[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 141 (Tuesday, July 25, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34511-34513]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-15561]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Postsecondary Education; Call for Written Third-Party 
Comments

AGENCY: Accreditation Group, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. 
Department of Education.

ACTION: Call for written third-party comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice provides information to members of the public on 
submitting written comments for accrediting agencies currently 
undergoing review for purposes of recognition by the U.S. Secretary of 
Education.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Herman Bounds, Director, Accreditation 
Group, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 
400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 6C115, Washington, DC 20202, telephone: 
(202) 453-7615, or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    NACIQI's Statutory Authority and Function: The National Advisory 
Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) is 
established under Section 114 of the Higher Education Act

[[Page 34512]]

of 1965, as amended (HEA), 20 U.S.C. 1011c. The NACIQI advises the 
Secretary of Education about:
     The establishment and enforcement of the criteria for 
recognition of accrediting agencies or associations under Subpart 2, 
Part H, Title IV of the HEA, as amended.
     The recognition of specific accrediting agencies or 
associations or a specific State public postsecondary vocational 
education or nurse education approval agency.
     The preparation and publication of the list of nationally 
recognized accrediting agencies and associations.
     The eligibility and certification process for institutions 
of higher education under Title IV of the HEA, together with 
recommendations for improvement in such process.
     The relationship between (1) accreditation of institutions 
of higher education and the certification and eligibility of such 
institutions, and (2) State licensing responsibilities with respect to 
such institutions.
     Any other advisory function relating to accreditation and 
institutional eligibility that the Secretary may prescribe.
This solicitation of third-party comments concerning the performance of 
accrediting agencies under review by the Secretary is required by Sec.  
496(n)(1)(A) of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended. 
These accrediting agencies will be on the agenda for the December 2017 
NACIQI meeting. The meeting date has not been determined, but will be 
announced in a separate Federal Register notice.
    Agencies Under Review and Evaluation: Below is a list of agencies 
currently undergoing review and evaluation by the Accreditation Group, 
including their current and requested scopes of recognition:
    Applications for Renewal of Recognition:
    1. Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc., Scope 
of Recognition: Accreditation of nursing education programs and 
schools, both postsecondary and higher degree, which offer a 
certificate, diploma, or a recognized professional degree including 
clinical doctorate, masters, baccalaureate, associate, diploma, and 
practical nursing programs in the United States and its territories, 
including those offered via distance education.
    2. Accrediting Commission for Midwifery Education, Scope of 
Recognition: The accreditation and pre-accreditation of basic 
certificate, basic graduate nurse-midwifery, direct entry midwifery, 
and pre-certification nurse-midwifery education programs, including 
those programs that offer distance education in the United States.
    3. American Physical Therapy Association, Commission on 
Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, Scope of Recognition: The 
accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidate for Accreditation'') in 
the United States of physical therapist education programs leading to 
the first professional degree at the master's or doctoral level and 
physical therapist assistant education programs at the associate degree 
level and for its accreditation of such programs offered via distance 
education.
    4. Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Scope of 
Recognition: The accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidacy 
status'') of institutions of higher education in Delaware, the District 
of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, 
and the U.S. Virgin Islands, including distance and correspondence 
education programs offered at those institutions.
    5. Higher Learning Commission, Scope of Recognition: The 
accreditation and preaccreditation (``Candidate for Accreditation'') of 
degree-granting institutions of higher education in Arizona, Arkansas, 
Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, 
Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South 
Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, including the tribal 
institutions and the accreditation of programs offered via distance 
education and correspondence education within these institutions. This 
recognition extends to the Institutional Actions Council jointly with 
the Board of Trustees of the Commission for decisions on cases for 
continued accreditation or reaffirmation, and continued candidacy, and 
to the Appeals Body jointly with the Board of Trustees of the 
Commission for decisions related to initial candidacy or accreditation 
or reaffirmation of accreditation.
    6. New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on 
Institutions of Higher Education, Scope of Recognition: The 
accreditation and pre-accreditation (``Candidacy status'') of 
institutions of higher education in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, 
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont that award bachelor's, 
master's, and/or doctoral degrees and associate degree-granting 
institutions in those states that include degrees in liberal arts or 
general studies among their offerings, including the accreditation of 
programs offered via distance education within these institutions.
    7. New York State Board of Regents, and the Commissioner of 
Education, Scope of Recognition: The accreditation of those degree-
granting institutions of higher education in New York that designate 
the agency as their sole or primary nationally recognized accrediting 
agency for purposes of establishing eligibility to participate in HEA 
programs including accreditation of programs offered via distance 
education within these institutions.
    8. Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Senior Colleges and 
University Commission, Scope of Recognition: The accreditation and 
preaccreditation (``Candidate for Accreditation'') of senior colleges 
and universities 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, including distance education programs 
offered at those institutions.
    Compliance Report:
    1. American Board of Funeral Service Education, Committee on 
Accreditation, Compliance report includes the following: (1) Findings 
identified in the March 10, 2016 letter from the senior Department 
official following the December 2015 NACIQI meeting available at: 
https://opeweb.ed.gov/aslweb/finalstaffreports.cfm, and (2) Review 
under 34 CFR 602.15(a)(6), 602.20(b), and 602.24(f)(2).
    Scope of recognition: The accreditation of institutions and 
programs within the United States awarding diplomas, associate degrees 
and bachelor's degrees in funeral service or mortuary science, 
including the accreditation of distance learning courses and programs 
offered by these programs and institutions.
    2. Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education, 
Compliance report includes the following: 1) Findings identified in the 
March 10, 2016 letter from the senior Department official following the 
December 2015 NACIQI meeting available at: https://opeweb.ed.gov/aslweb/finalstaffreports.cfm, and (2) Review under 34 CFR 602.17(f), 
602.19(b), and 602.20(b).
    Scope of recognition: The accreditation of Montessori teacher 
education institutions and programs throughout the United States, 
including those offered via distance education.
    3. Midwifery Education Accreditation Council, Compliance report 
includes the following: (1) Findings identified in the March 10, 2016 
letter from the senior Department official following the

