(a) There is hereby established the Committee on Accreditation consisting of 12 members selected for their distinguished records of accomplishment in education. Six members shall be from postsecondary education institutions, and six shall be certificated professionals in public schools, school districts, or county offices of education in California. No member shall serve on the committee as a representative of any organization or institution. Membership shall be, to the maximum extent possible, balanced in terms of ethnicity, gender, and geographic regions. The committee shall include members from elementary and secondary schools, and members from public and private institutions of postsecondary education.

(b) The terms of committee members shall be in accordance with the accreditation framework. Appointment of the initial committee members shall be from nominees submitted by a panel of distinguished educators, who are named by a consensus of the commission and the accreditation advisory council, pursuant to Section 44371, as that section read on December 31, 1993. Appointment of subsequent committee members shall be from nominees submitted by a distinguished panel named by a consensus of the commission and the Committee on Accreditation. For each committee position to be filled by the commission, the panel shall submit two highly qualified nominees.

(c) The committee shall do, but shall not be limited to doing, all of the following:

(1) Make decisions about the accreditation of educator preparation. The committee’s decisionmaking process shall be in accordance with the accreditation framework.

(2) Make decisions about the initial accreditation of new programs of educator preparation in accordance with procedures established by the committee.

(3) Determine the comparability of standards submitted by applicants with those adopted by the commission, in accordance with the accreditation framework.

(4) Adopt guidelines for accreditation reviews, and monitor the performance of accreditation teams and other aspects of the accreditation system.

(5) Present an annual accreditation report to the commission and respond to accreditation issues and concerns referred to the committee by the commission.

(Repealed and added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 426, Sec. 7. Effective January 1, 1994.)