Texas Administrative Code
Title 19 - EDUCATION
Part 1 - TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD
Chapter 7 - DEGREE GRANTING COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES OTHER THAN TEXAS PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS
Subchapter A - GENERAL PROVISIONS
Section 7.6 - Recognition of Accrediting Agencies
Universal Citation: 19 TX Admin Code ยง 7.6
Current through Reg. 49, No. 38; September 20, 2024
(a) Eligibility Criteria--The Board may recognize accrediting agencies with a commitment to academic quality and student achievement that demonstrate, through an application process, compliance with the following criteria:
(1) Eligibility. The accrediting agency's
application for recognition must demonstrate that the entity:
(A) Is recognized by the Secretary of
Education of the United States Department of Education as an accrediting agency
authorized to accredit educational institutions that offer the associate degree
or higher. Demonstration of authorization shall include clear description of
the scope of recognized accreditation.
(B) Is applying for the same scope of
recognition as that for which it is recognized by the Secretary of Education of
the United States Department of Education:
(i) Using the U.S. Department of Education
classification of instructional programs (CIP) code at the two-digit level, the
applicant shall identify all fields of study in which institutions it accredits
may offer degree programs.
(ii)
Accrediting agencies shall, for each field of study in which an accredited
institution may offer degree programs, specify the levels of degrees that may
be awarded. Levels must be differentiated at least to the following, as defined
in §
7.3 of
this chapter (relating to Definitions): applied associate degree, academic
associate degree, baccalaureate degree, master's degree, first professional
degree and doctoral degree. Associate of occupational studies (AOS) degrees are
only allowed under §
7.5(c)
of this chapter (relating to Administrative Injunctions, Limitations, and
Penalties).
(iii) Only institutions
that qualify as eligible for United States Department of Education Title IV
programs as a result of accreditation by the applicant agency will be
considered exempt under §
7.7
of this chapter (relating to Institutions Accredited by Board-Recognized
Accreditors).
(C)
Accredits institutions that have legal authority to confer postsecondary
degrees as its primary activity:
(i)
Accrediting agencies must identify all institutions accredited by the agency
that either the majority of the accredited institutions have the legal
authority to award postsecondary degrees or that it accredits at least fifty
(50) institutions that have the legal authority to award postsecondary
degrees.
(ii) An accrediting agency
that accredits programs as well as institutions shall demonstrate that either
it accredits more institutions than programs or that it has policies,
procedures and staff sufficient to address institutional standards of quality
in addition to program standards of quality.
(iii) Accrediting agencies must have
standards that require all accredited institutions to comply with all
applicable laws in the state and local jurisdiction in which they operate and
that require accredited institutions to clearly and accurately communicate
their accreditation status to the public.
(D) Requires an on-site review by a visiting
team as part of initial and continuing accreditation of educational
institutions:
(i) Each accrediting agency
shall demonstrate, through its documented practices and/or its official
policies, that it requires no fewer than three (3) members on a team when
conducting initial and continuing accreditation visits, that none have a
monetary or personal interest in the findings of the on-site review, that all
have professional experience and knowledge that qualifies them to review the
institution's compliance with the standards of the agency, and that the
combined team experience and knowledge are sufficient to review all applicable
standards of the agency.
(ii)
Accrediting agencies may conduct site visits for reasons other than initial and
continuing accreditation with fewer team members.
(iii) Accrediting agencies shall provide a
list of the visiting team members for the five (5) most recently completed
on-site reviews. The list shall show name, employer, title of positions held
with that employer and the standards for which the individual was responsible
in that on-site review.
(E) Has policies or procedures that ensure
the entity will promptly respond to requests for information from the Board:
(i) Each accrediting agency shall provide the
Board its official policy regarding disclosure of information about
institutions that are or have been candidates for accreditation and are or have
been accredited. Agencies shall provide to the Board, within ten (10) working
days, any new information and any requested information about a Texas
institution that would be available to the public under that official
policy.
(ii) Each accrediting
agency shall include in its standards for accreditation of Texas institutions
that the institutions disclose publicly and to the Board the number of degrees
awarded at each level each year and the number of students enrolled in the fall
of each year.
(F) Has
sufficient resources to carry out its functions:
(i) Accrediting agencies shall identify the
number of on-site reviews conducted during the most recent twelve (12) month
period, the number of staff members who participated in those on-site reviews
and the maximum number of on-site reviews conducted by any individual staff
member. If that maximum number exceeds thirty (30), the agency shall explain
how it expects to carry out its function of enforcing its standards on Texas
institutions.
(ii) Each accrediting
agency shall provide evidence that its ratio of current assets to current
liabilities equals or exceeds 1.2.
(iii) Each accrediting agency shall
demonstrate that its fees are reasonable for the accreditation services
provided.