[[Page 34513]]

December 2015 NACIQI meeting available at: https://opeweb.ed.gov/aslweb/finalstaffreports.cfm, and (2) Review under 34 CFR 602.19(b), 
602.20(a), and 602.20(b).
    Scope of recognition: The accreditation and pre-accreditation 
throughout the United States of direct-entry midwifery educational 
institutions and programs conferring degrees and certificates, 
including the accreditation of such programs offered via distance 
education.

Applications for Renewal of Recognition--State Agency for Nurse 
Education

    North Dakota Board of Nursing.

Compliance Report--State Agency for Nurse Education

    New York State Board of Regents, State Education Department, Office 
of the Professions, Nursing Education, Compliance report includes the 
following: (1) Findings identified in the March 10, 2016 letter from 
the senior Department official following the December 2015 NACIQI 
meeting available at: https://opeweb.ed.gov/aslweb/finalstaffreports.cfm, and (2) Review under 34 CFR 3d.

Compliance Report--State Agency for the Approval of Public 
Postsecondary Vocational Education

    Oklahoma Board of Career and Technology Education, Compliance 
report includes the following: (1) Findings identified in the March 10, 
2016 letter from the senior Department official following the December 
2015 NACIQI meeting available at: https://opeweb.ed.gov/aslweb/finalstaffreports.cfm, and (2) Review under 34 CFR 603.24(a)(1)(ii), 
603.24(a)(3)(ii)(A), 603.24(b)(1)(iii), 603.24(b)(1)(iv), 
603.24(b)(1)(v), 603.24(b)(1)(vi), 603.24(b)(1)(vii), 603.24(b)(2)(i), 
603.24(b)(2)(ii), 603.24(b)(2)(iii), 603.24(d)(1), 603.24(d)(2).
    Scope of Recognition: The approval of public postsecondary 
vocational education offered at institutions in the State of Oklahoma 
that are not under the jurisdiction of the Oklahoma State Regents of 
Higher Education, including the approval of public postsecondary 
vocational education offered via distance education.

Submission of Written Comments Regarding a Specific Accrediting Agency 
or State Approval Agency Under Review

    Written comments about the recognition of a specific accrediting or 
State agency must be received by August 13, 2017, in the 
[email protected] mailbox and include the subject line 
``Written Comments: (agency name).'' The email must include the 
name(s), title, organization/affiliation, mailing address, email 
address, and telephone number of the person(s) making the comment. 
Comments should be submitted as a Microsoft Word document or in a 
medium compatible with Microsoft Word (not a PDF file) that is attached 
to an electronic mail message (email) or provided in the body of an 
email message. Comments about an agency's recognition after review of a 
compliance report must relate to issues identified in the compliance 
report and the criteria for recognition cited in the senior Department 
official's letter that requested the report, or in the Secretary's 
appeal decision, if any. Comments about the renewal of an agency's 
recognition based on a review of the agency's petition must relate to 
its compliance with the Criteria for the Recognition of Accrediting 
Agencies, or the Criteria and Procedures for Recognition of State 
Agencies for Approval of Nurse Education as appropriate, which are 
available at http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html.
    Only material submitted by the deadline to the email address listed 
in this notice, and in accordance with these instructions, become part 
of the official record concerning agencies scheduled for review and are 
considered by the Department and NACIQI in their deliberations.
    Electronic Access to this Document: 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 via the Federal Digital System 
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well 
as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF, 
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the 
site. You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

    Authority:  20 U.S.C. 1011c.

Lynn B. Mahaffie,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning, Policy, and Innovation.
[FR Doc. 2017-15561 Filed 7-24-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P