Diploma Mills: Don’t Strike Out MASFAP Spring Conference March 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 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 ) 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 ( – 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 Education P.O. Box 1469 Jefferson City, MO Phone: (573) Fax: (573) Info. Center: (800)