ISU first and only institution to hold 2 early college accreditations

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – Idaho State University is the first and only institution in the U.S. to become accredited with both the College Provided Faculty and Concurrent Enrollment Program endorsements by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) Accreditation Commission.

The dually granted accreditations, which were earned by ISU’s Early College Program, are valid for seven years.

“We are extremely proud of this accreditation distinction and confident that ISU’s ability to provide diverse choices for students to pursue dual degree credits will increase student success as well as motivate high school students to choose to pursue higher education,” Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Karen Appleby said.

“With this sustained and added accreditation, we are thrilled to continue to provide quality college courses for all Idaho high school students, whether that be in their high school, on one of our campuses or online,” said Chelsie Rauh, Director of the Early College Program. “NACEP Accreditation provides valuable opportunities for program improvement, continued collaboration and professional development for both faculty and staff in addition to student services and resources like advising, tutoring, disability services and use of the library.”

Idaho State’s Early College Program started in 1994 with three college course offerings in local high schools. Today, the University serves more than 4,000 students in 40 high schools across the state as well as provides access to courses on campus and online. The Early College Program received initial accreditation by NACEP in 2014.

Receiving NACEP accreditation means an institution has met the nation’s most rigorous standards in concurrent enrollment program development, management, and evaluation across multiple, multifaceted program areas. To earn NACEP accreditation, concurrent enrollment programs conduct a self-study, document how their programs adhere to NACEP’s sixteen standards, and undergo a rigorous peer-review process conducted by a team of representatives from other accredited programs and the commission.

In total, there are 134 NACEP accredited programs across the country, but Idaho State is the only one to hold the two program endorsements. In early 2020, NACEP’s Accreditation Commission elected to postpone the accreditation application cycle to allow programs pursuing accreditation the opportunity to adjust to the unknown realities of operating a program during a global pandemic.

“After pausing the cycle NACEP was thrilled to return to the critical work of accrediting programs. This cycle has been a busy one full of new opportunities and exciting firsts,” said NACEP Executive Director Amy Williams.

In 2019, the NACEP membership voted to expand the scope of standards and added a new set of standards for the College Provided Faculty endorsement. The College Provided Faculty (CPF) model is defined as college courses taught to high school students by faculty provided by the college, regardless of location or delivery method.

As the nation’s only accrediting body for these unique and impactful educational partnerships, NACEP’s standards serve as the model criteria for ensuring parity in faculty, course content, student outcomes and support.

“On behalf of the Accreditation Commission, I want to congratulate all of the newly accredited and re-accredited programs. These programs have successfully demonstrated that they meet the NACEP standards for high-quality programming for concurrent enrollment, and college provided faculty models. Many thanks to the hundreds of volunteers who make this process possible, specifically the Accreditation Commissioners and the Peer Reviewers. None of this work and support is achievable without their amazing contributions,” NACEP Accreditation Commission Chair Michael Beam said.