Accjc gone wild


Los Angeles Pierce College – ACCREDITATION REAFFIRMED (2013)



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Los Angeles Pierce College – ACCREDITATION REAFFIRMED (2013)


At the June 5-7, 2013 meeting of the ACCJC, the accreditation of Los Angeles Pierce College was reaffirmed. Despite being reaffirmed the ACCJC letter dated July 3, 2013 stated that “The Commission took action to reaffirm accreditation, with a requirement that the College complete a Follow-Up Report' by March 15, 2014. Reaffirmation is granted when an institution is found to substantially meet or exceed the Eligibility Requirements, Accreditation Standards, and Commission policies, but recommendations on a number of issues should be addressed. The Report should demonstrate that the institution has addressed the recommendations noted below, resolved the deficiencies, and now meets Eligibility Requirements and Accreditation Standards.” Given that the ACCJC has said that college must satisfy all requirements in order to be accredited, how is it that colleges do not meet this standard but remain fully accredited? I guess some colleges need not be fully in compliance and others must be.
The Recommendations cited in the letter from the ACCJC include:

Recommendation 1

In order to fully comply with the Standards, the College needs to review, update, and further integrate its various institutional plans, and formalize the integration among these plans as they contribute and align to an overarching institutional plan. (I.B.3)

Recommendation 2

In order to meet the Standard on student learning outcomes, the team recommends that the College thoroughly assess its student learning outcomes processes and make necessary modification to ensure authentic assessments, to demonstrate student achievement, and to provide for widespread institutional dialogue. (II.A.1.c; II.A.2.i)



Recommendation 3

In order to fully comply with the Standard, the College should fully develop, implement, and assess internal control mechanisms for the expenditures of grants and specified funds including the Associated Student Organization trust accounts and the Foundation to ensure these activities align with the mission and goals of the college. (III.D.2.d; III.D.2.e).”


The letter follows with the statement that “Los Angeles Pierce College must correct the deficiencies noted in recommendations above no later than March 15, 2015, or the Commission will be required to take adverse action.”
As in other letters, there is the disclaimer that “The recommendations contained in the External Evaluation Team Report represent the best advice of the peer evaluation team at the time of the visit, but may not describe all that is necessary to come into compliance.” And yet the two-year clock is running on the “best advice” as well as any unknown at this time compliance issues? This is just ridiculous.

San Diego Mesa College – ACCREDITATION REAFFIRMED (2011)

San Diego Mesa College is an example of a college that had its accreditation reaffirmed but still was required to resolve a list of “deficiencies.” It is also an example of a college that received full accreditation despite the conclusion of the Commission that it had not satisfied all of the policies of the Commission. The visiting team was led by now Community College Chancellor Brice Harris. The letter to the college was sent on January 31, 2011 and yet the Commission required that the college submit a Follow-up Report by March 15, 2011 that “must demonstrate and provide evidence that the institution has resolved the recommendations as noted below. The Commission stresses that the report should provide adequate evidence that the College has resolved the deficiencies noted in the recommendations. ”


The recommendations included:

Recommendation 1: In order to achieve a sustainable program review, planning and student learning outcomes process, the college should develop and implement an integrated process that links all components within program review and ensures that an integrated planning process directs resource allocation.

The team further recommends that the college:


  • develop measurable goals and objectives in order to integrate data on student achievement into the planning and resource allocation process;

  • develop an ongoing and systematic cycle that links program review, planning, resource allocation and re-evaluation based upon the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data;

  • demonstrate that the allocation of resources considers the needs and priorities of the college based upon its mission and goals;

  • demonstrate that resource allocation leads to the improvement of institutional effectiveness, and

  • communicate the results to appropriate constituencies once those results have been measured and analyzed”

Recommendation 3: The team recommends that the college improve communication concerning the process used for technology planning to all campus stakeholders, develop a method to engage non-users in technology and also secure stable funding sources for technology resources “

Recommendation 4: The team recommends that the college develop an adequate system for program review of Administrative Services which integrates planning and resource allocations and assures the linkage between program review and resource allocation.”



Fullerton College – REMOVE WARNING AND MOVE TO ACCREDITATION (2012)

The ACCJC meeting on June 6-8, 2012 removed Fullerton College’s Warning and reaffirmed accreditation. Even as the ACCJC approved accreditation it still found that “The Commission requires that a Follow-Up Report be submitted by March 15, 2013. The Follow-Up Report should demonstrate that the institution has addressed the recommendations noted below, resolved the deficiencies, and now meets Accreditation Standards.” I am not sure how the ACCJC decides to grant either accreditation or a sanction when the college still has recommendation and “deficiencies” to meet. Their action appears to violate 34 CFR 602.18.


The recommendations made in order to meet the standard or reach Proficiency level are:

  • Related to student learning outcomes and timeline. They are directed to “fully address Recommendation 5 of the previous visiting Team report, the Team recommends that the institution accelerate the identification and assessment of course and program-level student learning outcomes, and use the results to make improvements in courses and programs.”

  • that “the College fully implement and strengthen its institutional planning process to include: 1) reporting systematically on an agreed upon set of College wide critical indicators and measures that clearly assess the progress of College wide goals; 2) closing the planning loop by evaluating actions taken and then documenting future actions based on the evaluation results; 3) expanding efforts to engage all relevant constituents in a collaborative inquiry process that is facilitated by a broad range of College members; 4) building in mechanisms for regularly evaluating the effectiveness of planning processes; and 5) providing transparency in the institutional planning process by communicating clearly, broadly, and systematically, and by providing, structured, well-defined, opportunities for broad employee participation.”

Again one wonders how the above recommendations differ from other college’s recommendations which received less than full accreditation.





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