House Panel Plans Hearing on Accreditation and Program Length

The House of Representatives education committee said Thursday that it would hold a hearing next week to examine how regional accrediting agencies define the "credit hour" as they judge the academic quality and rigor of the institutions they accredit. The issue was raised in audits of three accrediting agencies that the Education Department's Office of Inspector General released in the last six months, amid concerns that the agencies are setting too lax a standard for the amount of time students spend on course work to earn academic credit. No details were available on the hearing before the House Education and Labor Committee, other than that it would be held on June 17.