Diploma Mills:Don’t Strike Out

MASFAP Spring ConferenceMarch 24, 2011

Agenda

• Program Integrity Regulations• Postsecondary Responsibility• FAFSA High School Question• Accreditation• The States• Diploma Mills

Program Integrity Regs

• Develop and follow procedures to evaluate the validity of a high school diploma

• When?– Reason to believe it is not valid– Reason to believe it was not obtained from an

entity that provides secondary education• Believed by Whom?– The Secretary– The institution

Program Integrity Regs

• Why regulations?– Protect the integrity of the high school diploma

requirement• Address the issue of high school diploma mills• Growth of online high schools• Fraud at some postsecondary institutions

– Address issues raised in 2009 GAO report

Institutional Responsibility

• Validity questioned by Secretary or institution• Follow the required procedure• Suggested documentation– Copy of high school diploma– Final high school transcript– Evaluation report of foreign diplomas

• Self-certification is not sufficient• No appeal to USDE• Not applicable to home schooled students

FAFSA

• 2011-12 FAFSA– Question 27– First time entering students– Information requested• High school name• High school city• High school state

FAFSA

• “Drop-down” list– Based on NCES high school survey– Includes most public and private schools– Not “good” or “bad” schools

• Data collected for analysis only (for 2011-12)• No ISIR comments• Not required to collect diploma• Not required to compare information

Accreditation

• No USDE recognition of secondary level accreditation

• Not required/recommended as sole basis for review under institutional procedure

• Without recognition, hard to determine legitimate from the questionable

Regional Accreditation

• Same basic structure as postsecondary– New England Assoc. of School and Colleges– Middle States Assoc. – Commission on Secondary

Schools– Southern Assoc. – Commission on Accreditation and

School Improvement (SACS-CASI)– North Central Assoc. – CASI– Northwest Association of Accredited Schools– Western Assoc. – Accrediting Commission on Schools

Other Accreditors• Distance Education and Training Council– Accredits both secondary and postsecondary

levels– May have limited acceptance• States• Postsecondary

• AdvancEd– 27,000 public and private schools accredited– NCA-CASI; SACS-CASI– Commission on International and Trans-Regional

Accreditation

States

• No consistent requirements• Standards vary widely from state to state– PA• Licensure/approval is required• Primarily consumer protection focus

– FL• No substantive regulation

– MO• No substantive regulation of private high schools

Diploma Mill

• Offer a credential• Typically a fee is charged• Requires little or no academic work on the

part of the recipient• Same definition as for a postsecondary

diploma mill• Sounds simple but often is more complicated

Diploma Mill

• Not all online; not all are obvious• Many offer all the same documents are

legitimate school– Authentic looking diploma– Complete transcript– Contact information for verification

• May claim accreditation• May claim/possess some type of state status

Tips and Suggestions

• How do you spot a diploma mill?– Documentation and investigation– No simple formula– Look for signs

• Claims of unknown or unclear accreditation – Often operated from same address as school– Review list of accredited schools

• State Registration– Often references corporate registration

Examples

• Texas Star Point Academy (www.texasstarpointacademy.com)– Registered with the State of Texas– Accredited by North Central Texas Regional

Certification Agency– Accredited by Texas Unified Certification Program

• Finishhighschool.com (Wyoming)– Operates its own accrediting agency– 25 question open book test– Diploma and transcript for $495

Tips and Suggestions

• Unbelievable offers– “Earn a recognized high school diploma from

Belford High School within 7 days, for just $249.”– “Get your high school diploma on the basis of

prior knowledge and experience.”– “Pass our simple online equivalency test to get

your high school diploma.”

Tips and Suggestions

• Grammatical and Spelling Errors– Website, documents, even tests

• Testing– Diploma for little or no study– Simple, sometimes single test for diploma

• Low cost– Substantially below legitimate schools– Special deals, sale prices, combo purchases

Wrap Up

• Watch for federal guidance (DCL, etc.)• Establish a policy and procedure• Look for accreditation, when claimed• Watch for the signs

Questions?

Missouri Department of Higher EducationP.O. Box 1469

Jefferson City, MO 65102Phone: (573) 751-2361

Fax: (573) 751-6635Info. Center: (800) 473-6757

info@dhe.mo.govwww.dhe.mo.gov