The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges has lost the trust of the California Community College System and a task force recommends a change in the accrediting process, reported by the 2015 Chancellor’s Office Task Force on Accreditation, Friday Aug 28.

The California Community College Chancellor Brice W. Harris released a statement saying he agrees with the report and believes that for the best interest of the 2.1 million students, they will change the way the 113 colleges are accredited.

“Regional accreditation is vitally important in helping to ensure academic quality, but the current approach in not serving our colleges and students well,” said Harris.

The ACCJC is responsible for ensuring a quality education, resources are invested in high-quality institutions and the integrity of the entire system of higher education. Colleges that don’t meet the required expectations are sanctioned, meaning they have a chance in losing their accredition, according to the Chancellor’s Office report.

Accreditation can affect students and colleges negatively from receiving federal and state financial aid to transferring credits to 4-year universities, according to the Ventura County Star’s article, Aug 28.

This is an issue because community colleges are now integrated with 4-year colleges or universities through associated degrees for transfer and baccalaureate degrees.

The task force reported that there is little evidence of the ACCJC having the willingness or ability to address the California Community Colleges’ concerns, expecially in areas of transparency, consistency and relationships between colleges.

According to the California Federation of Teachers, San Francisco City had filed a law suit against ACCJC this year at the state Superior Court, where it was ruled that the agency had broken four laws in a decision to sanction City College of San Francisco.

Stephen Blum, a member of the Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees and the task force, said, in an email, that our district was one of over half the colleges that received a sanction years ago.

Moorpark College President Luis Sanchez said, in an email, that all three colleges, Oxnard, Ventura and Moorpark, are busy working on their own self-study report in preparation for the next accreditation.

“Maintaining our good accreditation status, however, is critical to students because colleges that lose their accreditation usually close down and cease operations,” said Sanchez.

The next step in changing the accreditation process is to present the report to the Board of Governors, which will happen this month, said Blum.

“Accreditation is not a simple matter,” Blum said. “There are many factors at play and there are no simple solutions. Hopefully, people can get together to improve the current system.”