12-17.5 Low Unit CERTIFICATES
in place prior to December 11, 2007

CENTRAL REGION CONSORTIUM PROTOCOL for ENDORSEMENT

LOW UNIT CONVERSION CERTIFICATE TO

CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT

IMPORTANT NOTE: This protocol is intended for conversion of low unit certificates to Certificates of Achievement that were offered by colleges prior to December 11, 2007. Use Form CCC-501 available from the Academic Affairs Unit, System Office Web site, http://www.cccco.edu.

LOW UNIT (12-17.5) CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT offered by colleges prior to 12-11-2007:

• Submit an electronic PDF file of each PROGRAM APPLICATION to the Central Region Consortium Coordinator, Sue Clark, at clarks@yosemite.edu.  See list below of required elements, as required by the System Office.

• PDF format of the application is required to facilitate the number of applications anticipated.

• Once received, the Central Region Consortium Office will forward the PDF version of the application to the designated lead vocational education administrators for review.

• A date to vote for each application will be established when the application is received.  The date will be no less than five (5) business days from the date received.  Voting will take placed via electronic ballot on the second and fourth Friday of each month.

• The Central Region Consortium office will catalog each application on a Master List to include:  Name of College, Name of Contact, Name of Program Area / Certificate, TOP Code, Date Received, Scheduled Date for Endorsement Vote, and Voting Results.  This Master List will be distributed to the general list service of the Central Region Consortium as a method of notifying the region of the existence of the pending applications and eventual outcomes of the voting process.  This list will be disseminated on the first and third Friday of each month.

• The general list service includes: Presidents, CIOs, CSSOs, lead vocational education administrators, economic development administrators, academic senate presidents, counselors, Center directors, and others.

SYSTEM OFFICE MEMO – December 11, 2007 from Carole Bogue-Feinour, Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs

12-18 (under 18 unite) UNIT CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS:
On November 27, 2007 the Career Technical Education Regional Consortia Chairs and Chancellor’s Office staff met to discuss Title 5 §55070 that defines the standards for credit Certificates of Achievement.  System Office approval is required for a Certificate of Achievement consisting of 18 or more semester units of degree-applicable credit coursework in a field of study. It should be noted that designation as a Certificate of Achievement implies that students who complete the program will be guided through a pattern of learning experiences designed to develop certain capabilities that may be oriented to career or general education. The new Title 5 regulation allows colleges to submit for approval “low-unit” certificates of 12 or more but fewer than 18 semester units as Certificates of Achievement.  In order to obtain approval, colleges must demonstrate that the certificate of 12 to 18 semester units covers a level of preparation and focused knowledge comparable to completion of Certificates of Achievement consisting of 18 or more units.

Since only Certificates of Achievement may be entered on student transcripts, colleges may want to avail themselves of this opportunity to convert some low-unit certificates to Certificates of Achievement.  At the colleges that have already been offering certificates of 12 to 18 semester units, when strong enrollment has been reported, submission of these programs for approval as Certificates of Achievement may reflect existing data.  During the meeting with the career technical education Deans last week, we concurred that we should all work together to facilitate the approval process, especially for the career technical education certificates that require concurrence from the appropriate regional consortium.   

Approval Process for Certificates of Achievement

Colleges will request approval of Certificates of Achievement by submitting the CCC-501 application, which asks for discussion and/or evidence pertaining to 21 critical items. A copy is attached for your reference. For colleges that are seeking approval of low-unit certificates that have been offered in the past, some of the items (marked with *) will require only brief responses. Numbered items in this memorandum correspond to numbered items on the application. Please see the items listed below. 

The following items are required to seek approval from the System Office for a 12 to 18-unit certificate (under 18 units) as a Certificate of Achievement:

*  1. Statement of Program Goals and Objectives

  2. Catalog Description

  3. Program Requirements

*  4. Background and Rationale

*  5. Enrollment and Completer Projections

*  6. Place of Program in Curriculum/Similar Programs

*  7. Similar Programs at Other Colleges in Service Area

  8. Labor Market Information & Analysis

11. List of Members of Advisory Committee

12. Recommendation of Advisory Committee (summary only; minutes are not required)

 Items 5, 6 and 7 should reflect existing data for the certificate as it has been offered in the past. Items 8, 11 and 12 may reflect data from the most recent program review, which may have been conducted during the past two years for career technical education programs, or current data.

These items ARE NOT REQUIRED for approval of low-unit certificates that have already been offered:

9. Employer Survey

10. Explanation of Employer Relationship

15. Library and/or Learning Resources Plan

16. Facilities and Equipment Plan

17. Financial Support Plan

18. Faculty Qualifications and Availability

19. Based on model curriculum (if applicable)

20. Licensing or Accreditation Standards

21. Student Selection and Fees

IMPORTANT:  It should be noted that these items will be required for applications for approval of all NEW certificates, including new certificates of 12 or more but fewer than 18 semester units.

Regional Consortia Review of Existing Low-Unit Certificates

If the goal of the program is career technical education, concurrence regarding approval of existing low-unit certificates as Certificates of Achievement must be obtained from the appropriate regional consortium. However, it is not necessary for the consortium to review all the materials required on the CCC-501 application. The consortium should concur that there is no unnecessary duplication of programs and should verify that sufficient labor market information justifies the program.