Southeastern Community College received re-accreditation from the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) Accreditation Commission.
Director of High School Relations Michelle Brown explains that concurrent enrollment programs allow high school students to take community college courses at no cost to them. Receiving NACEP accreditation means a school has met the nation’s most rigorous standard in concurrent enrollment program development, management, and evaluation across many areas.
“NACEP accreditation shows a commitment to academic integrity and the delivery of an authentic college experience to the high school student and is a goal that every concurrent enrollment program should work towards,” said NACEP Executive Director, Amy Williams.
Brown explains that the Iowa Department of Education requires community colleges to be accredited by NACEP for local school districts to receive funding that helps offset the cost of their community college programming.
“SCC works hard to make sure our high school students receive a quality college education that is on par with what we offer to regular campus students,” says Brown. “This re-accreditation is a testament to parents and students that we’re doing just that.”
To earn accreditation from NACEP, concurrent enrollment programs undergo a rigorous peer-review process conducted by a team of representatives from NACEP‐accredited programs as well as the NACEP Accreditation Commission.
SCC is one of 116 colleges in 24 states to receive NACEP accreditation. The college received its first accreditation with NACEP in 2013 and has actively worked on the re-accreditation process since the fall of 2018.
“This was no easy feat,” Vice President of Academic Affair Dr. Janet Shepherd notes. “This shows that our staff and faculty have built a quality, first-rate program. I’m really proud of them.”
NACEP’s accreditation is valid for five years for initial accreditation and then seven years for reaccreditation, during which time programs are expected to uphold NACEP’s standards and report annually on program
For more information regarding concurrent enrollment, parents are encouraged to talk to their child’s high school counselor or call Michelle Brown at (319)208-5046.