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The California Report

In Wake of CCSF Controversy, Community College System Looks to Replace Accrediting Agency

Ana Tintocalis
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Marchers halted outside the San Francisco Board of Education in March 2013, protesting the possible loss of accreditation for City College of San Francisco.  (Deborah Svoboda/KQED)

California’s Community College system is planning to shop around for a new accrediting agency to evaluate its 113 campuses.

The CCC Board of Governors voted this week to approve a report that gives the system authority to investigate other ways its two-year institutions can be accredited.

The Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges has been evaluating most community colleges in the state -- giving them a pass or fail grade, based on how they’re operating and serving students.

However, state community college officials say there is now substantial evidence the agency has not been playing by the rules -- for example, not putting enough faculty members on evaluation teams and not being transparent with its decision-making.

ACCJC was placed under intense scrutiny two years ago after the commission stripped accreditation of the City College of San Francisco because of what it considered chronic  governance and leadership problems.

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The school community fought back, saying ACCJC neglected to consider the progress made to correct problems, as well as the quality of education students were receiving.

The faculty launched a number of legal counterattacks, the most important of which was championed by the San Francisco City Attorney's Office.

That lawsuit resulted in a Superior Court judge ruling in favor of CCSF, placing the revocation of CCSF's accreditation on hold.

Replacing ACCJC would be an unprecedented move for the county’s largest community college system.

“There are options out there,” says Jeff Freitas, secretary-treasurer of the California Federation of Teachers, which is pushing for the switch. “All of our community colleges have been feeling the squeeze of ACCJC, and it hasn’t been equal in terms of their analysis.”

One option for the community college system would be to partner with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The agency currently evaluates University of California and California State University campuses.

It is unclear how soon a change in an accrediting agency could happen.

The U.S. Department of Education has the final say, and is expected to take up the issue in Washington next month.

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