Curriculum

Core Curriculum

The core curriculum provides students with academics, skill-building, reading practice, character and wisdom training, and knowledge of God and His Word. This complete package begins with reading development and progresses through high school, giving students a solid foundation for pursuing their life goals.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 at their levels of proficiency and proceed as they are capable.Each core subject consists of 12 PACEs per level. Typical students work daily on one PACE in each subject and may be performing at varying levels. The diagnostic test results help to identify academic weaknesses and prescribe a path to help students catch up. Most students complete at least 70 PACEs per year, while maintaining academic balance by completing about the same number of PACEs in each assigned subject.

Accelerated Christian Education® has taken the conventional style textbook and divided it into bite-sized, achievable worktexts called PACEs. Each PACE is similar to a unit in a textbook. Each level consists of 12 PACEs in each subject. PACEs integrate Godly character-building lessons into the academic content, and self-instructional activities are carefully designed to develop thinking skills and create mastery learning.With minimal assistance, PACEs allow students to absorb subject material according to their own learning ability rather than being pushed forward or held back by their age. For instance, a student placed in the fifth grade by a conventional school may be taking PACEs in Level 4 math, Level 5 science, and Level 5 English in the A.C.E. program. Students may move ahead in some subject areas and proceed at a slower pace in others.

• Students begin their PACE work by noting their goals, the concepts they will learn, a Bible verse, and a corresponding character trait. From the beginning of each PACE, they know what is expected and assume the responsibility for their own learning!
• Throughout the curriculum, the introduction of new vocabulary words is computer controlled so that no new vocabulary word is used without the student first learning its meaning and pronunciation. Also, these words are repeated to ensure mastery.
• Explanations and illustrations add excitement to each lesson, and innovative learning activities reinforce the text material.
• Each PACE contains several Checkups, which are quizzes covering a section of the PACE. If mastery in an area is not achieved, the Checkup will reveal that weak area. Students can then take the time necessary to review and learn those concepts before proceeding to the next section.
• Upon completion of the activities and Checkups, students prepare to take the Self Test. Here students evaluate themselves, and a supervisor/tutor determines readiness for the final PACE Test. When the Self Test is successfully completed, the student turns in the PACE and takes the PACE Test the next school morning. The PACE Test objectively measures student mastery of the material.