Core Curriculum
Accelerated Christian Education's program is individualized and nongraded. It is designed to allow students to work at their own level of achievement, which may vary from subject to subject.
The core curriculum is a high-tech state-of-the-art curriculum package. It is the curriculum that the reading programs (Preschool with Ace and Christi program and A B Cs with Ace and Christi) prepare students to enter. It is integrated with these "early years" programs to provide a quick start for beginning students. However, it will do much more than that. Accelerated Christian Education's curriculum enables students to progress through high school, adequately preparing them for college or performance in the working world.
The term "core" is used to distinguish the foundational courses from the enhancement courses in Accelerated Christian Education's expanded curriculum. The core curriculum provides students with academics, skill building, reading practice, character and wisdom training, and knowledge of God and His Word.
Core Curriculum Provides Students' Basic Educational Needs
The core curriculum includes the six basic academic disciplines that provide students' essential educational needs:
Each core curriculum subject contains 156 PACEs beginning with preschool and ending with level 12. Exceptions are math (which contains 144 PACEs), Word Building (which concludes with level 9), and Literature and Creative Writing (which begins with level two and will conclude with level 8.)
Each curriculum level course consists of 12 PACEs. Normally students complete a minimum of 70 PACEs each in one academic year; however, this varies according to the students' abilities and the school's efficiency. Students normally keep academic balance in the subjects in which they are working and complete about the same number of PACEs in each subject--that is, after they have completed gap PACEs. Students who are more skilled may progress at a faster rate or may accelerate in the areas of their academic strengths. Slower students are encouraged to do their best, but are able to work on their levels of proficiency and proceed as they are capable. Note: The core curriculum is enhanced with videos and computer software.
Typical students work daily on one PACE at a time in each of the six subjects. The PACEs may be on varying levels, according to the students' achievement in each subject and according to their academic prescriptions based on their diagnostic test results.
Electives
In addition to the Core Curriculum and Learning To Read programs, Accelerated Christian Education offers a comprehensive selection of elementary and secondary level electives. These courses complement core programs and feature the same values-based content. Electives currently include the following courses:
| Elementary Electives |
Bible Study (Secondary Level) |
Business (Secondary Level) |
Fine Arts (Secondary Level) |
| Government (Secondary Level) |
Health (Secondary Level) |
Modern Languages |
Why ACE? - Explains the strengths of the ACE Program from one who has helped write the curriculum and used it!
Why ACE?
By Angel Parrish
The year was 1975. Washington was still cleaning up the mess from Watergate, and President Ford was dodging bullets to survive two assassination attempts. The Japanese were inventing the VCR, Bill Gates was inventing the term Microsoft, and the Post Office was raising the price of a stamp from 10 to 13 cents. At my house, resident mathematicians (my parents) were teaching a two-year-old (me) to quote Einstein's Theory of Relativity (which came out E=mc scared!). And at Bible Baptist Church, they were taking a leap of faith by starting a Christian school, and using a brand-new curriculum called Accelerated Christian Education (ACE).
Clearly, a lot can happen in 30 years, and some people might wonder why we still use the ACE curriculum at Grace N Glory. After all, there are plenty of good Christian curriculums available - a text book is just a text book, right? Is ACE still a good choice for today?
First, we must start with the understanding that ACE is more than just a curriculum. It is a total learning system. To simply take ACE materials and use them in a traditional classroom setting would be pointless and foolish. Each concept and tool interlocks with the others to make a completely different approach to education. Here is a brief overview of the system:
- Individualized education places the emphasis on learning rather than teaching - a seemingly simple concept with far-reaching effects.
- Because students work at their own rate, no child struggles to keep up with the status quo while others sit in boredom waiting for others to catch up.
- Instead of large sections of untouched material (when the school year ended before the textbook did), PACEs provide a system with no learning gaps.
- Complete Scripture integration, combined with the 60 Character Traits of Christ™, in every subject keeps Biblical attitudes and concepts before the student at all times.
- Short-term and long-term goal setting becomes habit for the student, turning into a life-skill that provides a good work ethic.
- Vocabulary Control means that no word is introduced within the curriculum without being defined.
- Privilege level and goal setting teach students that with greater responsibilities, greater privileges are earned.
- Leadership principles fully integrated into the system encourage the students to stand out and achieve within their community and workplace.
Didn't know all of that could be found in a little thing called a PACE or a Learning Center? Well, believe it - it's all there and more. Keep in mind that all these concepts are unique to the ACE system alone. I think you'll find them to be important and beneficial.
Why ACE? The answer is simple. It's the system for training Christian leaders, and that is our goal. Sounds like a perfect match.
Angel Parrish worked for five years as a curriculum writer in ACE's Product Development Department. She attended an ACE school from Kindergarten to 12th grade, received a BA in Education from ACE's college, the International Institute, and has been a supervisor in three schools using the ACE curriculum.