(2)
Recognition--To receive and maintain recognition from the Board, the
accrediting agency must, in addition to the items listed in paragraph (1) of
this subsection:
(A) Provide the Board with
current standards used by the entity in initial and ongoing accreditation
reviews of educational institutions and invite the Board to participate in such
reviews:
(i) Accrediting agencies must have
publicly disclosed standards that address at a minimum the following issues:
student achievement in relation to the institution's mission; curricula;
faculty; facilities, equipment and supplies; fiscal and administrative
capacity; student support services; recruiting and admissions practices;
academic calendars; catalogs; grading; measures of program length; objectives
of the degrees or credentials offered; record of student complaints received by
or available to the agency; management and financial control.
(ii) In the application process, the
accrediting agency must indicate how its standards address each of the quality
assessment categories outlined in clause (i) of this subparagraph which
represent the underlying principles described in the institutional standards of
§
7.4
of this chapter (relating to Standards for Operations of Institutions).
Comparison of its standards with the standards in §
7.4
of this chapter is required as a means of indicating how its standards meet
those principles.
(iii) Each
accrediting agency shall provide its policy for periodic reviews of
institutions under its accreditation. At a minimum, the accrediting agency must
conduct on-site reviews at least every ten (10) years.
(iv) At least ten (10) working days before
each scheduled periodic on-site review of a Texas institution, accrediting
agencies shall invite the Board staff to participate in the review. Such
participation shall be at no expense to the institution or the accrediting
agency.
(v) Within ten (10) working
days of an official change in standards, the agency shall notify the Board of
those changes.
(vi) By providing a
copy of its publicly disclosed policies and procedures, each accrediting agency
shall demonstrate that its initial and ongoing reviews and the resultant
accreditation decisions are fair and consistent with the available
evidence.
(vii) Accrediting
agencies that use an advisory body, similar to the Certification Advisory
Council described in §
7.8
of this chapter (relating to Institutions Not Accredited by a Board-Recognized
Accreditor), shall describe the advisory body's composition and authority.
Accrediting agencies that do not use such a body shall describe the process
used to ensure that the evidence obtained from reviews results in appropriate
accreditation decisions.
(viii) The
initial and ongoing reviews shall include an institutional self-evaluation
process or a documented alternative process to promote continuous quality
improvement.
(ix) Each accrediting
agency shall have and publicly disclose its processes for appealing
accreditation decisions.
(B) Provide the Board with written evidence
of continuing recognition by the Secretary of Education of the United States
Department of Education. Loss of recognition from the Secretary automatically
results in loss of Board recognition at the same time. Written evidence may
consist of a letter from the chief executive officer of the accrediting agency.
Accrediting agencies shall submit the evidence upon notice of continued
recognition or upon a change in recognition status, scope or level;
(C) Provide a list of Texas educational
institutions accredited by it; notify the Board in writing of any change to its
list of Texas accredited institutions within ten (10) days of the
change;
(D) Notify the Board of any
investigated complaints concerning a Texas institution where the accrediting
agency took official action on issues of non-compliance and the disposition of
those complaints;
(E) Seek Board
approval for any expansion of its recognized scope of accreditation authority;
and
(F) Demonstrate that the
ownership and control of the accrediting agency is sufficiently independent to
ensure that the accreditation process is conducted in the public
interest.
(G) Each time the
accrediting agency applies for continued recognition by the Secretary of
Education of the United States Department of Education, the accrediting agency
must apply for continued recognition by the Coordinating Board. Applications
forms will be provided by Board staff. Application for continued recognition
must, at a minimum, contain all information required for initial eligibility
and recognition by the Coordinating Board under this
rule.
(b) Other Information, Denial or Withdrawal of Recognition and Appeals.
(1) Once recognized, an accrediting agency
retains that recognition unless and until the Board withdraws the recognition.
Failure to comply with any of the requirements in this chapter, including
failure to comply with information requests during periodic reviews, will be
grounds for the Board to consider withdrawing recognition.
(2) Each accrediting agency shall provide its
policy for periodic reviews. Periodic review shall be conducted at the time an
accrediting agency applies for continued recognition by the Secretary of the
United States Department of Education. The Coordinating Board reserves the
right to request and review current policies at other times for good cause,
including, but not limited to, student complaints, accredited institution
complaints, or concerns raised by the United States Department of Education or
other state or federal agencies.
(3) The Board may use information provided by
parties other than the accrediting agency to assess the accrediting agency's
commitment to academic quality and student achievement. The Board will consider
any such information in an open, public meeting during which the accrediting
agency may challenge the information.
(4) The Board will make any decision to deny
recognition of an accrediting agency or to withdraw recognition from an
accrediting agency in a public meeting.
(5) An institution operating in Texas as an
exempt institution pursuant to §
7.7
of this chapter when its recognized accrediting agency loses or voluntarily
relinquishes its recognition will have a provisional time period set by the
Board, or Board staff as delegated, within which the institution may continue
to operate pursuant to the requirements in §
7.7(2)
and (3) of this chapter.
(6) An accrediting agency or institution
affected by any final decision under this subchapter may appeal that decision
as provided in Chapter 1, Subchapter B of this title (relating to Dispute
Resolution).
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