Accreditation

Members of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) committee toured the campus of Crescenta Valley High School last week. They were there to complete an accreditation process that began with an application to WASC requesting a visit. A committee of parents, school staff and administrators completed the form which describes the school's attributes and ties to the community. The next step is a visit from committee members, which happened Sunday evening. A reception was held at the school where the committee could meet with students, parents and administration members.

Karen S. Kim GRIFFITH PARK -- The Los Angeles Zoo will be under the eye of scrutiny this week, but Zoo Director Manual Mollinedo said he's not too worried. "I feel confident," he said. "The zoo itself is looking good. The county of Los Angeles can really take pride in the zoo that they have here." A three-member review team from the American Zoo and Aquarium Assn. will visit the zoo between Wednesday and Friday to inspect whether the zoo meets the guidelines for accreditation from the association.

Glendale Unified School District's Verdugo Academy was recommended recently for state accreditation. Four state educators conducted a site visit of the school April 20 and recommended that the school receive accreditation by the Western Assn. of Schools and Colleges. State educators will make a final decision in June. The Verdugo Academy offers a home-study program for students in kindergarten through eighth grade and an independent-study program for students in grades nine through 12. The school serves about 120 students.

Verdugo Hills Hospital has been awarded accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. In May, the commission surveyed Verdugo Hills, including the medical center's HomeCare and Long-Term Care services departments. "The community should be proud that Verdugo Hills Hospital is focusing on the most challenging goal -- to continuously improve quality, service and safety," Dr. Russell Massaro, executive vice president of accreditation operations for the commission, released in a statement.

If colleges got report cards, Glendale Community College just received the highest passing grade possible. GCC received a six-year accreditation from the regional accrediting team, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. The ACCJC visited the college in mid-March to evaluate the school to make sure its programs meet or exceed state regulations. ACCJC is authorized by the United States Department of Education to evaluate public community, private nonprofit, private proprietary and religion-based institutions.

Judy Seckler HOOVER HIGH SCHOOL -- When Hoover High School received a three-year accreditation in 1997, it knew it had gotten a wake-up call from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. In educational circles, the goal is to receive from the six-year accreditation, Hoover Co-principal Pam Good said. Anything less is not good, she said. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is a state commission that conducts campus visits to determine a school's accreditation.

Gary Moskowitz Students and faculty at Daily High School will tell you things at school are changing for the better. Daily High, Glendale Unified School District's continuation high school, received its accreditation this month from the Western Assn. of Schools and Colleges. The association is one of six regional associations that accredit public and private schools, colleges, and universities in the United States, said district spokesman Vic Pallos.

Crescenta Valley High School was recently awarded a six-year clear accreditation with a three-year "brief written report." This is the best accreditation a school can earn. Crescenta Valley was one of four clear six-year schools visited in more than 100 visits by the Western Assn. of Schools and Colleges (WASC) representative. The visiting committee from WASC believed that working with students and parents, the staff can continue to move Crescenta Valley High School forward.

A year after being placed on warning status, Glendale Community College has regained positive standing with officials who oversee its accreditation. The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges late last month notified Glendale Community College that its accreditation had been reaffirmed after addressing several key planning and operational issues. “The whole campus was celebrating,” said Board of Trustees President Anita Gabrielian. “The Board of Trustees is very pleased and thankful for the hard work of everybody on campus.

Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center has been granted a three-year accreditation in echocardiography in the area of adult transthoracic by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission. Early detection of life-threatening heart disorders and other diseases is possible through the use of echocardiography procedures performed within hospitals, outpatient centers and physician offices. While these tests are helpful, there are many facets that contribute to an accurate diagnosis based on echocardiography testing.

A year after being placed on warning status, Glendale Community College has regained positive standing with officials who oversee its accreditation. The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges late last month notified Glendale Community College that its accreditation had been reaffirmed after addressing several key planning and operational issues. “The whole campus was celebrating,” said Board of Trustees President Anita Gabrielian. “The Board of Trustees is very pleased and thankful for the hard work of everybody on campus.

Glendale Adventist Medical Center this week announced that it has been accredited as a Chest Pain Center for its programs aimed at more quickly treating potential heart attacks. The distinction, given by the Society of Chest Pain Centers, is for those hospitals with standardized diagnostic and treatment programs for patients who exhibit symptoms of heart attack. According to an announcement from the hospital, the accreditation also recognizes preventive care to reduce risk factors.

Eight months after being warned they weren’t doing enough to address certain key planning and employee issues, officials say Glendale Community College is on track to regain its positive standing with a state accrediting commission. College officials must submit a report to the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges on March 15 that addresses four of nine recommendations set forth last year during an accreditation review. A draft of the report has already been reviewed by the Glendale Community College Board of Trustees.

A gala fundraiser for Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center's Chest Pain Center was topped off with a surprise announcement on Sunday that the program would receive accreditation as the first of its kind in Los Angeles County. The 23rd annual "Evening of Wine and Roses — A Tuscan Affair" raised funds for the center with an evening of Italian wine and gourmet cuisine. More than 750 people attended the festivities held outdoors on the hospital grounds. The evening began with a reception and silent auction with lavish hors d'oeuvres and specialty libations created by celebrity mixologist Jacopo Falleni.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE ? After more than year of broken trust between the Glendale Community College Board of Trustees, senior leadership and its campus constituent groups, an outside panel Thursday said there was no need for improvement. The remarks by Constance Carroll ? chancellor of the San Diego Community College District, the nation?s sixth-largest ? mark a turning point for the college, officials said. ?What this means is, a recognition that all of you, your Board of Trustees, your faculty, your classified staff, your student leadership, everyone involved in the governance of this institution has got it right,?

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — Glendale Community College officials continue to refine their application to renew the college’s accreditation to prove its firm instructional and vocational footing. The process would be the first since 2002, and culminates March 15 when a team of about 12 educators from the Western Assn. of Schools and Colleges begin touring, inspecting and analyzing the college’s performance and trends. The review centers on the college’s mission, as well as leadership and governance, student services, instruction, technology, infrastructure, human resources and more.

Hospital notches accreditation Glendale Adventist Medical Center Outpatient Cardiac Imaging Center was awarded a three-year term of accreditation in Nuclear Medicine Services on Thursday as the result of a recent survey by the American College of Radiology. The Virginia-based American College of Radiology awards accreditation to facilities for the achievement of high-practice standards after a peer-review evaluation of the practice. Evaluations are conducted by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field.

Stroke victims Diana Concepcion and Llona Simon-Muller took the stage before a crowd in the Glendale Adventist Medical Center auditorium Thursday. But instead of telling stories of the tragedy of their experience, they emphasized the need to stay positive when facing life after a stroke. Surrounding them were many others who had suffered strokes and lived to tell about their experience at a special program at the hospital titled "Surviving Stroke: Life and Living." "We're a community," Simon-Muller said.

Crescenta Valley High School was recently awarded a six-year clear accreditation with a three-year "brief written report." This is the best accreditation a school can earn. Crescenta Valley was one of four clear six-year schools visited in more than 100 visits by the Western Assn. of Schools and Colleges (WASC) representative. The visiting committee from WASC believed that working with students and parents, the staff can continue to move Crescenta Valley High School forward.