El Camino College recently completed another milestone in the process toward reaffirmation of accreditation by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). An ACCJC peer review team led by Dr. Whitney Yamamura, president of Folsom Lake College, conducted a virtual site visit Sept. 28 – Oct. 1. During the visit, the peer review team was responsible for verifying the information provided in the Institutional Self Evaluation Report (ISER) and assessing whether the institution meets eligibility requirements, accreditation standards, and commission policies. Feedback from the peer review team included appreciation for the many meetings and evidence provided, as well as the helpful El Camino faculty and staff they met. The team was especially appreciative of the support from our Accreditation Liaison Officer, Dr. Jean Shankweiler, and the many employees who developed the ISER. The peer review team also suggested some areas for improvement. Recommendations include improving instructors' communication to students in distance education, conducting systematic and regular performance evaluations, compiling disaggregated data for program reviews, and establishing a systematic review of board policies.
Going forward, the next step in the accreditation process is the development of a Peer Review report, which will be submitted to the Accreditation Commission for review and action at its January 2021 meeting. Within 30 days of that meeting, we will be notified of the Commission's action with regard to the reaffirmation of accreditation of El Camino College.
Thank you to everyone who helped contribute to the positive visit, especially Accreditation Committee Co-chairs Claudia Striepe and Dr. Christina Gold, the members of the writing teams, and Institutional Research and Planning for their contribution to the ISER. The accreditation process illustrates our efforts toward collaborative review and our collective dedication to support ongoing improvements to our college.