By Grace Pohl
Staff Intern 

Eastern Washington receives accreditation from NACEP

 

Last updated 5/17/2018 at 8:39am



Eastern Washington University is officially part of a new statistic, as it is one of 19 schools nationwide to be granted first-time accreditation from National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP).

“It puts a stamp of approval on the program,” Melinda Bowman, the EWU in the High School director said. “It means a lot to us because we are one of only two universities in the state to have this mark. It took four years to get to the point to apply and over a year to get the approval.”

This program offers an opportunity for students in high school to enroll in college courses and earn credit all within their own classroom. The teachers are approved by the university and considered the equivalent of adjunct faculty.

Including EWU, there are over 100 accredited concurrent enrollment programs within 22 states in the United States.

“We are offering access and opportunity to students,” Bowman said. “A lot are first generation students and we service students all across the state.”

In order to receive accreditation from NACEP, the program has to reach 17 standards and ensure that the class in the high school is as close to college. The programs have to document all of that to prove that they are doing their job in the correct way.

According to the NACEP website, the organization works to ensure that college courses offered by high school teachers are as rigorous as classes offered on the sponsoring college campus. As the sole accrediting body for concurrent enrollment partnerships, NACEP helps these programs adhere to the highest standards so students experience a seamless transition to college and teachers benefit from meaningful, ongoing professional development

There is also an instructor orientation that meets their standards. EWU had 197 teachers vetted for the academic faculties and were approved. EWU also serves over 5,000 students annually in their running start program.

The credits earned throughout the student’s high school career will have transfer ability, which means they earn the same credit as they would at EWU and depending on which university they attend, it will be accepted.

This accreditation is valid for seven years and the program is still expected to maintain the standards by reporting annually on their practices. EWU in the high school currently serves about 4,000 students across Washington.

“It is a great opportunity,” Bowman said.

Grace Pohl can be reached at grace@cheneyfreepress.com.

 

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