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ASSOCIATION
OF CHRIST-BASED CLERGY
NATIONAL PRESS ARTICLES *
Program
Overview
What You Should Know About
Accreditation, and |
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Have you ever asked, why is tuition so expensive? Tuition costs are driven by United States Department of Education (United States Department of Education) accreditation requirements. The traditional United States Department of Education view is that quality education is specifically related to renown professors, state-of-the art buildings and facilities, financial endowments, national and international influence, philosophical diversity, and similarly related criteria. United States Department of Education “recognized” accrediting agencies must incorporate these considerations into their assessments of schools and colleges, or they risk their United States Department of Education certification.
Ironically, the United States Department of Education is very clear about accreditation. It
is a pr
Link to Government web site: The government continues:
Regardless of a school's accreditation, the government informs students to take additional measures prior to enrollment, whether or not their educational goals will be met through attendance at a particular institution. Don't be mislead when the government uses the term, non-governmental accreditation. Accrediting agencies petition to the government to operate as recognized accrediting agencies. The government establishes the regulations, and procedures for accrediting agencies. The government also limits the number and types of accrediting agencies. There are only three United States Department of Education recognized "religious" accrediting agencies: Association of Biblical Higher Education, Association of Theological Schools, TransNational Association of Schools and Colleges.
Clearly,
A3CEES believes in qualitative delivery systems.
However, A3CEES focus
is concentrated on delivery. Based
on a school’s objectives as stated in media such as catalogs and related
instruments, does the school deliver?
And is the outcome the same as what the general public expects of a
similar school. Any
objective observer recognizes that regardless of accreditation, outcomes
are widely different among schools and colleges. There
are those who recognize the major success schools have accomplished
without United States Department of Education recognition. There
are also those who believe that education
is compromised by institutions without United States Department of
Education recognition. However, the burning
question for Biblical institutions of higher learning is not whether the
philosophy of education is being compromised.
The question is, “whether the Commission of Jesus Christ is being
compromised?”
Regardless of one’s personal view of Colleges
such as
Nevertheless, t How Many Accredited Institutions Compromise The Great Commission
Numerous
United States Department of Education “accredited” Christian colleges and seminaries have procedural policy
that faculty members must accept.
However, the accreditation process is driven by the federal government,
which
requires diversity. Schools
must be equal opportunity employers. Today,
this means more than equal protection under the law concerning race, sex,
nationality, creed, and the physically challenged.
This also can mean diverse sexual preferences.
Federal law has given some protections to religious organizations,
but these are subject to being challenged at any time.
Also, accreditation requires philosophical diversity. This
is why it is not unusual to discover Biblical college or seminary
professors who challenge or question the validity of Scripture even in the
most conservative schools.
Well
invested in the old paradigm of brick and mortar, many of the traditional
Bible college and seminaries continue to hold-on to the past.
They cause adult students to travel long distances for the core
requirements of their programs. This
includes persons in ministry with families as well as bi-vocational
professionals who desire ministry development.
These adult-students are as prone to the philosophical
“non-sense” and “time-wasters” as first year Bible college
students.
Not
only is this counter-productive, but it avoids the “needs” based focus
that should be a principal model of these Christian institutions.
And it certainly falls short of the call to prepare people for
ministry. When tuition cost is
also factored, and the practice of creating graduate debtors with mortgage
level debt, the affirmed Colleges and Seminaries
offer an excellent opportunity and value. Additionally,
A3CEES possesses a growing list of churches and Christian ministries. This
is the RECOGNITION that is significantly more important than United States
Department of Education
recognition. Why Biblically Affirmed and Ministry Accredited Bible Colleges and Seminaries Must Be Considered Therefore, it is clear that A3CEES recognized schools and colleges avoid enormous debt, expensive projects, political pressures completely unrelated to their Christian mission or educational delivery. More importantly, A3CEES recognized schools and colleges pass these savings on to their students. A3CEES schools do not desire, expect, nor accept any financial support from the federal government for students.
While A3CEES operates as a quality assurance program with many of the same
principles of United States Department of Education approved accrediting bodies, A3CEES recognizes the need
for administrative, fiscal and physical flexibility without compromising
the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.
