Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA)

Firstly, can you give us a brief introduction to CEA Commission on English Language Program Accreditation ?

The Commission on English Language Program began accreditation activities 25 years ago, in 1999, making this year CEA’s 25th Anniversary year. CEA now accredits over 330 programs and language institutions in 37 states and 11 countries, and has a full-time staff of eight. In addition to small receptions at conferences put on by CEA’s founding agencies: TESOL, NAFSA, and EnglishUSA, CEA is publishing a research study on the benefits of self study.

How and why CEA was established?

CEA’s origin story began more than a decade before its official incorporation and beginning of accreditation activities in 1999. Professionals from the field, including leadership from EnglishUSA (formerly AAIEP- American Association of Intensive English Programs), the NAFSA  A-TESL group, UCIEP (University and College Intensive English Program Consortium) approached the TESOL International Organization to form a body to focus on accreditation of English as a second language programs and institutions.

Like many specialized accreditors, this was a grass-roots initiative from within the field as a result of professionalization of the field and a desire to develop quality indicators and oversight specific to English language teaching. There was also a desire for an external marker for students, sponsors, and others to ensure that students were attending schools with robust curricula, student services, and transparent fee structures. An Accreditation Advisory Council (AAC), comprised of leaders in the field, drafted CEA’s initial standards and three university-based programs were the first to come before the Commission for an accreditation decision in 1999.

Heidi Vellenga, Executive Director of CEA.

What have been the landmark moments in the history of CEA?

• 2003 initial USDE recognition
• 2013 CEA’s rapid growth due to the Accreditation Act

CEA began with recognition by the US Secretary of Education in mind, and the standards, policies, and procedures were built around good practice in accreditation as well as good practice in the field of English language teaching. CEA achieved initial recognition from the US Secretary of Education in 2003, and has maintained recognition through successful renewal petitions throughout its history until today. Our most recent recognition in 2022 was for 5 years. In CEA’s formative years, staff and the Commission dealt with issues such as distance education and international accreditation, and established task forces to work on both issues in 2003.

Ten years later, in 2013, CEA tripled in size as a result of the Accreditation Act (PL 111-306), signed into law in 2010, and which required all US-based schools wishing to admit students on student visas for English language training to be accredited. All schools needed to be accredited prior to December 2013, and CEA, with a staff of 3 and dedicated volunteer peer reviewers and commissioners, carried out nearly 150 site visits and accreditation decisions that year alone.

The current CEA team.

Tell us about the accreditation process.

CEA’s accreditation process is similar to many specialized accreditors in the US. There is an initial eligibility application to ensure that the program or institution seeking accreditation is within CEA’s scope of recognition and meets basic eligibility requirements (has a postsecondary program with a curriculum designed to serve the needs of non-native speakers of English, offers multiple levels of instruction for at least three months/year, and has been in operation and provided instruction for at least one year).

Once eligibility is determined, applicants must send a representative to a mandatory accreditation workshop, and spend 12-16 months conducting rigorous self-study, culminating in a self-study report, which is submitted to CEA. Once the report is reviewed for completeness, a site visit is scheduled. Site visits typically take two and a half days, and the report and the school’s practices are reviewed by a two-member peer review team, supported by a representative of CEA staff. After the visit, the review team produces a review team report, which is sent to the school for a response, and then the school is considered for an accreditation decision by the Commission. The entire process takes two-three years.

CEA recently held a 25th anniversary celebration.

What can you tell us about CEA currently, in terms of programs accredited etc.?

CEA currently accredits over 300 programs and institutions, 33 of which are located in 11 countries outside the US. Just over half of the US-based sites are standalone institutions, and the rest are programs housed within accredited colleges or universities. 25 years on, the majority of CEA’s programs and institutions are in reaccredited status, meaning that they have completed their 5-year initial term of accreditation and are in their first or second term of 10-year reaccreditation.

What can you tell us about the data that CEA gathers?

CEA collects data from its accredited programs and institutions as part of the site visit, interim report, and annual report processes. CEA has strict confidentiality protocols and does not share information apart from public information as required by the US Department of Education, which includes the accredited status and scope of accreditation. All accredited sites appear on the directory on the CEA website. Each year, CEA distributes an Annual Report Summary to its accredited programs and institutions, and shares some aggregate data related to standards compliance and grants of accreditation during workshops and public presentations.

A CEA meeting in December 2021, the only in-person event it could hold during a two-year period in the pandemic.

It was a challenging period for the language teaching sector in the USA even before Covid. What is your perspective on how the sector is shaping up currently?

Even before COVID, accredited programs and institutions in the US were beginning to feel enrollment contractions for various reasons. Throughout the pandemic, we saw schools responding to the pandemic and delivering effective instruction through distance education. Though the temporary flexibilities have ended for online education for ESL students on visas in the US, there is some interest among CEA-accredited schools in maintaining distance education programs to serve non F-1 students. While there were several closures and voluntary withdrawals from accreditation, that number has remained constant since 2019.

Michael Steadman was a member of the Accreditation Advisory Committee, a member of the first commission, and an early chair of the Commission (2002).

At the same time, we are encouraged by a steady number of applicants for initial accreditation and a growing number of applications for additional branch locations, that is, instructional locations being opened by already-accredited programs and institutions. There continues to be international interest in CEA accreditation, as well, with a higher proportion of international locations in the current pool of in-process applicants. Beyond interest in accreditation, we are optimistic for the sector as a whole as we are seeing programs and institutions responding to changing student needs through increased diversity in special and custom programming, and acknowledgement in the ways in which postsecondary English language programs contribute to internationalization of higher education, and the possibility of a national strategy for internationalization in the US.

What is CEA doing to celebrate the 25th anniversary?

To celebrate its 25th year of accreditation activities, CEA is recognizing the contributions of its founders and founding organizations, current and former commissioners, volunteer peer reviewers, and staff, throughout the year.

Small gatherings in conjunction with conferences hosted by associations instrumental in CEA’s foundation have been held in Tampa (TESOL International), New Orleans (NAFSA), and Alexandria (EnglishUSA), and a reception for former commissioners was held in conjunction with the Commission’s August meeting. CEA is also publishing the results of a research study on the benefits of self-study, incorporating analysis of themes identified in more than 500 reports from the past 10 years.

What does CEA have planned in the months ahead?

Similar to during CEA’s early years, our focus remains on serving the field through accreditation activities which balance support for schools with compliance oversight. Unlike 25 years ago, we are dealing with hundreds of schools and thousands of reports each year. CEA has begun work on its USDE renewal petition, and continues to explore issues related to distance education and international accreditation, as we first did in 2003. In the months ahead, CEA plans to continue to develop and refine procedures related to the review of distance education, and has established an ad hoc Research and Expansion Committee to carry out aspects related to strategic plan priorities related to research and appropriate expansion of scope.

Heidi (left) with Terry O’Donnell (founding Executive Director 1999-2014) and Mary Reeves (Exec Director 2014-2022).

Heidi Vellenga is Executive Director of CEA Commission on English Language Program Accreditation.