State Authorization to Operate, State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) and Program Approvals
As a leading provider of high quality, affordable graduate programs in education, American College of Education makes all effort to ensure it operates in compliance with federal and state laws and regulations. ACE currently offers academic degree and certificate programs and courses in 49 states and the District of Columbia:
- maintains state authorization or registration to operate in 10 states;
- is permitted to operate in 38 SARA participating states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia(see below for additional information related to SARA); and
- is permitted to operate in 2 states, which does not require ACE to be authorized to operate due either to exemption from such requirements or by state regulations governing the provision of distance/online education.
State Authorization to Operate, State Authorization or Registration, Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) and Program Approvals
State Authorization or Registration to Operate
State authorization or registration to operate is the legal authorization ACE maintains in order to provide postsecondary education in a state in which it is not physically located or in which it is otherwise subject to jurisdiction as determined by the state. Because not all states require institutions to be authorized or registered to operate and the activities that require authorization vary, ACE continuously monitors regulations in all states in which it offers its academic programs and courses.
Alabama
Private School Licensure Division
Alabama Communicty College System
P. O. Box 302130
Montgomery, Alabama 36104334-293-4651
[email protected]
California
Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education
2535 Capitol Oaks Drive, Suite 400
Sacramento, California 95833
Telephone: 916-431-6959
www.bppe.ca.gov
Florida
Florida Commission for Independent Education
325 West Gaines Street, Suite 1414
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
888-224-6684 (Toll Free)
850-245-3200
www.fldoe.org/cie/
Licensed by the Commission for Independent Education (License Number 3872). Additional information regarding the institution may be obtained by contacting the Commission for Independent Education, Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Suite 1414, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400, toll-free telephone number (888)224-6684.
Georgia
Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission (GNPEC)
2082 East Exchange Place Suite 220
Tucker, Georgia, 30084-5305770-414-3300
https://gnpec.org/
Indiana
Indiana Commission for Higher Education/Indiana Board for Proprietary Education
101 West Ohio Street, Suite 300
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-232-1033
www.in.gov/bpe
American College of Education is authorized by the Indiana Board for Proprietary Education 101 West Ohio Street, Suite 300, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-1984
Louisiana
Louisiana Board of Regents
1201 North Third Street, Suite 6-200
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802
225-342-4253
http://www.regents.la.gov/
American College of Education is currently licensed by the Board of Regents of the State of Louisiana. Licenses are renewed by the State Board of Regents every two years. Licensed institutions have met minimal operational standards set forth by the state, but licensure does not constitute accreditation, guarantee the transferability of credit, nor signify that programs are certifiable by any professional agency or organization.
Maryland
Maryland Higher Education Commission
6 North Liberty Street, 10th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21201
410-767-3301
www.mhec.state.md.us
Nevada
Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education
8778 South Maryland Parkway Suite 115
Las Vegas, NV 89123702-486-7330
http://www.cpe.state.nv.us/
Pennsylvania
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Education
333 Market Street
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17126
717-787-5041
www.education.state.pa.us
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Educational Approval Board - Department of Safety and Professional Services
1400 East Washington Avenue
P.O. Box 8935
Madison, Wisconsin 53703
608-266-1996
[email protected]
www.eab.state.wi.us
American College of Education has been approved and is legally authorize to do business in the state of Wisconsin as a private postsecondary school, subject to the provisions of section 38.50 Wisconsin Statutes, and all administrative rules adopted pursuant to the statutes. Approval includes only those programs and those locations specifically approved by the Board.
State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) States
On December 8, 2014, the College received recognition as an institutional participant in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) from the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). Per NC-SARA, SARA “establishes a state-level reciprocity process that will support the nation in its efforts to increase the educational attainment of its people” by mandating that institutions only need home state authorization in order to offer distance education to any other SARA member state. For ACE students, this means that the institution is able to expand its offering of academic programs to residents of SARA participant states, while maintaining same the level of high quality on which the College was founded under the sole regulatory oversight of the Indiana Board for Proprietary Education - its home state regulator. This list is subject to change as a result of SARA agreements with states.
ACE offers all or a selection of its academic programs in the following SARA participant states (Note: ACE’s home state of Indiana, a SARA participant state, is not listed): Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Exemptions and States Where Authorization is Not Required
For a number of reasons, including the facts that ACE delivers all academic program coursework online and does not have a physical presence in the state, ACE is either exempt from or otherwise not required to obtain state authorization in order to offer all or a selection of its distance education programs in the states listed below. Please note: each state has a unique definition of “physical presence” and the list is subject to change based on state regulations.
Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education
Institutional Authorization
P.O. Box 110505
Juneau, Alaska 99811-0505
Telephone: 907-465-5316
Website: https://acpe.alaska.gov/Institutional-Authorization
Massachusetts Department of Higher Education
One Ashburton Place, Room 1401
Boston, Massachusetts 02108
Telephone: 617-994-6950
Website: http://www.mass.edu/home.asp
The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education does not require institutions that offer courses through online/distance education without a physical presence in the state to be authorized.
