ACCJC Adopts 2024 Accreditation Standards

A Message from ACCJC President Mac Powell

On behalf of ACCJC, I am pleased to share that at its June 2023 meeting, the Commission approved the 2024 Accreditation Standards following their second reading. This historic moment is the culmination of a two-year planning, writing, and editing process involving significant engagement with stakeholders from member institutions and the public. ACCJC’s 2024 Accreditation Standards reflect the diversity of ACCJC member institutions, are streamlined and clear, emphasize equity and inclusion, and are focused on student outcomes!

Proposed Implementation

To implement the new Standards, ACCJC Staff and the Standards Review Leadership Team are recommending a two-year “pilot” period beginning immediately upon the adoption of the 2024 Accreditation Standards. During this two-year window, institutions may choose which Standards (2014 or 2024) they will use to conduct their self-evaluation. To date, 25 institutions have volunteered to serve as pilot colleges. ACCJC Staff and the Standards Review Leadership Team are also recommending the following improvements to be incorporated into the Standards implementation:

• Extending the cycle of accreditation for institutions from seven years to eight years;
• Revising the Midterm Report to allow for more meaningful mid-cycle reflection;
• Altering the size and composition of a typical peer review team to focus the efforts of the evaluation;
• Streamlining the Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (ISER);
• Eliminating the Quality Focus Essay;
• Redesigning training and engagement for college and peer reviewer preparation; and
• Consolidating existing guides, manuals, and protocols into a single Accreditation Handbook.

As planning progresses, more details about the proposed implementation plans will be shared with members of the field through formal communications and redesigned resources. Additionally, we will be hosting two informational webinars this fall:

Introducing the 2024 Standards Session 1

Tuesday, September 12, 2023, 1:00-2:00 p.m. PDT

Zoom Registration Link

Introducing the 2024 Standards Session 2

Tuesday, October 10, 2023, 1:00-2:00 p.m. PDT

Zoom Registration Link

Once again, I want to thank everyone who has brought this initiative to its current state: ACCJC Vice President Catherine Webb, the Standards Review Leadership Team, ACCJC Staff, the 85 writers and readers who participated in drafts over the past two years, and all of the community members who provided input and support. And, on behalf of everyone on the ACCJC Staff, I want to thank you for your support of the peer review process.