Northwest dual credit program receives national reaccreditation

The National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) has announced its reaccreditation of concurrent enrollment programs offered by 10 colleges and universities – including Northwest Missouri State University – that provide college credit-bearing courses to high school students taught by college-approved high school teachers.

As the nation’s only accrediting body for these educational partnerships, NACEP’s standards serve as the model criteria for ensuring parity in faculty, course content, student outcomes and support. Receiving NACEP accreditation means an institution has met its rigorous standard in concurrent enrollment program development, management and evaluation across multiple, multifaceted program areas.

Northwest’s dual credit program allows high school students to earn college credit from the University while still in high school. Courses are taught by high school faculty at the enrolled students’ home high schools, and offered through Northwest Online with instruction provided by University faculty. To enroll, students must be recommended by their high school and meet Northwest admission standards.

“Having our dual credit accreditation reaffirmed solidifies the quality of our programming and demonstrates that Northwest is committed to providing high-quality dual credit programming to area high school students,” Dr. Jay Johnson, associate provost for academic operations and development at Northwest, said. “Northwest’s efforts in dual credit are an important part of establishing our presence in the region. I commend Amy Washam, the director of Northwest Missouri State University-Kansas City, for leading this process as well as the faculty, liaisons and all other Northwest personnel who participated in this exercise.”

NACEP is the leading membership organization supporting programs that successfully transition students from high school to college through college credit-bearing courses. Its national member network of close to 500 institutions partner to offer college courses to high school students through a variety of delivery methods.

To earn NACEP accreditation, concurrent enrollment programs conduct a self-study, document how their programs adhere to NACEP’s 16 standards and undergo a rigorous peer-review process conducted by a team of representatives from NACEP-accredited programs and members of the NACEP Accreditation Commission. NACEP’s accreditation is valid for seven years.

Northwest is one 134 NACEP-accredited programs in 26 states. For a complete list of NACEP-accredited programs, visit http://www.nacep.org/accredited-programs/.

For more information about Northwest’s dual credit program, visit http://xnc.yutb.net/Academics/dualcredit/.