Accreditation Steering Committee
Meeting Minutes

MEETING DATE: 10/20/2026

DRAFT

1. Welcome

• The meeting began at 3:31pm  
• Introductions of attendees

2. Approval of Agenda

• Agenda approved with one correction: remove “Approved File Regulatory Action Distance Education Webinar” as it is part of  Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) Updates 
• The agenda was approved by committee consensus

3. Approval of Prior Minutes

• Draft minutes from September 15, 2026
• The minutes were approved by committee consensus

4. ACCJC Updates

• Midterm Report due October 15; submitted October 14 (one day early) 
• ACCJC confirmed receipt
• Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (ISER) workshop scheduled for November 6, 2:00–5:00 PM 
  • All steering committee members have calendar invites 
  • Food will be provided; exec team and College Council chairs also invited 
  • Daniel Vargas will invite student government members and other student stakeholders 
  • Michael Sullivan suggested Middle College students as potential stakeholders given state legislative focus 
  • Michael Sullivan also flagged private-sector employers of LPC graduates as a potential stakeholder category, given federal workforce and career focus 
• District accreditation site: https://clpccd.org/accreditation/timeline.php 
• Resources page: https://clpccd.org/accreditation/resources.php 
• Karen Spirn noted DEIAB coordinator Michelle should be kept in the loop; Karen will report back to her directly 

5.The RSI Rubric- Learning, Communicating, and Planning

• RSI (Regular and Substantive Interaction) standards are written in federal and state regulations and defined by ACCJC 
• Substantive interaction requires at least two of four criteria (a–d; “e” not recognized by ACCJC): 

1. 1. Direct instruction (synchronous courses only)
   2. Assessment and feedback on student coursework
   3. Instructional content (video, audio, recorded presentations, interactive lessons)
   4. Facilitating group discussion

• Regular interaction requires both standards to be met: 
  • Predictable, consistent instructor presence (announcements, replies, participation guidance) 
  • Clear communication to students of interaction expectations and response times

RSI Peer Review Process 

• ACCJC reviews a random sample of fully online credit-bearing sections from the term immediately preceding the ISER review 
  • Sample size determined by number of online sections offered; randomizer tool used; college cannot select courses 
  • Goal: at least 85% of reviewed courses must fully meet RSI standards 
  • Failure triggers a second, larger summative review
• Reviewers are added to Canvas and look at: 
  • Modules (for instructional content and direct instruction) 
  • SpeedGrader (for personalized feedback beyond scores) 
  • Discussion boards (for instructor facilitation) 
  • Announcements and course analytics (for regular interaction patterns) 
  • Syllabus (for stated interaction policies, response times, office hours, participation guidance) 
• Key nuances flagged: 
  • Content hosted outside Canvas (YouTube, external websites) may not be visible to reviewers unless it is fully open and accessible 
  • Faculty using Outlook email or Pronto instead of Canvas inbox may appear inactive; Pronto now offers an export to Canvas as a workaround 
  • Synchronous courses: reviewers look for TechConnect Zoom records of past sessions 
  • Rubric baseline (“initial” level) is the passing threshold; colleges scoring only at initial may still receive improvement recommendations 
• RSI Quality Continuum Rubric: https://accjc.org/wp-content/uploads/ACCJC-Quality-Continuum-Rubric-for-Distance-Education.pdf 
• Next step: conduct an internal random sample review of past terms (anonymous) to assess where LPC currently stands 

6. Webinars (see attachment)

• Webinars 
  • The Impact of New Federal Regulations on American Higher Education Institutions (Including Yours), Thursday, November 12 | 3:30 – 4:30 pm 
    PT
  • AI Transfer Tools to Assist Institutions in Meeting the 2027 Federal 
    Regulations for American Higher Education Institutions (Including Yours),  Thursday, December 3 | 3:30 – 4:30 pm PT 
  • Interested committee members encouraged to attend 
• Student Success Stories 
  • Inviting colleges to submit up to three student success stories for public showcasing 
  • Deadline: end of October 
  • Anyone wishing to submit should notify Nan and Rajinder 
  • Tim Druley suggested leaning on Chip’s “Unlimited Potential” campaign, which featured quotes from students who transferred 

Webinar and Student Success Stories Attachment

7. Accreditation Survey Updates

• Student accreditation survey launched (both in-person and online) 
  • In-person response rate is strong; online response rate is low 
  • Of 72 primary online sections, nearly 40 have zero student responses 
  • Rajinder to follow up with Kat King on how to address online response gap 
• Employee accreditation survey launching in November; feedback on draft items welcome, send directly to Rajinder 

8. Good of the Order

• Institutional Planning and Effectiveness Committee (IPEC) reviewing mission, vision, and values statements; college-wide email with update and feedback solicitation going out shortly

 

Timelines

• October 12 to 24: Student Satisfaction Survey Administration
• November 2 to 13: Employee Accreditation Survey Administration
• November 6, 2:00 to 5:00 pm: ISER Training
• September 2028: ISER due to the Board of Trustees
• October/November 2028: Board of Trustees
• December 15, 2028: ISER Due to ACCJC 

Meeting adjourned at 5:01 pm

Next meeting: November 17, 2026