Washington Post 2011 Annual Report Download - page 22

In August 2011, the DOE conducted a program review of the Riverside, CA, campus. The DOE issued a final report on
August 23, 2011, indicating no findings.
In August 2011, the DOE conducted a program review of the Harrisburg, PA, campus and its branch campuses. The
DOE issued a final report on September 20, 2011, indicating no findings.
In September 2011, the DOE conducted a program review of the Houston, TX, campuses, which comprise the four Texas
School of Business campuses. On October 27, 2011, the DOE issued an “expedited” final report requiring no action on
behalf of the Houston campuses.
In September 2011, the DOE conducted a program review of the San Antonio, TX, campuses. On October 24, 2011,
the DOE issued an “expedited” final report requiring no action on behalf of the San Antonio campuses.
Institutional and Programmatic Accreditation. Accreditation is a process through which an institution submits itself to
qualitative review by an organization of peer institutions. Pursuant to the Higher Education Act, the DOE relies on
accrediting agencies to determine whether the academic quality of an institution’s educational programs is sufficient to
qualify the institution to participate in Title IV programs. As noted previously, to remain eligible to participate in Title IV
programs, a school must maintain its institutional accreditation by an accrediting agency recognized by the DOE. In
2011, no KHE school received notice from its institutional accreditors indicating that the school’s accreditation was being
withdrawn or that the school was being issued an order to show cause why its accreditation should not be withdrawn.
Programmatic accreditation is the process through which specific programs are reviewed and approved by industry- and
program-specific accrediting entities. Although programmatic accreditation is not generally necessary for Title IV eligibility,
such accreditation may be required to allow students to sit for certain licensure exams or work in a particular profession or
career.
On January 26, 2012, Kaplan University received a notice from the Florida Board of Nursing regarding the Associate’s
degree in nursing program at the Pembroke Pines facility. The letter required Kaplan University to appear at a hearing on
February 1, 2012, to discuss the performance of program graduates on the national nursing certifying exam (NCLEX),
which has fallen below the required standard. As a result of the hearing, the program was placed on probationary status
until the exam pass-rate improves. Under the Florida Board of Nursing Rules, a failure to achieve the required NCLEX
passage standard in either of the next two calendar years could result in the program losing its license to operate in
Florida.
On December 21, 2011, Kaplan College’s North Hollywood, CA campus received notification that the Joint Review
Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) withdrew the college’s accreditation for its radiologic
technologist program. This program had 163 students on December 31, 2011. Kaplan College has appealed this
decision, and the accreditation will be maintained during the pendency of the appeal. Loss of JRCERT accreditation for
this program may have a material impact on Kaplan College’s North Hollywood campus.
In November 2011, an internal investigation determined that certain students in the Dental Assistant program at Kaplan
College’s Charlotte, NC, campus had not received clear guidance regarding the program’s accreditation and the
employment prospects for graduates of the program. Because the Dental Assistant program is not programmatically
accredited, students graduating from the program are considered by the regulatory agency in North Carolina to have
“Dental Assistant I” status instead of a more advanced “Dental Assistant II” status. All students in the Charlotte Dental
Assistant program were given full tuition refunds, and current students and graduates were offered stipends in exchange
for signing settlement agreements. As of December 31, 2011, the vast majority of the affected students have signed
settlement agreements. The school ceased enrollment in the program and withdrew its license to operate the program in
North Carolina. No other programs at this campus were affected.
In August 2011, Kaplan College’s Modesto, CA, campus was ordered by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education
Schools (ABHES) to show cause why continued accreditation of its Medical Assisting program should not be denied due
to low placement rates. Kaplan College Modesto responded, and ABHES agreed to continue the current grant of
accreditation through December 31, 2012, to allow the campus additional time to continue to show compliance with
ABHES standards. Loss of ABHES accreditation for this program would have a material impact on the Modesto campus.
In March 2011, Kaplan University’s institutional accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central
Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC) sent a request for information to Kaplan University asking for documents and a
report detailing Kaplan University’s admissions practices and describing Kaplan University’s compliance with HLC Core
Components and policies. Kaplan University complied with this request on April 29, 2011. On January 19, 2012, the
HLC sent a follow-up request for additional information. There is no date for a formal response or determination from HLC.
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