It is not late to give Christian based curriculum a chance

It is believed the school a child goes to plays a big impact on a child’s future especially success and group of associates.
It is because of this that many times, as the academic year sets in, parents will take extra caution as they pick a school a child goes to. Some even go out of their way to try out international curriculums.

But among all the technical things parents wish for their children, there those that are simply looking out for their morality, they usually go either Christian or Islam school settings while others go for those with specialised curriculums such as the Madrasa for Islam.

Sarah Kajumba Kwehangana yearned to have her children study with a Christian foundation where the syllabus would accommodate the pace of her children.

It was at that time that she learnt about the Accelerated Christian Education (ACE), a bible-based individualised and self-instruction curriculum that allows pupils to study at their own pace guided by biblical materials.

To differ from the ordinary school settings that have a teacher stand before a class to lecture, ACE formats present pupils/students with materials that they read by themselves, answer questions and they are then tested. Unlike schools that have a singular grading or assessment system, ACE assesses each child based on their individual strength.
“It works well for me since each pupil learns at their pace which I find inclusive, taking in children with different learning abilities,” Kwehangana testifies.

Unlike the common perceptions, ACE schools concentrate on bible studies and prayers, Caleb Mwesigwa, the principal Shachar Christian Academy in Busega, says they teach regular subjects like other schools do.
“Using ACE, we teach every other subject such as Physics, Science with a foundation of the bible,” he says.

Pillars of the curriculum
Pastor Jaxon Lulika, the founder of Spirit and Word Christian Academy explains that the curriculum has pillars upon which it is based; “They are like wheels upon which the curriculum rides,” he says.
Bible based: The Bible is the foundation of the entire ACE curriculum; “To take away the Bible, is to strip ACE of its identity,” Mwesigwa says.

Academic excellence: ACE has academic excellence because children are assessed at their individual performance level.
“We appreciate that while every child is entitled to learning, performance level is not directly proportional to age or chronological order,” Lulika explains.
Goal setting: ACE emphasises goal setting because they believe a teacher is not the cause nor the yardstick for learning but simply a motivation.
“In ACE, the students plan their work and work their plan. The small goals lead to the big project,” Lulika says.

At the beginning, every student is handed a package curriculum and workbooks called Package of Accelerated Christian Education (PACEs). The beginning of each Pace is an overview, scripture to memorise and character trait to strive towards, among others.

Diagnosis: When a child is brought to any ACE school, Mwesigwa says, they do not just place them in a class based on age or their previous class; “Those that have been learning before, an assessment is done to find out their abilities.”

For instance, a child may be at Level One in Math, Level Four in English, yet at Level Two in Social studies.
“We teach them in those levels, to fill in the gaps remembering that our capacities are different. Thereafter, the child will have an academic balance,” she says.
Character-based: Character is universal and using the Bible character is taught.
According to Mwesigwa, there are more than 66 character traits that they develop in their students.
“A character is a brand we build using God’s word. One might have a skill and great grades but without character, such a person fails,” Mwesigwa shares.

Enrolment
Mwesigwa explains that when a parent expresses interest in taking their child to an ACE school, the first thing is to get them (parents) oriented about the system.
“It helps us communicate to the parent about the system; we get to know about their commitment to the system, and their expectations,” Lulika says, adding that orientation helps parents understand what their children will learn.
It is at that time that a conversation is held with the child to get their views about the curriculum.

At the end of every pace, continuous assessment is done, which further points to mastery.
“Besides, the child learns every concept, as the idea of spotting is unheard of. At the end of the day, they get an International Certificate of Christian Education, which is equivalent to Cambridge and UACE,” she says.

Challenges
However, this system has its challanges.
Lulika says positive interaction and discussions are minimal since many students prefer interacting with their Paces.
Parental support is vital in a child’s learning, yet some children do not get this support which delays their progress.
Sometimes, one parent might agree with the system while another does not. It becomes hard, as the child needs support from both parents.

The curriculum works best with functional families since family is central in Christian living. Any issue that disturbs the family balance will affect the child’s performance.

About ACE
ACE is an American company which produces the Accelerated Christian Education school curriculum structured around a literal interpretation of the Bible and which teaches other academic subjects from a Protestant fundamentalist or conservative Evangelical standpoint.

The core curriculum is an individualised, biblically-based, character-building curriculum package and workbooks called Packets of Accelerated Christian Education (PACEs). At the beginning of each PACE is an overview, a scripture to memorise, and character trait to strive toward, among others.