The historical development of the criteria used by the United States Commissioner of Education to recognize approval and accrediting agencies is discussed. The criteria have evolved from the simple, six-part 1948 edition to the draft of the new edition which encompasses 54 criteria. The proposed criteria, like the 1948 version and unlike those of 1952, 1969, and 1974, spell out specific requirements which accrediting agencies must look for in institutional or program accreditation. Over the years the number and types of accredited institutions and programs have greatly increased. Five major concerns of the public have dominated the last decade in accreditation: (1) accountability of the process; (2) consumer protection as evidenced by the inclusion of the criterion on ethical practices regarding recruitment, admission, and tuition refund policies; (3) responsiveness of the process to national and state needs and objectives; (4) flexibility of the process to accommodate new forms of educational enterprises; and (5) reexamination of the validity and reliability of the accrediting standards and techniques used in order to avoid inadequately supported, overly subjective, or biased decisions. (RL)