State Board of Nursing/State Agency exemption to offer the Master’s Degree in Nursing program (RN to MSN)
Because ACE offers a post-RN Nursing program online and does not have a physical presence in the state and is an approved member of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), ACE is either exempt from or otherwise not required to obtain State Board of Nursing program approval to offer the Master’s Degree in Nursing program (RN to MSN) from the following states listed below.
Alaska, Alabama Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
State Board of Nursing/State Agency approvals to offer the Master’s Degree in Nursing program (RN to MSN)
Some states require the review and approval of a post-RN program by the State Board of Nursing or specific state agency before it can be offered within a state. ACE has obtained State Board of Nursing/State Agency program approval to offer the Master’s Degree in Nursing program (RN to MSN) from the State Board of Nursing/State Agency listed below:
Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission (GNPEC)
2082 East Exchange Place Suite 220
Tucker, Georgia, 30084-5305
770-414-3300
https://gnpec.org/
State Program Approvals Leading to Licensure or Certification
An institution’s academic program is granted approval upon application by evidencing that it meets specific requirements of that state. As of the publication date of this Catalog, ACE has obtained state program approval for its M.Ed. in Educational Leadership, or Master of Arts in Teaching and Transition to Teaching programs from the state agencies listed below:
Florida Department of Education Bureau of Educator Certification
Turlington Building, Suite 1514
325 West Gaines Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
Telephone: 850-245-0505
Website: www.fldoe.org/edcert
The M.Ed. in Educational Leadership program has been approved as a preparatory program for persons applying for Certification in Educational Leadership (License Number: 3872)
Indiana Department of Education
South Tower, Suite 600
115 West Washington Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
Telephone: (317) 232-6610
Website: www.doe.in.gov/idoe
The M.Ed. in Educational Leadership program is approved as leading to principal certification in Indiana. The Transition to Teaching certificate programs and the Master of Arts in Teaching degree programs are approved as leading to initial teacher licensure in Indiana.
Ohio Board of Regents
25 South Front Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215-414
Telephone: 614-466-6000
Website: www.OhioHigherEd.org
The M.Ed. in Educational Leadership program is approved for building principal licensure (Grades PK-6, Grades 4-9, and Grades 5-12).
Texas Education Agency
1701 North Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas, 78701
Telephone: 512-463-9734
Website: www.tea.state.tx.us
The M.Ed. in Educational Leadership program is approved as leading to administrator/building principal certification in Texas.
State Course Sequence Approval
Illinois State Board of Education
100 North 1st Street
Springfield, Illinois 62777
Telephone: 866-262-6663 217-782-4321
Website: http://www.isbe.state.il.us/licensure/default.htm
The Bilingual Education, English as a Second Language, Learning Behavior Specialist 1, and Early Childhood Special Education course sequences are approved by the Illinois State Board of Education as meeting the coursework requirements for endorsements in these areas.
International
Bahamas Institutional Recognition
American College of Education has been granted Institutional Recognition status by The National Accreditation & Equivalency Council of The Bahamas (NAECOB).
The Institutional Recognition status does not suggest that American College of Education now has accreditation with NAECOB.
Institutional Recognition status indicates that the institution currently holds full accreditation status from international or regional accreditation bodies recognized by NAECOB. NAECOB’s Institutional Recognition permits the institution to recruit for and offer educational programs in The Bahamas.
Please direct all inquiries regarding the status of American College of Education’s Institutional Recognition to a representative of NAECOB. Their contact information is outlined below:
The National Accreditation and Equivalency Council of The Bahamas (NAECOB)
RND Plaza West
John F. Kennedy Drive
P.O. Box N-3913
Nassau, The Bahamas
Telephone: 328-8872/3
Email: [email protected]
A Note on Licensure, Certification and Endorsements
The requirements for professional licensure, certification, endorsement, salary increase, and related employment benefits vary from state to state and district to district and change frequently and without notice. ACE program completers seeking such benefits may be required to satisfy additional state or district specific requirements. While ACE makes every reasonable effort to remain abreast of state licensure requirements, the College neither implies nor guarantees that the completion of an ACE degree or certificate program will result in eligibility for licensure, certification, endorsement, salary increase, or related employment benefit in any state. Prospective students are strongly advised to verify the benefit(s) for which they may be eligible upon completion with their state’s licensure agency prior to enrolling in an American College of Education degree or certificate program.
The National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) has negotiated licensure reciprocity agreements among states. This means that if you earn teacher or administrator licensure in Indiana, you may be able to gain licensure in your home state based on proof of a valid Indiana license. NASDTEC agreements can be found on the NASDTEC website: http://www.nasdtec.net/?page=Interstate&hhSearchTerms=%22reciprocity%22
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