ABSTRACT
Academic accreditation is a subject that is rarely discussed. The concerns of the report may be paraphrased in a single paragraph. Accreditation, once a voluntary protocol for conferring legitimacy and distinction on institutions of higher education, has now become “almost mandatory and nearly universal” because of its role in qualifying institutions to receive student aid funds. Although the commission’s recommendations would reveal a significant focus on accreditation, not one of the commission members represented any accrediting agency—regional, national, or specialized. Taking as a point of departure its finding of “inadequate transparency and accountability for measuring institutional performance,” the report delivers the verdict that accreditation “has significant shortcomings”. A “framework” envisioned by the commission would “align and expand existing accreditation standards” to facilitate “comparisons among institutions regarding learning outcomes and other performance measures”.
