The House Education and Workforce Committee on Wednesday approved legislation on accreditation that is, in part, designed to put into effect President Donald Trump’s executive order on accreditation.
H.R. 4054, the Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act was sponsored by committee member Rep. Randy Fine (R-Florida) and introduced just five days before the committee markup.
The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) supports some elements of the bill. One positive aspect is that the bill should make it easier for institutions to undergo a substantive change process. The bill also would facilitate institutions switching accreditors without undergoing unnecessary approvals by the education secretary. This became an issue under the Biden administration.
However, AACC strongly opposes provisions in the legislation that would require accreditors to adopt specific standards related to student achievement outcomes. These have a level of specificity and direction that the federal government has never undertaken before.
In part, the bill would require accreditors to monitor the median price of a program versus “value-added earnings,” as defined in the bill. Labor market gains and loan repayment rates would also be required elements of reviews. Many of these concepts were included in the College Cost Reduction Act from last Congress, which formed the basis for this bill.
The legislation also would facilitate the addition of state and industry entities as accreditors and so would dramatically change that landscape. In the process, it could also change the dynamics of the longstanding Title IV program integrity “triad” of accreditation, state licensure and federal eligibility and certification.
The legislation also contains the curious language barring accrediting standards that “assess the roles (including actions or statements) of elected and appointed State and Federal officials and legislative bodies.”
The committee passed the bill along with six other bills and will surely attract greater scrutiny if it advances. It is likely to be brought to the House floor later this year. Companion legislation has not been offered in the Senate.
