What's Inside

April 2014 Commission Meeting
On-Going Review of the CEA Standards
Exchange Initiative
New CEA Staff Members
Recent Decisions
Commission Reviews for August 2014

April 2014 Commission Meeting

The first Commission meeting of 2014 was held April 11-13. During the meeting, commissioners made accreditation decisions, reviewed and refined several aspects of CEA policy and procedures (in particular policies for sites seeking accreditation of additional locations), and discussed future planning.

One of the most notable aspects of the inaugural meeting of the 2014 Commission was its being the final CEA Commission meeting overseen by CEA Executive Director Terry O'Donnell. The Commission has appreciated Terry's leadership and wishes her well in her retirement.

On-going Review of the CEA Standards

The Standards Review Committee (SRC) reviews the CEA Standards on a regular cycle, and in 2013 the standards scheduled for review were Curriculum, Length and Structure of the Program of Study (LSPS), and Student Achievement. The SRC follows a protocol to ensure that such review incorporates many sources of input. In 2013, four issue areas were identified where clarifications in these standards seemed needed. To carry out methodical review and recommend any possible revisions, the SRC created a special task force in January 2014, charged with proposing changes that will help in further clarifying and positioning these four topics in the intent of the standards:

• clarifying and making consistent the concepts of "proficiency," "achievement," and "assessment;"
• clarifying and positioning the concept of "significant progress relative to the norms of the field" as a factor in curriculum quality;
• clarifying and positioning the concept of "normal/satisfactory student progress" as a matter of academic progression, academic advising, and regulatory compliance;
• clarifying the role of concrete evidence, direct evidence, and indirect evidence in assessment.

As a first step in the process, topic briefs were prepared on the need for possible changes to the discussion sections of relevant standards. The Commission reviewed the briefs at its April meeting. Next, the task force will be seeking broader input from the Constituent Council at its 2014 meeting in San Diego. In mid-May, all Constituent Council members will receive a letter with the four topic briefs outlining the issues, and instructions on how to prepare for the discussion.

Exchange Initiative

At its May 2013 meeting, the CEA Constituent Council discussed a possible faculty exchange program among accredited sites. Such an initiative would reflect many of CEA's values such as promoting continuous development, acknowledging the power of collaboration, and respecting differences. It would also serve to develop relationships among programs at an institutional level and provide opportunities for professional developmnent and cross-cultural understanding for participating faculty.

Since that discussion, several interested programs have been communicating about the feasibility and mechanics of the project. As of April 2014, English Language Programs at the University of Pennsylvania (USA) and the Instituto de Idiomas at Universidad del Norte (Columbia) are deliberating with the English Preparatory Class at Yasar University (Turkey) to make a semester-based exchange possible in the upcoming academic year. It is hoped that this grassroots movement, being advanced by the English Preparatory program at Yasar University, will be effective not only for faculty but will eventually extend also to student mobility, a recent driving force for education internationally.

Faculty and administrators at accredited programs who are interested in learning more about his initiative, can contact CEA for more information.

New CEA Staff Members

The CEA staff continues to grow in order to effectively support the increasing numbers of programs and institutions seeking accreditation.

Heidi Vellenga, currently Coordinator of the Intensive English Communication Program (IECP) and Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics at The Pennsylvania State University, will join the professional senior staff of CEA in June 2014. Her CEA experience includes service as a self-study coordinator and a reviewer. Heidi will bring her extensive knowledge of the field to the very active CEA environment. She will provide input on trends in the field and identify issues that impact CEA in order to recommend and develop process improvements, and she will serve as the staff liaison to the Standards Review Committee.

In October 2013, Nicole Martello joined the CEA staff as Accreditation Review Manager. Her responsibilities include vetting reviewer applications, scheduling and assigning reviewers and CEA representatives to site visits, and managing review team reports. Before coming to CEA, Nicole was academic director at ELS Rochester. She has over 10 years of administrative and teaching experience in intensive English programs.

Also in October 2013, Margaret Maxwell joined the CEA staff as Administrative Assistant. She provides overall support for the Executive Director and other staff in implementing the accreditation process, as well as administrative support for the work of the Commission. Prior to coming to CEA, Margaret worked as office manager for Stateside Associates in Arlington, VA. She brings years of experience as an office manager, executive assistant, and event planner.

Recent Decisions

As required by CEA and U.S. Department of Education policy, accreditation decisions must be made public. The following decisions were made at the April 2014 Commission meeting. These decisions are reflected in the complete list of CEA accredited programs and institutions.

