Accreditation of English Language Training Programs Act

The Accreditation of English Language Training Programs Act was originally passed on December 14, 2011. It formally stated that all schools teaching a second language must be properly accredited and up to date on their teaching certifications and requirements. Schools had to apply for, or be in the process of, accreditation from a nationally recognized accrediting agency no later than December 14, 2013. Although there are many accrediting agencies for all different types of educational training programs, there are currently only two government-approved accreditation agencies for English language programs: the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA) and the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Training (ACCET). Optimus Language School received its accreditation from the CEA in August 2014 and has been in good standing ever since.

Unfortunately, some schools that have obtained accreditation for other types of training programs, such as acupuncture or computer programs, use that accreditation as a shield to also run unaccredited English language training programs instead of going through the difficult English language program accreditation process that takes a minimum of 2 years to complete. Operating an English language program without the necessary accreditation is not lawful. The US government has begun cracking down on these schools and the accrediting agencies that are not truly serving their purpose of granting accreditation to high-quality schools with clear intentions.

As of December 12, 2016, one accrediting agency, by the name of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), is no longer being recognized by the Department of Education as a recognized accrediting agency and all schools that currently hold accreditation from ACICS will have to apply to another government-recognized agency to earn the necessary accreditation. OLS is not affected by this because we earned our accreditation through the CEA.

OLS will continue to stay up to date with changes in education and accreditation policy, as well as changes in regard to immigration.

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Published on April 28, 2017

A leading English language school accredited by the CEA (Commission on English Language Accreditation) and approved by SEVP (Student and Exchange Visitor Program) located in Los Angeles, California. Learn English in LA with our ESL classes, TOEFL preparation, and English speaking classes. Are you serious about improving your English? Join a class today!