. Koc, Paul J. LeBlanc, Sylvia Manning, Leah K. Matthews, Barmak Nassirian, Anne Neal, Audrey Peek, Susan D. Phillips, Mark Schneider, Jamienne S. Studley, Joseph Vibert

Co-published with “While assessment may feel to constituents like an activity of accountability simply for accreditors, it is most appropriate to approach assessment as an activity of accountability for students. Assessment results that improve institutional effectiveness, heighten student learning, and better align resources serve to make institutions stronger for the benefit of their students, and those results also serve the institution or program well during the holistic evaluation required through accreditation.” – from the foreword by Heather Perfetti, President of the Middle States Commission on Higher EducationColleges and universities struggle to understand precisely what is being asked for by accreditors, and this book answers that question by sharing examples of success reported by schools specifically recommended by accreditors. This compendium gathers examples of assessment practice in twenty-four higher education institutions: twenty-three in the U.S. and one in Australia. All institutions represented in this book were suggested by their accreditor as having an effective assessment approach in one or more of the following assessment focused areas: assessment in the disciplines, co-curricular, course/program/institutional assessment, equity and inclusion, general education, online learning, program review, scholarship of teaching and learning, student learning, or technology. These examples recommended by accrediting agencies makes this a unique contribution to the assessment literature.The book is organized in four parts. Part One is focused on student learning and assessment and includes ten chapters. The primary focus for Part Two is student learning assessment from a disciplinary perspective and includes four chapters. Part Three has a faculty engagement and assessment focus, and Part Four includes four chapters on institutional effectiveness and assessment, with a focus on strategic planning.This book is a publication of the Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education (AALHE), an organization of practitioners interested in using effective assessment practice to document and improve student learning.

This book is an informative resource on college accreditation today and explains how colleges and universities can manage the accreditation process successfully. Readers will learn the history of accreditation, and how effective management of accreditation can help internal revitalization and improve public respect for their institutions.