Measures for student achievement

Section 496 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1099b) is amended by adding at the end the following: (r) Measures for student achievement (1) In general In order to be recognized by the Secretary as a reliable authority as to the quality of education or training offered by an institution of higher education seeking to participate in the programs authorized under this title or for the purpose of participation in other programs administered by the Department of Education or other Federal agencies requiring approval, an accrediting agency or association shall set baseline thresholds on measures and data definitions established by the Secretary and require that each institution of higher education or program subject to its jurisdiction meet or exceed the baseline thresholds for the student achievement measures described in paragraph (2), in order to remain accredited by the agency or association. (2) Student achievement measures The Secretary shall establish student achievement measures for use by accrediting agencies and associations under paragraph (1), such as measures of academic progression, loan repayment outcomes, post-college earnings, and debt relative to earnings, or any other measure, as determined by the Secretary through regulation, developed in consultation with the Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics. (3) Data definitions The Secretary shall, through regulations, establish data definitions for each of the student achievement measures described in paragraph (2) in relation to the institution’s mission. (4) Student achievement data The Secretary shall annually provide the necessary institutional or programmatic student achievement data to accrediting agencies and associations to carry out this subsection. (5) Review of student achievement standards To assess an accrediting agency or association’s effectiveness in setting benchmarks under subsection (a)(5), the Secretary shall, during the recognition process, select not fewer than 10 of the institutions or programs approved by the accrediting agency or association and review the benchmarks established by the agency or association for such institutions or programs, their performance on standards, and any action taken by the accrediting agency with respect to the institution’s or program’s compliance on student achievement. (6) Rule of construction Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as prohibiting an accrediting agency or association from assessing institutions of higher education or programs beyond what is required by this subsection, or in subsection (a)(5)(A), for the purposes of continuous institutional or programmatic improvement..