Verification, Please

A bill passed yesterday by the U.S. House of Representatives to reauthorize the Higher Education Act contains a provision to make sure distance-education students are who they say they are. Under the legislation, accreditors that evaluate online programs or institutions must require colleges to have a way to verify that the student who registers for the course is the same student who completes the course at a distance. Accrediting officials say they should be able to handle the new requirement without difficulty.