Committee Reports :: National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP)

Committee Reports

NACEP Committee Reports – 2008-09

The following reports were presented to the NACEP board at the October 2009 meeting in Memphis, TN.

Accreditation Committee
In summer 2008, 20 programs submitted applications for NACEP accreditation. Peer reviewers from NACEP-accredited institutions diligently examined evidence submitted by these programs for adherence with NACEP’s standards; 15 of these programs received accreditation in 2009.

The accreditation committee drafted new standards and recommended them to the board in April; the Board worked through the summer and fall to refine them. The updates to the standards and evidence are intended to clarify the language, intent and required evidence of the original standards.

An accreditation guide for applicants and reviewers should be ready for the first group applying under the 2011 standards.

At the 2009 conference in Memphis, the accreditation committee offered an Introduction to Accreditation session for current applicants and hosted a session for reviewers to work on development of the accreditation guide.
Note of interest: Rio Salado College (Tempe, AZ) has agreed to support NACEP Accreditation Webinars. Watch the NACEP listserv for dates and times. Anyone in the accreditation planning stage or thinking about accreditation is invited to join. Webinars will focus on 2002 standards through the next application cycle but will be updated, when appropriate, to reflect the 2011 standards.

The accreditation committee is comprised of reviewers (members of accredited institutions completing the peer reviews) and other members contributing to additional projects (webinars, accreditation guide).

Communications Committee
In 2008-09, the communications committee conducted a survey of NACEP’s 255 members. Responses were used to encourage conference proposals and to add a comprehensive research section to the NACEP web site.
To raise national awareness of NACEP, the committee
• Researched and targeted key organizations for visits
• Identified reporters who cover concurrent enrollment and added to NACEP media database
• Implemented a NACEP Speakers and Ambassadors program for NACEP members to serve as speakers at conferences and to pursue opportunities for partnerships with other organizations
• Distributed press releases for newly accredited programs and Joni Swanson’s award and research
• Created a Wikipedia entry for NACEP and added information about NACEP to Wikipedia entry for dual enrollment

Additionally the committee published the spring newsletter, reorganized web site navigation and made updates, collected information about legislative action affecting concurrent enrollment, wrote a history of NACEP, and compiled a list of presentations made by NACEP members about concurrent enrollment.

Government Relations
The NACEP Government Relations Committee is responsible for advocating for Concurrent Enrollment at the State and Federal level. In 2009 the committee was involved with the following items:

• Monitoring federal legislation that would impact Concurrent Enrollment. Legislators introduced 9 bills in 2009 supporting concurrent enrollment programs, including the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 that passed the U.S. House of Representatives in September 2009.
• Tracking national dialog on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA):
o Spring 2009 | ESEA legislation is shelved while new president and struggling economy become the focus in D.C.
o May 5, 2009 | USDOE starts “listening and learning tour” to hear education reform ideas.
July 14, 2009 | President Obama announces plans for the American Graduation Initiative. The initiative calls for expanding dual enrollment offerings at high schools and
universities.
o September 24, 2009 | U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan calls for the
reauthorization of ESEA. Address to stakeholders is titled “Why We Can’t Wait.”

• Maintaining Congressional contacts and promoting the NACEP legislative platform. Several NACEP members had the opportunity to discuss the NACEP platform at the US Department of Education Listening and Learning Tour.

• Investigated what would be required for NACEP to become recognized by the Department of Education or the Council on Higher Education Accountability (CHEA) as an accrediting agency.

Recognition would be a long process and requires accreditation policies and procedures that are not currently implemented by NACEP. The Government Relations Committee recommended to the Board that the Alliance not make applying for recognition a priority at this time, pending further consideration of the pros & cons of altering the accreditation process to conform with Department of Education and/or CHEA guidelines.

Membership Committee
This year, the membership committee worked on the following:
• Revised membership categories to reflect NACEP’s desire to include a variety of members and types of concurrent enrollment (dual enrollment, dual credit, college credit options)
• Worked to ensure members are in the correct categories
• Proposed by-law amendments which passed at the October 2009 Business Meeting

Accreditation has been separated from membership status, resulting in the following new membership categories:
• Post-Secondary Institutions
• Partners (secondary schools, government agencies, and organizations)
• Individuals
• Emeritus

Specific information regarding each category is available at on the NACEP website. Membership fees have also been revised, so members are advised to review the NACEP renewal invoices, due to arrive in February.

The committee asks members to encourage colleagues who participate in concurrent enrollment, dual credit, dual enrollment and other types of early college credit options to participate in the national discussion to help shape the future. If you have a listing of such programs in your state/region, please share them with NACEP. The committee also thanks the members for their continued support of NACEP.

Research Committee
Currently, the largest initiative being undertaken by the research committee is the process of identifying a NACEP Research Agendato help shape research endeavors both within NACEP and by other individuals & organizations researching concurrent enrollment. The hope is that by identifying these research questions, NACEP will guide researchers to target areas in which research is lacking. These questions will further guide endeavors of new researchers and eliminate duplication of effort. Overall, the committee views this refinement as an essential component in laying the groundwork for more targeted research in the future.

For the first time, the research committee will engage an assessment and evaluation consultant to help NACEP further refine the evaluation tools (surveys and questionnaires) currently available on the NACEP web site for members to use in their program evaluations. Using the current surveys, the committee conducted pilots and completed preliminary analysis to provide a starting point for the consultant. A request for proposals will be distributed in the first quarter of 2010.

During the 2009/10 academic year, thirteen NACEP members are piloting an online survey and data analysis system developed by Syracuse University– the Integrated Evaluation System (IES). IES promises to become a valuable tool for institutions and researchers to collect, store, and analyze data on concurrent enrollment. As the pilot progresses, the Research Committee will work with Syracuse to determine a strategy for IES use in the future by NACEP members and will develop a protocol for data sharing and access.

2008 NACEP Treasurer’s Report
NACEP continues to enjoy solid financial standing due to strong membership growth and the success of the 2008 annual conference. Board members have worked to expand the organization’s services, seeking to establish NACEP as the national voice of concurrent enrollment while working diligently to control expenses.

NACEP’s revenues for the year include a one-time gift of almost $10,000 from the University of Connecticut to help fund a new Executive Secretary position, NACEP’s first paid staff member All NACEP officers, committee chairs, and committee members will continue to serve on a voluntary basis.

The accounting firm of Parrish & Brassie reviewed the organization’s 2008 finances; no recommendations were issued following the review. Parrish & Brassie also completed the 2008 IRS filings for NACEP.