The
recognition process focuses on the following functional areas: U Legal Sufficiency
U
United States Department of
Education
Equivalency
U
Student
Delivery
Issues
such as fiscal solvency, adequacy of facilities, credentials of faculty,
mix of faculty, diversity of philosophy, and related matters are
procedural concerns that may not adequately reflect delivery.
And these issues are typically considered by an institutions longevity.
Programs that are not viable don't survive the test of time.
ISO
9001:2000, which is the international standard for service organizations
recognize the error in procedure oriented audits and assessments.
Eventually, the United States Department of Education will be on-board with ISO related standards
for quality. A3CEES is on the
leading edge with world-class standards for Bible schools and colleges. Clearly these affirmed Colleges and Seminaries are a significant threat to the Colleges and Seminaries invested in the old paradigm with major overhead and high tuition. We are all aware of the horror stories of persons who set up "diploma mills" without legitimate programming. A3CEES operates as a referral for such cases. PROGRAM INQUIRIES CLICK HERE
A3CEES
Quality
Self-Assessment for Quality Assessment Program
The Association of Christ-based Clergy, Counselors,
Educators and Educational Systems (A3CEES, pronounced A-three-Sees) is a
non-profit Christian education organization.
A3CEES offers national and international standards to assess United
States Department of Education
and non United States Department of Education
Bible colleges and seminaries, and other educational sources otherwise
known as Affirmed Bible Colleges and Seminaries (ABCS).
1.
A3CEES
is non-paid and independent. Often
alternative institutions belong to non-United States Department of
Education accrediting institutions.
These accrediting associations are as vulnerable to unscrupulous
operations as the institutions they “accredit.”
Usually, these non-United States Department of Education institutions charge a fee for accrediting.
A listing of these Associations can be found at www.Degree.com.
This does not mean that these associations are not viable. However, this
illustrates A3CEES’s imperative position.
Institutions do not pay for the rating or assessment they receive
from A3CEES. They use the standards
below to ensure they have minimum qualitative delivery. Therefore,
institutions meeting A3CEES assessment can advertise their level of
quality based on an independent and non-paid assessment.
2.
A3CEES
also has a directory of institutions and their rating and ranking.
Moreover, A3CEE’s directory is an excellent resource for
institutions to use considering transfer students.
Based on A3CEE’s assessment, viable alternative institutions have
an excellent indicator of viability for
transfer students.
3.
A3CEES
self-assessed institutions establish a relationship and system of institutions
based on quality, and not merely applying or paying for non-United States
Department of Education
accreditation.
4.
There
are hundreds of alternative schools and seminaries.
If a school or college has a viable
distance program, A3CEES assessment will affirm such institutions.
This provides the Christian community with the necessary support
and assurances needed. Ratings: A3CEES’s self-assessment is short and yet comprehensive assessment. A3CEES’s quality assessment is based on ISO 9001:2000 customer standards. The assessment’s concentration is on legal sufficiency, United States Department of Education equivalency, and customer or student delivery. As with ISO 9001:2000 the emphasis is not on procedure, it is on qualitative delivery. The typical United States Department of Education institutional self-assessments and audits encompass specific and detailed criteria--also politics and subjectivity. A3CEES review is world-class. Moving from traditional and outdated methodology, A3CEES has found that a mere eight standards encompass the majority and most important institutional standards. Institutions who meet the eight core standards are quality organizations with a high probability that other procedural and detailed criteria are also satisfied. Since this is an assessment for distance learning, these standards must be evident within the institution’s home page, or one link of the home page. Based on ISO 9001:2000’s focus (i.e., customers/students), institutions must fully and easily disclose these standards to receive all the assessment points available for a standard. If prospective students need to download the information, this does not meet the standards as set-forth. All the standards are simple yes or no answers. A3CEES SELF-ASSESSMENT STANDARDS
1.
State
oversight: The institution
reports to the state on a regular basis information such as degrees being
offered, alliances with churches or other non-profit organizations, and
responsible officials (i.e., whatever the state requires).
