News from CEA, January 2006

This memo highlights items from the December 9-11, 2005, meeting of the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation and other information of interest from CEA.

1. Accreditation decisions

The following decisions were made. For a complete list of CEA accredited programs and schools, visit the CEA web site at www.cea-accredit.org.

Granted 10-year accreditation, December 2005 – December 2015
Center for English Language and orientation Programs, Boston University
Intensive English Program, University of Colorado
Texas Intensive English Program, San Antonio

Granted one-year re-accreditation, December 2005 – December 2006
Center for Multilingual/Multicultural Studies, University of Central Florida
Intensive English Program, Hawaii Community College
International English Institute, Nashville, TN
Wisconsin English Language Institute and Midwest Teacher Training Program

Granted 4-year continued accreditation, December 2005 – December 2009
Showa Boston Language Institute

Placed on administrative probation, December 2005 – March 2006
Applied English Center, University of Kansas

2. New CEA commissioners

The Commission congratulates the following new members who were elected in November by members of the Constituent Council to serve from January 2006 to December 2008: Alan Broomhead (OISE Boston), Susan Thiede Gonzo (Intensive English Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), and Martha Grace Low (Houston Community College). In addition, the Commission appointed Sam Shepherd of the National Association of Japan-America Societies as a new public member.

The Commission owes great thanks to those who brought their special expertise to the Commission and who completed their terms in December: Jeanne Hind (Spring International, Denver), David Woodward (American Cultural Exchange), Deanna Wormuth (EFL/CLED, Georgetown University), and Ken Rogers (International Programs, Indiana University) who served as a public member.

3. 2006 Accreditation workshops

Accreditation workshops are a required element for pursuing CEA accreditation. CEA is holding the following accreditation workshops in 2006:

• Saturday, March 18, in Tampa following the TESOL convention
• Saturday, May 27, in Montreal following the NAFSA conference
• Saturday, October 14, at the CEA offices in Alexandria, VA

If your program or institution is interested in pursing CEA accreditation in the near future, please contact CEA info@cea-accredit.org for an eligibility application form, which must be submitted prior to a workshop. Information about eligibility for CEA accreditation is available on the CEA web site.

4. CEA sponsored presentations at 2006 TESOL and NAFSA conventions

• At TESOL on March 14, from 5-9 p.m., a pre-convention workshop entitled, “Does Your Program Meet the CEA Standards for English Language Programs and Institutions?” will focus on understanding the standards for use in a variety of contexts—for building new programs and for review and continuous improvement of exiting programs, as well as for how the standards form the foundation for accreditation.
• A short presentation, “Leading the Way Through CEA Accreditation,” introduces CEA and the accreditation process.
• At NAFSA, CEA representatives from community colleges will discuss the CEA standards and how they provide a blueprint for administrators seeking to develop effective programs and services for international students in a session “Ensuring an Effective Community College Program for International Students.”

5. Standards review

A detailed standards review process is required by the U.S. Department of Education for recognized accrediting agencies. CEA’s process helps to ensure that the standards reflect current practice and that they are clear in intent. As part of the process, CEA recently conducted an online survey for review of the standards as a whole. The survey asked about the importance and clarity of each of the 52 standards on a scale of 1-5. Highlights were that all of the standards except two of them (Administrative and Fiscal 1 and 2) received mean scores of 4.0 or above. These two standards will be part of a review of all Administrative and Fiscal standards by the CEA Standards Review Committee in 2006. The Commission thanks those who participated in the survey.

6. Review of foreign language courses in English language institutions seeking accreditation

The Foreign Language Task Force has completed a revision of CEA’s policy and procedures for the review of foreign language courses and programs that may be offered by institutions that seek CEA accreditation. The new procedures expand the ability of CEA to review such institutions. Guidelines are available to direct sites in responding to appropriate standards. The policies and procedures are reflected in the document, Policies and Procedures [PDF download].

7. International accreditation

CEA conducted its first international accreditation site visit this December at the Petroleum Institute Foundations English Program in Abu Dhabi. The program will be reviewed for accreditation at the Commission meeting in April.

If you have questions about this email or about CEA, feel free to contact Terry O’Donnell, Executive Director, at 703.519.2070 or by email at info@cea-accredit.org.