[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 136 (Friday, July 16, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42705-42707]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-16144]


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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 December 13-15, 2004.

Where Should I Submit My Comments?

    Please submit your written comments by August 30, 2004 to Ms. Carol 
Griffiths, 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/admins/finaid/accred.
    We will also include your comments with the staff analyses we 
present to the Advisory Committee at its December 2004 meeting. 
Therefore, in order for us to give full consideration to your

[[Page 42706]]

comments, it is important that we receive them by August 30, 2004. 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 it accredits that are 
encompassed within the scope of recognition he grants to the agency.
    Please note that the agencies listed below, which were originally 
scheduled for review during the National Advisory Committee's June 2004 
meeting, were deferred and will be reviewed at the December 2004 
meeting.
     Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools
     American Academy for Liberal Education
     American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on 
Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
     National Association of Schools of Art and Design, 
Commission on Accreditation
     National Association of Schools of Dance, Commission on 
Accreditation
     National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on 
Accreditation, Commission on Non-Degree-Granting Accreditation, 
Commission on Community/Junior College Accreditation
     National Association of Schools of Theatre, Commission on 
Accreditation
     New England Association of Schools and Colleges, 
Commission on Institutions of Higher Education
     New England Association of Schools and Colleges, 
Commission on Technical and Career Institutions
     Puerto Rico State Agency for the Approval of Public 
Postsecondary Vocational, Technical Institutions and Programs
    Any third-party written comments regarding these agencies that were 
received by March 22, 2004, in accordance with the Federal Register 
notice published on February 5, 2004, will become part of the official 
record. Those comments will be considered by the National Advisory 
Committee when it reviews the agencies at the December 2004 meeting.
    The following agencies will be reviewed during the December 2004 
meeting of the Advisory Committee:

Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies

Petitions for Renewal of Recognition

    1. Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (Current scope of 
recognition: The accreditation of private, postsecondary allied health 
education institutions and institutions that offer predominantly allied 
health programs, private medical assistant programs, and public and 
private medical laboratory technician programs leading to the Associate 
of Applied Science and the Associate of Occupational Science degrees.) 
(Requested scope of recognition: The accreditation of private, 
postsecondary institutions in the United States offering predominantly 
allied health education programs and the programmatic accreditation of 
allied health programs, leading to a certificate, diploma, or the 
Associate of Applied Science and Associate of Occupational Science 
degrees, including those offered via distance education.)
    2. Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of 
Technology (Current scope of recognition: The accreditation of private, 
postsecondary, non-degree-granting institutions and degree-granting 
institutions, including those granting associate and baccalaureate 
degrees, that are predominantly organized to educate students for 
occupational, trade and technical careers, and including institutions 
that offer programs via distance education.) (Requested scope of 
recognition: The accreditation of private, postsecondary, non-degree-
granting institutions and degree-granting institutions in the United 
States, including those granting associate and baccalaureate degrees, 
that are predominantly organized to educate students for occupational, 
trade and technical careers, and including institutions that offer 
programs via distance education.)
    3. American Psychological Association, Committee on Accreditation 
(Current and requested scope of recognition: The accreditation of 
doctoral programs in clinical, counseling, school and combined 
professional-scientific psychology; predoctoral internship programs in 
professional psychology; and postdoctoral residency programs in 
professional psychology.)
    4. National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences 
(Current scope of recognition: The accreditation of postsecondary 
schools and departments of cosmetology arts and sciences and massage 
therapy.) (Requested scope of recognition: The accreditation of 
postsecondary schools and departments of cosmetology arts and sciences 
and massage therapy in the United States.)
    5. Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, 
Accreditation Commission (Current scope of recognition: The 
accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidate'' status) of 
postsecondary institutions that offer certificates, diplomas, and 
associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees, including institutions 
that offer distance education.) (Requested scope of recognition: The 
accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidate'' status) of 
postsecondary institutions in the United States that offer 
certificates, diplomas, and associate, baccalaureate, and graduate 
degrees, including institutions that offer distance education.)
    6. Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting 
Commission for Schools (Current and requested 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. American Academy for Liberal Education
    2. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on

[[Page 42707]]

Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
    3. Commission on English Language Program Accreditation
    4. Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education, 
Commission on Accreditation
    5. National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on 
Accreditation
    6. National Association of Schools of Dance, Commission on 
Accreditation
    7. National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on 
Accreditation, Commission on Non-Degree-Granting Accreditation, 
Commission on Community/Junior College Accreditation
    8. National Association of Schools of Theatre, Commission on 
Accreditation
    9. New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on 
Institutions of Higher Education
    10. New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on 
Technical and Career Institutions
    11. Teacher Education Accreditation Council, Accreditation 
Committee
    Progress Report: A report on the agency's experience with its new 
method and system to assess its institutions' success with respect to 
student achievement.
    1. Distance Education and Training Council, Accrediting Commission

State Agencies Recognized for the Approval of Public Postsecondary 
Vocational Education

Petitions for Renewal of Recognition

    1. Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
    2. Puerto Rico State Agency for the Approval of Public 
Postsecondary Vocational, Technical Institutions and Programs

Interim Report

    1. Missouri State Board of Education

Federal Agency Seeking Degree-Granting Authority

    In accordance with the Federal policy governing the granting of 
academic degrees by Federal agencies (approved by a letter from the 
Director, Bureau of the Budget, to the Secretary, Health, Education, 
and Welfare, dated December 23, 1954), the Secretary is required to 
establish a review committee to advise the Secretary concerning any 
legislation that may be proposed that would authorize the granting of 
degrees by a Federal agency. The review committee forwards its 
recommendation concerning a Federal agency's proposed degree-granting 
authority to the Secretary, who then forwards the committee's 
recommendation and the Secretary's recommendation to the Office of 
Management and Budget for review and transmittal to the Congress. The 
Secretary uses the Advisory Committee as the review committee required 
for this purpose. Accordingly, the Advisory Committee will review the 
following institution at this meeting:

Proposed Master's Degree-Granting Authority

    1. National Defense University, Joint Forces Staff College, Joint 
Advanced Warfighting School, Norfolk, VA (request to award a Master's 
in Science (M.S.) degree in Joint Campaign Planning and Strategy)

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 November 17, 2004. They 
will be available again after the December 13-15 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.gpoaccess.gpo/nara/index.html.


    Authority: 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2.

    Dated: July 12, 2004.
Sally L. Stroup,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 04-16144 Filed 7-15-04; 8:45 am]
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