Granted 10-year re-accreditation

• Intensive English Program, Wilkes University, PA, USA

Granted 9-year continued accreditation

• Intensive English Program, Saint Michael's College, VT, USA

Granted 5-year continued initial accreditation

• American Language Program, Columbia University, NY, USA
• English Language Program, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA

Granted 4-year continued accreditation

• American Language Academy, NC, USA
• Educational and Cultural Interactions / Dallas, TX, USA
• Educational and Cultural Interactions / Oklahoma City, OK, USA
• English Language Institute, Sacred Heart University, CT, USA
• English Language Program, University of Michigan-Flint, MI, USA
• FLS International Boston Commons, MA, USA
• FLS International Citrus College, CA, USA
• FLS International Las Vegas Institute, NV, USA
• FLS International at Lock Haven University, PA, USA
• FLS International at Saddleback College, CA, USA
• FLS International at Tennessee Tech University, TN, USA
• Intensive English Programs, Monterey Institute of International Studies, CA, USA
• Intensive English Program, University of Colorado, CO, USA
• Portland English Language Academy, OR, USA
• South Beach Languages, FL, USA
• The Learning Institute of Texas, TX, USA

Granted 1-year initial accreditation

• English Language and Culture Institute, Albany, OR, USA
• English Language Institute, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA, USA
• English Language Institute, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, USA
• ESL Program Roanoke Campus, American National University, VA, USA
• Harvest English Institute / Long Branch, NJ, USA
• Harvest English Institute / Newark, NJ, USA
• Intensive English Institute, University of Maine, ME, USA
• Intensive English Language Program, University of Findlay, OH, USA
• Intensive English Program, Emporia State University, KS, USA
• International Christian Institute and Linguistics School, TX, USA
• International Language Academy of Washington, DC, VA, USA

Denied continued accreditation (appealable)

• INTERLINK Language Center at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA - currently under appeal

Appeals Update

• American Language Center, PA, USA - denial upheld
• California English School, CA, USA - denial upheld
• New York General Consulting, NY, USA - denial upheld
• Washington Language Institute, MD, USA - denial upheld

Commission Reviews for August 2014

In accordance with 602.23 of US Federal Regulations for accrediting agencies, a recognized accrediting agency must provide public notice that an institution or program is being considered for accreditation and must provide an opportunity for third-party comment. Comments are taken into consideration by the Commission in making accreditation decisions. The following programs and institutions will be reviewed at the April 2014 meeting of the Commission. Comments must be submitted to CEA in writing prior to August 1, 2014. Submit comments by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For 9-year continued re-accreditation

• English Language Programs and Accelerated Certificate Program in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Irvine Extension, University of California, CA, USA

For 4-year continued initial accreditation

• A.C.E. Language Institute at Montana State University, MT, USA
• Bell Language School, NY, USA
• C.C.B. School of Atlanta, GA, USA
• English Language Institute, Stephen F. Austin State University, TX, USA
• ESLI at McNeese State University, LA, USA
• ESLI at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, TX, USA
• ESLI at West Texas A&M University, TX, USA
• ESLI at Western Kentucky University, KY, USA
• ICPNA BNC, Peru
• ILSC New York (formerly Hello World Language Center), NY, USA
• International Educational Center - Glenview, IL, USA
• International Mid Pac College, HI, USA
• Internexus Provo, UT, USA
• Mentora College (formerly Harriet Fulbright College), Washington, DC, USA
• Mountain Language Institute, CO, USA
• Selnate International School, UT, USA

For re-accreditation

• Academic and Test Preparation Program, San Jose State University, CA, USA
• Center for English as a Second Language, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, IL, USA
• English Language Program, Virginia Tech, National Capital Region, VA, USA
• ESOL Department, Lone Star College - Cy Fair, TX, USA
• Hellenic American Union Center for Applied Linguistics and Language Studies, Greece
• Intensive English Communication Program, Pennsylvania State University, PA, USA
• Intensive English Program, Al Akhawayn University, Morocco
• Intensive English Program, American University of Kuwait, Kuwait
• Intensive English Program, Georgia State University, GA, USA
• Internexus Salt Lake City, UT, USA
• Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute, WA, USA
• Spring International Language Center - Denver, CO, USA
• Spring International Language Center - Littleton, CO, USA
• Spring International Language Center - University of Arkansas, AR, USA
• St. Giles International San Francisco, CA, USA

For initial accreditation

• Albert Career School, PA, USA
• Bergen County Career Advancement Training, Inc. (BCCAT), NJ, USA
• International Language Training Institute, NY, USA
• Language On, FL, USA
• Language Pacifica, CA, USA
• Madison English as a Second Language School, WI, USA
• Nile Language School, NJ, USA
• Optimus Language School, CA, USA
• Orlando Language School, FL, USA
• Tampa Language Center, FL, USA