USDE Releases Final Issue Papers

Council for Higher Education Accreditation/CHEA

Accreditation Negotiated Rulemaking Publishes New Issue Papers 

The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) has published its issue papers and draft regulatory changes for the negotiators to consider in the final round of the Program Integrity and Institutional Quality negotiated rulemaking, which is to be held from March 4 through March 7, 2024.

As was reported in CHEA’s Federal Update 109 and 111, the USDE’s Institutional Quality and Program Integrity Committee will discuss six topics, three of which impact accreditation: Accreditation, State Authorization, and Distance Education. Although there are improvements in the regulatory text, some provisions remain problematic.

All negotiated rulemaking sessions will be virtual, and the public will be able to view the meetings.

This is the final negotiated rulemaking session. After this session, USDE will consider the negotiator’s comments and draft a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). The NPRM will be published in the Federal Register, allowing stakeholders and the public to provide comments on the NPRM. USDE will review the submitted comments and make edits to the NPRM as it deems appropriate. The USDE goal is to publish the final rule by November 1, 2024, with implementation set for July 1, 2025.

View Original Source