Accreditation
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Glendale Adventist Academy holds the highest level of accreditation from the Western
Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC school ID#: 1999950999). GAA was
first accredited by this organization in 1964 and the current evaluation term expires
in 2016. Accreditation through WASC is purely voluntary, however, it
serves as a "truth in advertising" for the schools that participate. WASC
accreditation, "is affirmation by professional peer evaluators that a school is
what it declares it is and does what it does in accordance with criteria set by the
academic community and is committed to continuous improvement."¹
Educational leaders in the 19th Century began calling for a more standardized criteria for high schools in the United States.Accreditation programs were created in answer to this call.These programs are designed to help schools in meeting the desired criteria established by these leaders as well as assist in the establishing and maintaining consistent improvement. Accreditation for a school means recognition from the public and other educational institutions that the established criteria or standards and the school's own stated goals are being met.Accreditation is granted to a school only after a comprehensive self-study and on-site evaluatioin of the whole institution's curriculum and operations.As a result of this evaulation, all courses and programs are covered by accreditation. As a matter of consistency, all schools in the United States - both public and private - are evaluated on the same level.Educators and administrators from public and private schools are trained in the same WASC workshops, basic criteria is the same for both and self-study reports are constructed in similar fashion. The on-site evaluations are performed the same way as well. Evaluation terms last from one to six years.Six year terms require some level of progress being reported at least every three years in the form of a written self-evaluation or a written evaluation and on-site visit.Shorter terms require more frequent reports. For more information on Western Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation, please visit WASC's Accreditation Commission for Schools website at: http://www.acswasc.org Glendale Academy is also accredited by the Seventh-day Adventist North American Division Commission on Accreditation.Information regarding the policies for accreditation can be obtained at: http://www.nadeducation.adventist.org/policies/fg05.html |
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¹ Western Association of Schools and Colleges Internet Website FAQ page. http://www.acswasc.org |
