State board approves distance-education accreditation for Northeast Technology Center lineman program

The State Board of Career and Technology Education voted to grant full accreditation to a Northeast Technology Center program that includes a limited distance-education component, the board heard at its June meeting.

Miss Ventress, who presented the accreditation recommendation from the agency’s accreditation division, said the board’s standards for distance education address program integrity, technology, instruction, assessment and student services. She told the board that if it approves distance education for a program, “the program again becomes part of their full time, institutional accreditation that we do every 5 years” and that agency staff will perform a mid‑year follow‑up to confirm attendance tracking and program quality.

Roger Cutchfield, superintendent at Northeast Technology Center, described the program the board reviewed: a 1,500‑hour electrical lineman curriculum that the center turned into a hybrid model during COVID. Cutchfield said the proposed distance portion covers the theory component and estimated the online share at about 9% for that element, calling the model useful for instruction and coordinating internships with industry partners. “It’s that theory component that we can do remotely,” Cutchfield said.

Agency staff recommended approval after an on‑site review and an application packet that included the program’s instructional plan. The accreditation process will include a January follow‑up by agency program specialists to verify satisfactory implementation and to provide technical assistance if needed.

The board moved, seconded and approved the accreditation expansion on roll call; all members present voted yes. The approval allows Northeast Technology Center to include the approved distance‑education portion in the center’s institutional accreditation and requires the agency’s scheduled mid‑year check to monitor attendance verification and program effectiveness.

What happens next: the agency will conduct the mid‑year review and report back to the board if concerns arise or if additional monitoring is needed.