What is accreditation?
Accreditation is a status granted to an educational institution that has been found to meet or exceed stated criteria of educational quality. Institutions voluntarily seek accreditation, and it is conferred by non-governmental bodies. Accreditation has two fundamental purposes: • to assure the quality of the institution, and • to encourage institutional improvement. Accreditation of an institution by an institutional accrediting body certifies to general public that the institution: • has appropriate purposes; • has the resources needed to accomplish its purposes; • can demonstrate that it is accomplishing its purposes; and • gives reason to believe it will continue to accomplish its purposes.
ACA Accreditation means that a camp cares enough to undergo a thorough (over 300 health and safety standards) review of its operation – from staff qualifications and training to emergency management. American Camp Association collaborates with experts from The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Red Cross, and other youth service agencies to assure that current practices at camp reflect the most up-to-date, research-based standards in camp operation. Camps and ACA form a partnership that promotes growth and fun in an environment committed to safety.
Accreditation with the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA) is a voluntary self assessment process that health service organizations use to evaluate and to improve the quality of their services. Accreditation gives Capital Health the opportunity to assess its health system against national standards and identify areas where we excel and opportunities for improvement.
Accreditation refers to the formal recognition by a specialized body – an accreditation body (AB)- that a certification body (CB) is competent to perform ISO 9001:2000 certification in specified business sectors. In simple terms, accreditation is certification of the CB. Certificates issued by accredited CB’s, known as “accredited certificates”, may be perceived on the market as having increased credibility. Therefore, it is okay to state that your organization has been “certified” or “registered”, but inaccurate to state that it has been “accredited” (unless your organization is a certification/registration body).
Accreditation has two purposes: quality assurance and school improvement. Schools commit to meeting standards set by the association (quality assurance) and to engaging in a ten-year cycle of self-study, assessment by independent outside visitors – trained volunteers from NEASC member schools, goal setting, and reporting (school improvement). All accreditation materials (handbooks, guides, standards, manuals, etc.) may be found in and downloaded from Resources for Member Schools.
