3.0.0 2111 2023-01-11T13:29:44Z 2023-01-11T13:29:44Z Senate S 2015-09-30 114 sshr00 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Senate Standing Referred to 2015-09-30T21:51:24Z 2015-09-30 sshr00 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Senate Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. IntroReferral 2015-09-30 Introduced in Senate IntroReferral 10000 9 Library of Congress B001267 Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO] Michael Bennet D CO N R000595 Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL] Marco Rubio R FL 2015-09-30 True Education Academic performance and assessments Education programs funding Higher education Performance measurement Student aid and college costs Student records Teaching, teachers, curricula Education 00 2015-09-30 Introduced in Senate 2016-06-29T16:58:31Z Higher Education Innovation Act

This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a voluntary, alternative accreditation system for higher education providers.

The Department of Education (ED) must establish a process for approving innovation authorizers to authorize institutions of higher education or other providers that: promote student success outcomes and cost-effectiveness, agree to outcome-based oversight and reporting requirements, meet performance metrics, and comply with other specified requirements.

To apply to be an authorizer, an entity must agree to publicly disclose certain data and submit to ED details regarding its:

  • experience and capabilities,
  • financial ability to meet the requirements,
  • authorization process,
  • educational or subject matter focus,
  • membership and relationship with industries and businesses, and
  • conflict of interest controls.

An authorizer must use performance metrics relating to student learning, completion, and benefit to the student and affordability. The minimum threshold for each metric must meet or exceed the 60th-percentile student outcome.

Providers authorized using this process are eligible for Pell Grant and other federal funding, subject to specified funding requirements and allocations. An authorizer must agree to pay ED at least 25% of the annual balance of student loans that are in default and held by current or former students of providers that the authorizer approved.

Providers that meet the requirements of both an innovation authorizer and a recognized accrediting agency may hold both the accreditation and authorization or select which entity to use.

The authority for the alternative authorization system expires five years after enactment of this bill.

]]> Higher Education Innovation Act Display Title Higher Education Innovation Act Official Title as Introduced A bill to establish an alternative, outcomes-based process for authorizing innovative, high-quality higher education providers to participate in programs under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Introduced in Senate IS Short Titles as Introduced Higher Education Innovation Act Introduced in Senate 2015-09-30T04:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-114s2111is/xml/BILLS-114s2111is.xml 2015-09-30 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.