Understandably, some states do not have a reporting requirement for
non-United States Department of Education schools. This allows
diploma mills, facades, and
other scams to operate without consumer protection.
While institutions may be accredited by non-United States
Department of Education institutions,
these non-United States Department of Education accrediting association pose the same vulnerability to the
Christian community as institutions who have no reporting requirements (20
points). Legal Sufficiency.
2.
United States Department of
Education
Equivalency: The
institution’s degree requirements in hours (e.g., 45 Quarter Hours or 30
semester hours per academic year for four year programs; Minimum 45
quarter or 30 semester hour program for short-term Master’s program) are
within + or minus 5 hours per quarter/semester as the 45/30 requirement.
Up to two years of undergraduate hours can be based on Experience
Assessed Credit. No part of a graduate program can be based on Experience
Assessed Credit. This would be
the equivalent to the majority of United States Department of Education accredited institutions.
While it is not highly publicized, many major schools and universities
have experience assessed programs. Nevertheless, the response must be affirmative to all parts of this standard (15
points). United States Department of Education Equivalency
3.
Virtual
Campus: The institutions
delivery is immediate. Prospective
students can browse and enter campus including actual course work (not
mere descriptions), departments, book stores, etc. (15 points).
Customer/ Student Delivery
4.
Degree
Equivalency, Post-graduate: Degree
prerequisites for doctoral candidates require Master’s completion, and a
dissertation (A doctoral project requiring a 100 page document would be
equivalent including attachments, exhibits, etc.).
This would be the equivalent to the majority of United States
Department of Education accredited
institutions (10 points). United States Department of Education Equivalency
5.
Evidence
of Students: Evidence within a
quick view of the home page, or one link evidence of an actual student
body. Actual services,
classes, etc. Understandably,
photos can be from other sources (10 points).
Customer/Student Delivery
6.
Years:
While there are legitimate start-ups, longevity is an indicator of
an institution’s faithful
intent, reliability, and
service. It is evident on the
home page, or within one link that the institution is at least 10 years
old (10). Customer/Student
Delivery
7.
Contact
points: If a student or other
party desires to contact a school representative, are email and phone
numbers on the home page or within a link (10).
Customer/Student Delivery
8.
Cost:
No degree program exceeds $4000.00 (10)
The
United States Department of Education has established the language for
United States Department of Education accrediting associations.
Terms such as “exhuastive” and “substantive” are government
bureaucratic terms, which have been adapted by United States Department of
Education institutions over the
years. Now, the
100
point Assessment: Exceptional (Royal
Diadem Institution)
A3CEES
does not guarantee the viability of an institution.
As an independent non-profit organization it neither accepts any
credit or liability for persons using A3CEES directory or other resources.
Assessments are based on public information about institutions, and
information provided by institutions, or students.
Institutions
may advertise or make statements highly similar to any of the following
under the appropriate assessed category:
100 Points:
85 Points: XXXX college
has received A3CEES Gold ranking. You
may include the number of assessed institutions.
70 Points: XXX college is in A3CEES directory of
qualitative Christian colleges.
We do not expect that Schools who fall below the viable level will be
displaying such information. However,
the information for all assessed institutions will be available to the
Christian community.
Institutions
publicly displaying A3CEES outcomes
must have a link to the A3CEES directory.
A3CEES can be abbreviated or spelled completely:
The Association for Christ-based Clergy, Counselors, Educators and
Educational Systems.
Institutions
that do not respond will be subject to A3CEES independent assessment,
rating and ranking without bias. Schools
who improve on any of the world-class standards should submit evidence of
such improvements as soon as it becomes available.
Organizations
must not misrepresent A3CEES' assessment as full accreditation.
However, A3CEES may be cited as a Christian Assessment and Quality
Recognition Program (CAQRP).
Hard copy certificates or graphic symbols displaying the institutions assessment can be provided. These are available on a donation basis of at least $75.00 annually per type.
Certificate:
(Hard copy, public display) |
SECTION 1
Compromising the Great Commission?
SECTION 2
A3CEES' importance
SECTION 3
