EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY
Student instruction is centered around the maturing of each Christian in his/her faith or the witnessing of Jesus, the Son of God, to those who do not believe.
Within this context, we provide an academic education that furnishes the skills necessary to further the student’s education and to function in our society. These skills include college preparation and the ability to grasp, analyze, and communicate varied concepts clearly and articulately. This education is provided while looking at the individual needs of the student within the educational goals of the school.
Biblical Worldview
Underlying everything we do at ACA is a Biblical worldview. This means that we put ourselves under the authority of the Scriptures. Because of this, we consistently proclaim the gospel to our students by our words and actions. Ultimately, we endeavor to equip each student with a knowledge of Christ, and cultivate any spiritual growth that results. In addition, all of our curriculum is Biblically based to further each child’s knowledge in every academic area with a biblical worldview.
Individualized Instruction
What does this mean? It means that each child is allowed to learn at a pace that works for him or her within expected standards and goals set by the teacher. The teacher takes a very direct, hands-on role in facilitating each child’s learning and mastery of knowledge. Every day, our students have clear, measurable learning goals in each subject from Kindergarten through 12th grade. This individualized approach to teaching has several unique advantages over the traditional lecture driven classroom, including:
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-High individual accountability which develops a mature personal responsibility.
-Constant instructor/student interaction, so feedback is provided to the student immediately.
-Reading and research skills are constantly and consistently utilized.
-High emphasis on collection, organization, and analysis of data with note taking, notebooks, and planners used daily.
Mastery
Because instruction at ACA is individualized, your child is able to use the most of his or her time developing the skills to learn in order to master each subject. We do not move onto the next lesson or step until the student has a confident grasp of the knowledge required for mastery. Not only that, the student successfully learns to learn.
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Small Class Size
Our class size for all classrooms is 16 or fewer students. This allows our teachers to get to know and attend to the needs of each student, as well as to gain quick insight into the dynamics of every class in order to keep the classroom running smoothly.
Multiple Grades in One Class
We have structured the multilevel nature of our 1-3, 4-6, and 7-12 grade classrooms with intention. Besides each student having the potential to be with the same teacher for several consecutive years, our classrooms are fertile ground for children to go from learning the ropes to taking leadership roles.
Behavioral Standards
A well-managed and fruitful classroom takes more than just correcting bad behaviors. While there are specific measures taken to curb negative attitudes and actions, we invest a great deal of energy into fostering respect and acts of kindness toward one another. Because of this, our classrooms become like a team, with the goal that each child would have in mind, “I have my classmate’s back!”