Higher Education Act

Higher Education Act Still in hearings phase in both Senate and House Big focus on financial aid aspects Administration has announced new college ratings system Include metrics on access, affordability and outcomes Not final yet but will publish by 2015 Goal to allow easy comparison of institutions Could have impacts on financial aid eligibility with congressional approval Tieing aid to rating – ACTE is concerned that this could unfairly disadvantage short-term postsecondary CTE students who generally are not in a position to choose an alternative institution. Access = percentage of students receiving Pell grants Affordability = net price and loan debt Outcomes = graduation and transfer rates, earning of grads, & completion of advanced degrees The goal for the new system is to allow students to more easily compare institutions to one another based on “college value, access and affordability.” The president also hopes that the ratings system could (with congressional authorization) reshape the financial aid system by terminating aid eligibility for programs at institutions with low ratings and increasing aid available at institutions with higher ratings.   The Department has stated that the ratings system could take into account tuition costs, enrollment of low-income students, graduation rates, job placements rates, graduate earnings and other factors in determining the final rating of an institution. A big concern ACTE has with the proposed rating system is that comparing institutions against each other is not as simple as the Department has implied due to differences in student populations and students’ individual goals. Different program offerings at different institutions can also make comparisons difficult. Additionally, we have concerns surrounding the comparison of smaller institutions with fewer resources to larger institutions, which may have differing missions, as well as numerous data collection and quality issues we have heard about from stakeholders that must be addressed before any ratings could be considered valid and reliable.

ACTE Priorities Priority 1: Reduce Barriers to Short-Term Higher Education Continual development of a skilled workforce is critical to American competitiveness, and short-term training programs play a key role in ensuring students can earn credentials quickly and efficiently. To ensure support for such programs, HEA should: Reexamine the definitions of higher education institutions and their use throughout the law, to ensure that public non-degree granting institutions, such as area CTE centers, are not penalized arbitrarily. Allow institutions flexibility to provide innovative student-centric programs and services, such as competency-based education, stackable credentials, and dual enrollment programs. Ensure that any institutional aid includes adequate access for institutions offering sub-baccalaureate level programs.

ACTE Priorities Priority 2: Ensure Adequate Access to Financial Aid Programs for All Students Broad access to financial aid opportunities is essential in ensuring access to higher education for all students, particularly non-traditional students. HEA should: Eliminate financial aid penalties for working and part-time students and for those seeking technical skills through non-credit coursework. Reinstate Pell grant eligibility for students who demonstrate an ability to benefit (ATB), reinstate year-round Pell, revise the semester cap, and ease the ability to use Pell for short-term training courses and programs.

Prioritize employment related to field-of-study for work-study participants and allow related work-study to qualify for required internship or apprenticeship credit, as appropriate. Evaluate financial aid rules and regulations, such as those on credit hours and gainful employment, to minimize negative impact on sub- baccalaureate public institutions.

ACTE Priorities Priority 3: Support CTE Teacher Preparation Programs & Alternative Paths to Certification With a nationwide shortage of CTE teachers and a rapidly declining availability of CTE teacher preparation programs, a reauthorized bill should include a focus on CTE teacher development. HEA should: Allow CTE teacher preparation programs access to funds under Title II of the HEA. Include priorities or incentives for teacher preparation programs to teach strategies in integrating core academics with technical skills as required in the Carl D. Perkins CTE Act of 2006. Increase access to efficient and effective alternative pathways to teacher certification for mid-career professionals, including through adjunct routes. Reevaluate the emphasis on “highly qualified teachers” as defined in ESEA in favor of educator effectiveness.

ACTE Priorities Priority 4: Evaluate Data Collection Requirements to Reduce Burden and Ensure Program Integrity Evidence-based policymaking is key to ensuring program effectiveness, but data collected should be relevant and structured in a way to avoid burden to institutions. HEA should: Ensure that data requirements align across federal programs through common measures. Require data sharing within and among states and local areas to better track post-program outcomes, including further education and employment. Include information in data systems on certificates and industry-recognized credentials earned by students. Ensure postsecondary data systems include all students and their short- and long-term outcomes. Expand the use of labor market information in program evaluation and ensure such information is accessible to students at the program level.

Sen. Landrieu Bill Jumpstart Our Businesses by Supporting Students (JOBS) Act, S. 2033 Introduced in mid-February Extends Pell grant eligibility to students enrolled in CTE programs that are at least 150 clock hours (current law is 300 clock hours) of instruction time over a minimum of 8 weeks (current law is 16 weeks) Programs must be aligned to local or regional workforce needs and provide students with an industry-recognized credential.