Resumen

SANTOS JR., Alfredo G. de los. Avaliação (Campinas) [online]. 2002, vol.07, n.04, pp.129-141. ISSN 1414-4077.

In the United States, there really is no "system" of higher education, but rather many institutions in an environment that is decentralized, complex, dynamic and very large. Two processes are used to assure quality in higher education: the process of accreditation and the process of recognition. The federal government does not have a role in accreditation of institutions or programs. Accreditation is private and voluntary. The process of accreditation is carried out by private, not-for-profit organizations, created specifically for this work. The system consists of three types of accreditors: regional commissions that accredit institutions in regions of the country, national accreditors that accredit institutions at the national level, and specialized and professional acreditors that accredit programs. The purposes of accreditation include quality assurance, access to federal funds, facilitation of transfer from one institution to the other and gaining confidence in higher education. The process of accreditation includes six stages: self-study, peer external evaluation, a visit by peers, written report, decision by accreditation agency, and monitoring. Two organizations carry out the process of recognition: the federal government and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The federal government carries out its responsibility of quality assurance through three activities, including recognition, based on criteria defined in federal legislation. CHEA, a national private, not-for -profit organization, uses the process of recognition based on five criteria. Many U.S. accrediting agencies accredit institutions and programs in other countries. CEA is very interested in international accreditation; and in 2002 created a commission on international accreditation, which met for the first time in January 2002. The commission will meet for the second time in Phoenix, Arizona in January 2003.

Palabras clave : Accreditation; Recognition; Higher Education; Quality; United States.

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