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Distinctives
Christ-Centered
All subjects at ACCA are taught as part of an integrated whole, with the Scriptures at the center, serving as the hub for all knowledge. While this is true as we study the Bible and history, it is also true in the study of subjects like math and science. In these subjects we discern order and truth that demonstrate the wisdom of our Creator.
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Our commitment to a Christian worldview does not, however, force us into a narrow inquiry into the world around us. On the contrary, our faith in Jesus Christ and in the Bible helps us confidently examine and affirm truth wherever it is found. For we know that all truth ultimately comes from God. So students at ACCA have broad exposure to Christian and non-Christian writers, seeking to prepare them for a life-long love of learning and nurturing them in their ability to stand for Christ against every idea and philosophy that might oppose Him.
Classical
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ACCA is committed to the Trivium, a Latin term that refers to an overlapping, three-phase approach to educate children that reflects both developmental progression and learning styles.
The grammar phase (grades pre-K through 6) emphasizes the content and mechanics of each discipline. Children in this developmental phase are characterized by an ability to memorize and store away large amounts of information; so we utilize this natural tendency in our teaching. Basic building block "subjects" like phonics, math facts, memorization of persons, dates, and places are stressed. This is also an important time for the study of language, and so, beginning in grade 3, all students begin the study of Latin.
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Children in the dialectic (or logic) phase (grades 7 through 9) are naturally inquisitive and begin to challenge what they have been taught, trying to understand it. During this stage at ACCA, the goal is to equip students to reason about, debate, and relate the elements of what they are being taught. Although the basic laws of logic and argumentation are introduced earlier, students formally begin the study of Logic in grade 8.
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The rhetoric phase (grades 10 through 12) seeks to provide students with the tools required to communicate what they know effectively and persuasively. Impromptu speeches are introduced at this point and will test any student's mettle. Writing skills are honed and refined and students are taught to write papers which demonstrate their research and organizational capabilities.
This distinctive classical approach to education is the basis for the school's entire program. It is our belief that students who persevere at ACCA will have the knowledge (grammar), thinking ability (dialectic) and communication skills (rhetoric) required to excel in any discipline or vocation.
Please learn more by watching a lecture given at ACCA in 2007 by Michael McKenna.
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