Structure of Accreditation
June 8, 2016

According to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), “Accreditation is a process used by higher education to evaluate colleges, universities, and educational programs for quality and to assess their efforts toward continuous quality improvement.” The accreditation is performed by private, not-for-profit organizations whose sole purpose is to conduct external quality reviews. There are regional accrediting organizations in the United States that manage six different regions of the country. “These organizations review degree-granting nonprofit and for-profit institutions within their regions, both two-year and four-year schools” (www.wiche.edu), and accredit colleges and universities that operate in both traditional and non-traditional settings. The Top 10 online college’s website states that these organizations are charged with an important responsibility, which is “Accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission helps standardize the education a student receives at any college that has successfully undergone the accreditation process”. Without this process, many schools and colleges would not offer equal opportunity and would typically be run for the purposes of making money rather than educating students.
The purpose of regional accreditation is to ensure that an institution’s academic program meets acceptable levels of quality (CHEA). Schools must be accredited by a federally recognized accrediting agency in order for them to participate in offering federal financial aid to students. It is also a requirement of many employers that an employee must attend a school that has full accreditation in order to receive tuition assistance or reimbursement. It is equally important for students to consider attending a school that is accredited because in the event that it becomes necessary to transfer credits to another institution, regionally accredited colleges and universities typically accept credits only from other regionally accredited institutional. Each institution may accept credit, however, when a student transfers from a non-accredited institution, it is up to the school whether they will accept some or all of the previous college credits. The intent of this assignment is to review accreditation standards of two regional accrediting bodies in the US. The two that will be reviewed are The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) was established in 2001 and was tasked with the responsibility of accrediting post-secondary education institutions in the central US. This organization is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and they administer the accreditation of degree-granting colleges and universities in 19 Midwestern and South-Central states. “HLC grew out of the higher education division of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools” which was dissolved in 2014 (www.hlcommission.org). It is headed by a President and run in conjunction with a board of trustees. “The HLC works with state governments and the federal government to maintain institutional standards that ensure all schools accredited under the process provide an education that conforms to the levels agreed upon in the accreditation process”(www.top10onlinecolleges.org/faq).
The WASC Senior College and University Commission was formed in 1962 and was “created to promote the development of higher education in the Western region when it took over and further formalized the work of its predecessor organization, the Western College Association” (www.wascsenior.org) . It began as 3 commissions, WASC Senior College and University Commission, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges and the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the three were merged to form one organization (www.wascsenior.org). This organization has jurisdiction of the US State of of California and Hawaii, as well as Guam, American Samoa, Northern Marianas Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, the Pacific Rim, East Asia and various areas of the pacific and East Asia. It is divided into three groups which cover all school levels including public, private and church-related as well as 2 year and 4 year institutions. In this organization, there is also a President and board of directors.
AGENCY REQUIREMENTS:
The HLC is charged with determining whether an institution is to be considered for candidacy through its Achieving Accreditation Process. There are only two ways that a college or university can be affiliated with HLC: “by gaining and maintaining accredited status, which carries membership in HLC, or by gaining and maintaining candidate status, which is a limited-term status. Both are voluntary and are initiated by the institution” (www.hlcommission.org). An institution that is new or changing is given pre-accreditation status. It develops an affiliation with the HLC but it not given full membership. During the candidacy process, which is a four year period ( and can be extended to five if necessary) the institution receives the benefit of having a connection with HLC and in return the school uses this time to develop into an accreditable organization.
There are two events that occur during the four- year candidacy process:
1. Assurance Review and On-Site Visit for Candidate Status- To attain candidacy, the institution completes an Assurance Review and submits any other required materials prior to the on-site visit. According to the HLC website,
“A visiting team of peer reviewers determines whether the institution meets all the Eligibility Requirements and the Assumed Practices and whether it has the capacity to meet the Criteria for Accreditation fully within the four-year anticipated Candidate status duration. The recommendation of the peer review team enters the decision-making process.
The Institutional Actions Council conducts a hearing to consider the report and recommendation of the peer review team. The Institutional Actions Council prepares a report indicating its agreement with the findings and recommendation of the team or may provide different findings or a different recommendation. The record is reviewed by the HLC's Board of Trustees, which then renders the final decision to award candidate status. “
2. Biennial Evaluation- Two years into the candidacy, the institution hosts a required on-site biennial evaluation to determine whether the institution is making process toward meeting accreditation requirement by the end of the candidacy period. An institution,
“…that has completed two years of candidacy may file an application for early initial accreditation and host an on-site visit for initial accreditation to evaluate the institution for this purpose. The institution will be limited to one application for early initial accreditation during the term of candidacy. If the institution applies for early initial accreditation the Board may grant it or may require the institution to complete the full term of candidacy” (www.hlcommission.org).
At the end of the four- year candidacy period, the institution will be reviewed for initial accreditation. This will be accomplished by an on-site review by an HLC peer review team, an Assurance Review, a hearing by the Institutional Actions Council, and the final decision made by the Board of Trustees.
The WASC practices a voluntary and non-governmental institutional accreditation and this feature is unique to the American education system (www.wascsenior.org). In other countries, it is the responsibility of the government to maintain educational standards. Institutions in the US are not required to seek accreditation; however, it behooves them to do so because of the many benefits being accredited offers. According to the WASC website,
“The WASC accreditation process aids institutions in developing and sustaining effective educational programs and assures the educational community, the general public, and other organizations that an accredited institution has met high standards of quality and effectiveness. The Commission accredits institutions, not individual programs. Therefore, in addition to assessing the academic quality and educational effectiveness of institutions, the Commission emphasizes institutional structures, processes, and resources.”
The commission membership in the WASC is a diverse group of individuals made up of three public members, a representative from the Pacific Basin, a representative from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, and a representative from the Accrediting Commission for Schools (www.wascsenior.org). They are nominated and elected by the CEO of accredited institutions and serve a three year term.
AGENCY CRITERIA:
The criteria for accreditation and core components are clarified and modified annually in February and June for the HLC. These core components and criteria for accreditation must be met either without concerns, which in this case, the school meets or exceeds component expectations or it meets expectations with concerns, meaning it demonstrates overall characteristics, however there were some performance aspects that need improvement. They have established that “the Criteria for Accreditation are the standards of quality by which the Commission determines whether an institution merits accreditation or reaffirmation of accreditation”. They are as follows:
1. Mission- The institution’s mission is clear and articulated publicly and it guides the institution’s operations
2. Integrity- The institution acts with integrity; its conduct is ethical and responsible.
3. Teaching and Learning- The institution provides high quality education, wherever and however its offerings are delivered.
4. Teaching and Learning The institution demonstrates responsibility for the quality of its educational programs and evaluates their effectiveness while promoting continuous improvement.
5. Resources, Planning and Institutional Effectiveness- The institutions’ resources, structures and processes are sufficient to fulfill its mission and including planning for the future.
The WASC commission’s goals are to:
1. “Promote instructional engagement in issues of educational effectiveness and student learning”(www.wascsenior.org)
2. “Develop a culture of evidence that informs decision making”(www.wascsenior.org)
3. “Foster active interchange among public and independent institutions” (www.wascsenior.org)
The website details commission actions for the past year but does not clearly describe the accreditation process. It does indicate that there is an Eligibility Review Committee which reviews applications from institutions that are seeking accreditation. The next step is an interim report which requires institutions to meet three times per year, via conference call, to answer or provide clarification regarding the institution’s accreditation process. There is also a substantive change committee and they were designed to evaluate the consistency of quality overall for institutional operations, both on campus and off campus and also through distance learning. The WASC website states that, “The concern for quality has grown as off-campus programs have crossed regional and international boundaries, technology-mediated learning has flourished, and more institutions are beginning to offer both professional and research doctorates.”

