These are the presentations on the K20 Data Project that were presented during the Fall 2013 MACRAO meeting at MSU.

Good afternoon everyone:
 
I have been working with Neil Moisey and campus legal counsel to
update BOR Policy 320.1, Accreditation. I have attached the redlined policy to
this email. I will include my specific reasons for each proposed change below,
but first would like to address some assumptions about this policy. We have
assumed that this policy exists for the purpose of deciding which institutions
(outside of the MUS) can be lawfully authorized to operate in the State of
Montana. Pursuant to MCA 20-25-107, the Board of Regents is charged with
monitoring and/or approving non-MUS post-secondary institutions seeking to
operate in the State of Montana. The BOR history of this policy supports that
reading (See http://www.mus.edu/board/meetings/Archives/5-2001agendaBOR.htm).
 
My understanding is that at least some and maybe all campuses
rely on this board policy in determining what institutions is must accept
transfer credits from. Because of that reliance, campuses have raised concerns
about our decision to add Department of Education recognized accrediting
agencies to the list of accrediting agencies recognized by the BOR in 320.1.
Currently, the policy only lists the six regionals and any accrediting agency
recognized by CHEA. 
 
I would like to discuss this issue on Thursday as we would like
to move forward in making changes to policy 320.1, but did not intend for these
changes to have any effect on campus decisions related to the transfer of
credits and want to ensure before we make changes that they will not. To aid in
our discussion, I would point everyone towards BOR Policy 301.5, which I
believe should be looked to for purposes of credit transfer. This policy states
that “all college level courses from regionally accredited institutions of
higher education will be received and applied by all campuses of the MUS, and
by the community colleges, towards the free elective requirements of the
associate and baccalaureate degrees.” http://www.mus.edu/borpol/bor300/301-5.pdf.
 
To summarize, my reading has been that BOR Policy 320.1 does not
affect campus decisions on the transfer of credits from institutions outside of
the MUS – this policy relates to the Regents’ role as an authorizing agency
within the State of Montana, and not to any internal MUS or campus processes.
Instead, I believe that 301.5 deals with acceptance of transfer credits and
clearly states that a school must have regional accreditation for the transfer
to be automatic.
 
I have included below the explanation for the proposed changes to
320.1 for your information. I look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday.
 
Jessica

Section B:  We have been applying the religious exemption in practice and I thought it made sense to
clearly state it in board policy. I took the language from the DOE regulations that allows states to use this
exemption.

Section C:  We had been allowing CHEA approved accrediting agencies, but not DOE approved
accrediting agencies, and I could not find a good reason for the distinction.  Not accepting accrediting agencies approved by the DOE makes us an outlier compared to other states. In addition, if we want to join the state authorization reciprocity agreement, we will have to agree that accreditation by a  U.S. Dept. of Ed. recognized accrediting agency is sufficient. 
 
Section D:  Our current system makes it impossible for a new school to establish itself in Montana. We rely on accreditation for authorization, and accrediting agencies will not accept institutions as candidates for accreditation until the institution has operated for several years within a state. The proposed changes
are very similar to the system that South Dakota uses.

Jessica M. Brubaker, Associate Legal Counsel
Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education
Montana University System
2500 Broadway
Helena, MT 59620-3201
406-444-0314

According to the Residency Policy Section IC2 an individual can file an intent to establish residency. This is meant to allow a person to state they are working toward  residency without doing an action item right away. 

AACRAO joined a series of higher education community  letters (attached) to address legislation in both the House and Senate aimed at  tackling the student loan interest rate issue.
 
The Smarter Solutions for Students Act (H.R.  1911) would treat the subsidized and unsubsidized portions of  the Stafford federal student loan the same, pegging their interest rates to the
10-year Treasury rate. It would also cap the rates to protect borrowers against
anomalies. Although we agree that changes need to be made to address a long-term
plan, we have some concerns some of its provisions and their impact on
students.
 
The Senate's Student Loan Affordability Act of  2013 (S. 953) would maintain the
current 3.4 percent interest rate on subsidized student loans for another two
years, temporarily stalling the planned July 1 increase on July 1 until the
issue can be considered in the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The
legislation would pay for the extension through changes to tax law affecting
retirement accounts, the oil industry and tax deductions for foreign
companies.
 
We believe that lawmakers are motivated to reach a reasonable compromise on this matter, but the battle is just beginning. The House is scheduled for a floor vote on H.R. 1911 tomorrow. We will keep you updated.

The Residency Policy has been changed to reflect that 7 credits
or more are considered to be “in excess of one-half of a normal full time credit
load.” This change was posted on May 14, 2013. Here is a link to the updated
policy. http://www.mus.edu/borpol/bor900/940-1.pdf

I understand that this may cause confusion for students for the
upcoming semesters. The board item that made the temporary change to 8 credits
or more did explicitly state that the change was temporary and would
  automatically expire after the spring semester 2013. http://www.mus.edu/board/meetings/2012/Sept2012cc/156-101-C0912.pdf
  
In addition, the posted policy also noted in the history section
at the end of the policy that the change was temporary and would expire after
spring semester 2013.

I hope this information will help in explaining to students why
they cannot register for 7 credits for the fall semester if they are trying to
establish residency.  If our office can provide any assistance, please do
not hesitate to contact me.
 
Thanks-
Jessica
 
Jessica M. Brubaker, Associate Legal Counsel
Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education
Montana University System
2500 Broadway
Helena, MT 59620-3201
406-444-0314
jbrubaker@montana.edu

Dear Education Partners, 

Today, the U.S. Department of Education announced that beginning with the 2014-2015
  federal student aid form, the Department will – for the first time – collect
  income and other information from a dependent student’s legal parents
  regardless of the parents’ marital status or gender, if those parents live
  together. 

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will provide a new option for
  dependent applicants to describe their parents’ marital status as “unmarried
  and both parents living together.”  Additionally, where appropriate, the
  new FAFSA will use terms like “Parent 1” and “Parent 2” instead of
  gender-specific terms such as “mother” and “father.” 
 
Education Secretary Arne Duncan said, “All students should be able to apply for federal
  student aid within a system that incorporates their unique family dynamics.
  These changes will allow us to more precisely calculate federal student aid
  eligibility based on what a student’s whole family is able to contribute and
  ensure taxpayer dollars are better targeted toward those students who have the
  most need, as well as provide an inclusive form that reflects the diversity of
  American families.” 

You can read our press release below and here. 
  
We ask for your assistance in sharing this information with your members,
affiliates and networks.  

Thank you, 

Robert Gomez | Higher Education and Youth Liaison 
Office of Communications and Outreach | United States Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave, SW | Washington, D.C.  20202

Letter from GED and response letter from ETS.