increase in the number of clock hours awarded for successful completion of the program (ex: from 720 to 900). Role of Accreditors and States Accreditor Responsibilities and Requirements Related to Credit Hours While not a – part of the definition of a credit hour, the final regulations also require an accrediting agency to conduct an effective review and evaluation of the reliability and accuracy of the institution's assignment of credit hours used for Federal program purposes. The accrediting agency- Must review the institution's policies and procedures for determining the credit hours and the application of the institution's policies and procedures to its programs and coursework; Must make a reasonable determination of whether the institution's assignment of credit hours conforms to commonly accepted practice in higher education; May review and evaluate an institution's policies and procedures for determining credit hour assignments through use of sampling or other methods in the evaluation; and Must take such actions that it deems appropriate to address any deficiencies that it identifies at an institution, as it does in relation to other deficiencies it may identify, subject to the requirements of 34 C.F.R. part 602. An agency must promptly notify the Secretary if it finds systemic noncompliance with the agency's policies, or significant noncompliance regarding one or more programs at the institution. These same responsibilities apply to the State agencies --currently New York, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and Puerto Rico are recognized by the Secretary –that under 34 C.F.R. part 603 as reliable authorities regarding the quality of public postsecondary vocational education in their States Role of States - The regulations do not regulate States, and they do not require that a State review and evaluate every institution's assignment of credit hours. Only for those public postsecondary vocational institutions in New York, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and Puerto Rico that participate in the Federal student assistance programs based on State approval in lieu of accreditation by a nationally recognized accrediting agency, will the recognized State agency be required to perform such an assessment of those institutions' assignment of credit hours. (See 34 C.F.R. § 603.24(c) of the October 29 regulations.) Implementation Institutions and accrediting agencies are responsible for properly implementing the
increase in the number of clock hours awarded for successful completion of the program (ex: from 720 to 900). Role of Accreditors and States Accreditor Responsibilities and Requirements Related to Credit Hours – While not a part of the definition of a credit hour, the final regulations also require an accrediting agency to conduct an effective review and evaluation of the reliability and accuracy of the institution's assignment of credit hours used for Federal program purposes. The accrediting agency- Must review the institution's policies and procedures for determining the credit hours and the application of the institution's policies and procedures to its programs and coursework; Must make a reasonable determination of whether the institution's assignment of credit hours conforms to commonly accepted practice in higher education; May review and evaluate an institution's policies and procedures for determining credit hour assignments through use of sampling or other methods in the evaluation; and Must take such actions that it deems appropriate to address any deficiencies that it identifies at an institution, as it does in relation to other deficiencies it may identify, subject to the requirements of 34 C.F.R. part 602. An agency must promptly notify the Secretary if it finds systemic noncompliance with the agency's policies, or significant noncompliance regarding one or more programs at the institution. These same responsibilities apply to the State agencies --currently New York, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and Puerto Rico –that are recognized by the Secretary under 34 C.F.R. part 603 as reliable authorities regarding the quality of public postsecondary vocational education in their States Role of States - The regulations do not regulate States, and they do not require that a State review and evaluate every institution's assignment of credit hours. Only for those public postsecondary vocational institutions in New York, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and Puerto Rico that participate in the Federal student assistance programs based on State approval in lieu of accreditation by a nationally recognized accrediting agency, will the recognized State agency be required to perform such an assessment of those institutions' assignment of credit hours. (See 34 C.F.R. § 603.24(c) of the October 29 regulations.) Implementation Institutions and accrediting agencies are responsible for properly implementing the