Education Dept. Gives a Boost to Competency-Based Programs

March 20, 2013

According to new guidance issued by the U.S. Education Department, colleges may now award federal student aid for degree programs that do not rely on the credit hour to measure student learning.

The department sent out a Dear Colleague Letter on Tuesday reaffirming that institutions may apply for aid under the “direct assessment” provision of the Higher Education Act. With a nod to the burgeoning Western Governor’s University, Congress approved the measure in 2005, allowing colleges to award Title IV funds based on the amount of learning a student achieved, rather than the amount of seat time.

The guidance encourages institutions that offer competency-based programs to apply for federal student aid and outlines the process step-by-step.

In the letter, David A. Bergeron, acting assistant secretary for postsecondary education, noted that competency-based programs “have the potential for assuring the quality and extent of learning, shortening the time to degree/certificate completion, developing stackable credentials that ease student transitions between school and work, and reducing the overall cost of education for both career-technical and degree programs.”

Department officials said that they would take a cautious approach to granting eligibility to degree programs that sever ties to the credit hour, which has been used as a yard marker of quality in higher education for a century, reports Inside Higher Ed. One reason is to prevent fraud and the misuse of federal aid dollars, a risk they said applies to any form of higher education.

The goal is to encourage “high-quality, rigorous” competency-based offerings, said Martha J. Kanter, the under secretary of education. “We’re at a 1.0 stage. This is the beginning of something new, so we’re going to be very careful.”

Related Links:

U.S. Department of Education’s Dear Colleague Letter

https://ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN1310.html

Press Release from the U.S. Department of Education

https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/education-department-releases-guidance-providing-title-iv-eligibility-competency

Inside Higher Ed

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/03/19/feds-give-nudge-competency-based-education

The Chronicle of Higher Education

https://chronicle.com/article/Student-Aid-Can-Be-Awarded-for/137991/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

Michelle Cormier Mott