Accelerated Christian Education (ACE): Our Homeschool Curriculum

By Mommy Donna and Kib - June 11, 2018

As promised, here is my exclusive blog about the curriculum that we are using, Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) under the Philippine Christian School of Tomorrow (PCST) in Paranaque City.

My early blogs were about how we started our homeschooling journey way back in 2012. One of them is about our choice of curriculum, ACE (you can read it HERE). However, I felt I need to update my blog about it by coming up with another blog to further explain what benefits a family can get when they use ACE in their homeschooling journey.

Each module in the ACE curriculum is called PACES (Packets of Accelerated Christian Education). The curriculum is divided into 12 bite-sized topics per subject per grade level. You can also read more about the curriculum HERE.

Level 2, Kib's new challenge

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In a nutshell, this is what ACE is all about:

1. Self-directed learning. ACE requires less supervision from the parent who acts as the supervisor. The child can work on his/her own and will only require assistance when he/she cannot understand the topic. The child sets his/her own goals, so he/she can be fast or slow depending on the difficulty of the lesson on the way he/she plans his/her daily goals.

While ideally goals can be achieved in 3-4 hours daily, but there are instances that a child will study longer than the required time depending on his/her daily activities and mood.

Level 4 PACES

2. Teach independence. One of the values that ACE can teach to a child is independence. As a product of ACE curriculum (used that when I was in grade school in a school setting), I was so independent when I already studied in a regular school. My friends were doing group study while I stay at the library studying alone. As an adult, I try to solve things on my own and would only ask help when I can no longer handle the situation.

We all know that independence is one of the things that every one should master because we cannot always rely on other people in solving our own problems. We must learn how to find solutions on our own.

At the airport while waiting for our boarding

While I'm working at a cafe, Kib also answers his PACES

3. Love for reading. ACE is literature-based learning. The child will read articles most of the time and will answer comprehension questions at the end of each article. Apart from the articles, there is a subject where they will read a novel and will answer questions about the novel. The articles were written in a way that a child can easily understand the concept and will appreciate the lesson. As a result, the child develops passion for reading and hunger for information.

Sometimes, I would just bring him to a cafe just to study

4. Self-correction. ACE teaches the child to learn from his/her mistakes. The child will be the one to check if his/her answers are correct and will be given an opportunity to correct the mistakes. It also teaches the child honesty and integrity.

5. Bible-based learning. Each PACE has a Bible verse that a child must memorize. It also has a virtue to be learned by the student. The lessons all evolve in the values and virtues the Bible is teaching, even in History and Science topics. It always remind the child that God is creator of everything, and He made all things in history and in our daily living possible so that we will learn and grow.

6. Mastery is the key. A child cannot move on from one PACE to another without mastery. ACE is designed to make the child fully understand the concept before moving on to a new one. Mastery is evaluated through check-ups and self-tests. If a child got a low score on these 'pit stop' evaluations, he/she is not allowed to take the PACE test. If a child fails on the PACE test, the child will repeat the whole PACE again.

Mastery ensures the child success on each topic and teaches the child patience. The child will not take his/her lessons for granted because of the high standards of ACE.

Don't fret, ACE also rewards the child's achievements towards the end of the school year through Banquet Night. Each child brings home an award depending on his/her achievements throughout the year. The parent should submit the requirements on the set deadline in order for a child to be qualified to attend the event and given recognition for his/her hardwork.

Kib got this award during the Banquet Night

7. Portability of the materials. Some homeschooling families are nomads; they always go from one place to another. Bringing along homeschooling materials during travels can be burdensome. Textbooks are very heavy to carry. Since PACES are divided into modules, a child can carry it anywhere, without complaining of a heavy bag. I would ask my son to bring along his PACES when I will attend a meeting so he has something to do while he waits for me. Sometimes, I would even ask him to bring along his PACES when we go on a travel. Bringing PACES wherever we go is not a pain because it's very light.

During our holiday in Bangkok

Pray to the Lord if ACE curriculum is for you and your child. There are still lots of curriculums out there that you can use in your homeschooling journey. Choose the best curriculum that best fits your lifestyle, your educational philosophy, and your learning style. Should you have any further questions about ACE, I am willing to answer your questions.

God bless!