Dive Brief:
- The Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General has again shown concern over the level of student-teacher interaction in competency-based education programs.
- In an audit report published last week, the office criticized the Higher Learning Commission’s review process for considering new competency-based programs for accreditation.
- The audit recommended the HLC be required to review previously considered proposals, exploring again whether students and teachers have “regular and substantive” interaction — and, if they don’t, whether the programs should be reclassified, which could affect federal aid eligibility.
Dive Insight:
The Office of the Inspector General issued a report last year that questioned whether “direct assessment programs,” or those that assess existing competency rather than test new instruction, qualify for federal aid. It suggested competency-based education is closer to correspondence programs than traditional higher education. With more than 600 institutions offering or developing such programs — reflecting massive growth — the inspector general’s audit could create a reason for many to pause.