AGENCY EVALUATION: After accreditation, the HLC remains in constant contact with affiliated institutions to ensure quality higher education. This evaluation is archived by HLC requiring an interim report from the institution, tracking how the institution is progressing in managing any challenges they are faced with, there may be follow up visits or additional reports required. All affiliated institutions are required to complete HLC’s Institutional Update each year and this report provides the HLC with up-to-date information regarding the schools activities.
The HLC and WASC both provide written statement of expected learning outcomes. The HLC appears to be more thorough because they incorporate the use of peer review and focused visit and the agency criteria is very specific about its expectations.
Both organizations employ methods which use assessments to assist schools with selecting better qualified educators and providing educators access to resources they need to be better teachers and also to improve their teaching skills. The board and the members of the HLC, including the committee members and the appeals panels are varied by age, geographic location, gender, background and many other characteristics. They also serve in terms; this gives the board and the committees and opportunity to have new ideas on a continual basis.
Course and curriculum design is clearly detailed in the agency criteria for HLC. Criterion #3,4 and 5 (specifically the section on teaching and learning) is very thorough regarding goals the institution must set for student retention, learning outcomes, assessments to improve student learning and providing continual training and resources for faculty- especially in areas of ethics and diversity. “Regional Accreditation is a form of institutional accreditation that involves a comprehensive review of all institutional functions” (www.wascsenior.org). Institutions are not required but are encouraged to seek accreditation. The benefits of being accredited outweigh, by far, the disadvantages of not being accredited. There is a status that is achieved and institutions are held to a higher standard and many times receive more awards, recognition and financial support than institutions that are not accredited. There are six regional accrediting agencies and each uses a different approach, however all seek to achieve the same outcome: to raise the bar when it comes to teaching ensure and provide a high level of and learning by assuring students, parents and society that the programs offered within that institution are at or above satisfactory levels.

Works Cited:

www.wiche.edu (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education) www.hlcommission.org (Higher Learning Commission) https://www.wascsenior.org (WSCUC) www.chea.com (Council for Higher Education Accreditation)
http://www.top10onlinecolleges.org/faq/what-is-the-higher-learning-commission/