The California Community Colleges Board of Governors on Monday unanimously directed the state Chancellor’s Office to develop a new model for accrediting the system’s colleges and to report back in March 2016 on details and a timeline for implementing the changes.

The board approved a resolution citing the need to raise the professionalism of accreditation in California, stating that the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) has lost credibility with its peers and no longer meets the current and anticipated needs of California community colleges.

The board also declared that the community college system’s establishment of a bachelor’s degree program and its strengthened transfer pathways, such as the Associate Degree for Transfer program, require peer review from four-year colleges and universities to ensure top quality for students. The ACCJC does not accredit four-year institutions.

“The Board of Governors is looking to the future needs of our colleges and striving to ensure the highest level of quality for the 2.1 million students we serve,” Board President Geoffrey L. Baum said. “There is widespread agreement among faculty, staff, trustees and other leaders within our system that the current accreditation process needs significant improvement. We look forward to examining a proposal for change early next year.”

A task force appointed by Chancellor Brice W. Harris concluded in a report released in August 2015 that the ACCJC had lost the confidence of the college system, noting disproportionately high and frequent sanctions imposed on California colleges when compared to colleges in other regions of the country.

The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation composed of 72 districts and 113 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year. Community colleges supply workforce training, basic skills education in English and math, and prepare students for transfer to four-year institutions. The Chancellor’s Office provides leadership, advocacy and support under the direction of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges.

For more information about the community colleges, please visit http://californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/ , https://www.facebook.com/CACommColleges or https://twitter.com/CalCommColleges .