HF 2187 (LSB 5475YH (7) 83)

HOUSE FILE 2187

BY  SHOMSHOR

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to the accreditation of community colleges.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 260C.47, subsection 1, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   The state board of education shall establish by rule an accreditation process for community college programs by July 1, 1997. The process shall be jointly developed and agreed upon by the department of education and the community colleges. The state accreditation process shall be integrated with the accreditation process of the north central association of colleges and schools, including the evaluation cycle, the self-study process, and the criteria for evaluation, which shall incorporate the standards for community colleges developed under section 260C.48; and shall identify and make provision for the needs of the state that are not met by the association’s accreditation process. For the academic year commencing July 1, 1998, and in succeeding school years, the department of education shall use a two-component process for the continued accreditation of community college programs. Beginning July 1, 2006, the The state accreditation process shall incorporate the standards developed pursuant to section 260C.48, subsection 4 and shall include but not be limited to procedures for correcting deficiencies, appropriate due process procedures including a hearing, consequences for failure to meet accreditation standards, notification procedures, and a timeline for the process. Action taken by the state board pursuant to this section for failure to meet accreditation standards is final agency action for purposes of chapter 17A.
    Sec. 2.  Section 260C.47, subsection 1, paragraphs a, b, and c, Code 2009, are amended by striking the paragraphs.
    Sec. 3.  Section 260C.47, subsections 2 through 7, Code 2009, are amended by striking the subsections.
    Sec. 4.  Section 260C.48, subsection 1, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   The state board shall develop standards and adopt rules for the accreditation of community college instructors and programs. Except as provided in subsection 4, the standards and rules developed and adopted shall not duplicate rules adopted for the accreditation process established pursuant to section 260C.47. The department shall monitor and evaluate the standards through a process jointly developed and agreed upon by the department and the community colleges. Except as provided in this subsection and subsection 4, standards developed shall be general in nature so as to apply to more than one specific program of instruction. With regard to community college-employed instructors, the standards adopted shall at a minimum require that community college instructors who are under contract for at least half-time or more, and by July 1, 2011, all instructors, meet the following requirements:
EXPLANATION
   This bill relates to the accreditation process for community colleges by eliminating the two-component process the state board of education is required to administer, requiring the state board to adopt rules establishing an accreditation process that is integrated with the accreditation process of the north central association of colleges and schools, and making the standards for community college instructors and programs established by the state board a process separate from that of the accreditation process.
   Under the current state accreditation process, the standards for instructors and programs must be incorporated, and the process must identify and make provision for the needs of the state that are not met by the association’s accreditation process. An accreditation team reviews data submitted by a community college, visits the community college, determines whether the standards for a program have been met, and reports its recommendations to the director of the department of education and to the state board. If the state board determines that a community college program does not meet accreditation standards, the director, in cooperation with the community college board, establishes a corrective plan and a deadline date for correction of the deficiencies. Current Code language also provides for another visit by the accreditation team, potential consequences for failure to correct deficiencies, due process, and notification procedures. The bill directs the state board to determine and establish the process and procedures by rule.
   The bill requires the department to monitor and evaluate the standards for community college instructors and programs through a process developed and agreed upon by the department and the community colleges.