Statement from Michelle Edwards, President of ACICS on the Release of the 2018 Draft Staff Report
Background:
In response to the recent release by the U.S. Department of Education of a March 2018 Draft Staff Report regarding ACICS recognition, it is important to understand that the Draft Staff Report was exactly that – a draft report – prepared as a preliminary review of an Initial Petition for recognition filed by ACICS in 2017. The draft report was not intended to, and did not, reach a final determination on whether ACICS was or was not compliant with any recognition criteria. Consistent with the traditional process at the Department, the Draft Staff Report represented the beginning of an iterative process between an accreditor and the Department, not the final conclusion.
As per the normal course with review of any Initial Petition, the Department expected ACICS to respond to the draft report observations by supplying additional information to demonstrate compliance with regulatory criteria. That is why a Department representative stated publicly that the draft was pre-decisional and an incomplete analysis. ACICS was working to supply the necessary additional information when the process was halted per an April 2018 Order of Secretary DeVos. Thus, ACICS never had the opportunity to complete its response to the Draft Staff Report and submit additional information that would demonstrate full compliance in the context of the Initial Petition.