“Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” — Matthew 6:33

One of the goals of a CCA education is to prepare a student for the life that God has planned for him or her. No matter what calling He has for student, our program prepares them for college and for life. Our hope lies in God’s promise, that as we seek His Kingdom first, He will continue to add to our success.

How is CCA different? — Understanding Our Program and Testing Methods

Our educational standards go beyond “what a student should know or be able to do.” Our educational model is more broad-based. We emphasize reasoning. We establish a strong command of language. We practice students in virtue like “fortitude” or “justice.” We build memory skills. We build a logical and rhetorical ability, among many other character traits.

We are members of The Association of Classical Christian Schools. The ACCS is the only major accreditor that does not seek reciprocity (acceptance) with other accreditation agencies. This protects our independence, and allows for much more rigorous and appropriate standards.

Our students take the ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills) standardized test which is provided to schools by the College of Education of the University of Iowa.

The ITBS is a standardized achievement test that is given to students all across the country, including both private and public schools, to assess each student’s grade-level performance.  At CCA, we do not teach to the test.  We use the results to examine our performance and place attention where it may be needed.  It is not an end to pursue.

Classical Education Students Score Highest on the SATs

Historically, colleges look at a student’s SAT Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning scores as an indication of college preparedness.  Students of classical schools typically outperform students in every section of the SAT when compared to any other type of school.  Thus, it is expected that our students will excel in verbal and reading scores, as well as in math.

The True Measure of Success: Honorable Graduates

The greatest measure of our success however, is the caliber of our graduates. SATs and other academic measures fail to communicate the true character which results from classical Christian education done well. Our students graduate knowing their purpose, which is to glorify God.  They possess a deep understanding of God’s world through its history, beauty, big ideas, math, science, and people.

Our entire program is designed with our school mission in mind, as well as the six goals listed below.  We have constructed a unique and successful academic program that begins in Kindergarten and continues through the 12th grade.  By keeping these goals in mind, we continue to develop students, who will impact the world for Christ.

Successful graduates will possess:

We value and appreciate how technological advances have assisted schools and teachers to aid their instruction. Technology is integrated into our curriculum and is used to enhance our students learning as it is directed by our teachers. As a Classical school, we instruct our students based on their developmental ability to understand, interpret, and apply the information being taught. At CCA, we recognize that children using technology as a tool for learning in the early elementary years is uncharted territory and has not yet been proven as an effective tool in education. Studies have shown that increased amounts of technology and media exposure in the younger years inhibit a child's ability to learn successfully.

Check out these links for further information on the effects of technology in children: 

• psychologytoday.com/blog/mental-wealth
• Young Children in the Digital Age

With this is mind, CCA instructs students with what is necessary at the appropriate developmental stage in their life. We have a leveled approach when it comes to the technology instruction to our students.

Grammar Stage:

• K-3rd- No student technology instruction. During this stage, our teacher’s primary focus is on direct teacher-to-student instruction. The entire instructional day is devoted to direct person-to-person engagement. As literature is read to them, students’ imagination is stimulated to create their own mental images, versus those that come up on a screen. Rather than learning to type, our children are taught how to write in cursive, which also helps to build fine motor skills.
• 4th- Students at this grade level begin learning typing skills midway through the year, using Mavis Beacon typing program.
• 5th- Students at this grade level continue improving typing skills, and midway through the year, transition to typing all essays and reports using Apple’s Pages word processor.

Logic Stage:

• 6th- Students type all essays and reports using Pages, begin learning internet research skills, and learn Apple’s iPhoto.
• 7th- Students type all essays and reports using Pages, use the internet for research, create resumes and brochures, as well graphing through Numbers in Science and Math.
• 8th- Students type all essays and reports using Pages, learn how to create Keynote presentations, use iMovie to create a movie project, use iPhoto, and continue graphing and learning how to create spreadsheets through Numbers. 

This gradual approach is ideal for teaching students how to use technology as a tool, rather than as a toy. It is also in line with their developmental maturity to understand how, why, and when technology is used as a tool and learn how to balance usage in their lives.

We believe in the absolute authority of God's Word and we look at all subjects through the lens of God's Word, rather than looking at God's Word through the lens of man's word. Our Science program is built upon God's word and discovering the world through the lens of God's word! Our program is uses God's Design for Science by Answers in Genesis in the Elementary and Logic years, which holds a firm seven day creation stands and is apologetically based!

We believe the most important reason to teach science in elementary school is to give your children an understanding that God is our Creator, and the Bible can be trusted. Teaching science from a creation perspective is one of the best ways to reinforce your children's faith in God and to help them counter the evolutionary propaganda they face every day. God is the Master Creator of everything. His handiwork is all around us. Our Great Creator put in place all of the laws of physics, biology, and chemistry. These laws were put here for us to see His wisdom and power. In science, we see the hand of God at work more than in any other subject.

Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being under- stood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they [men] are without excuse.” We need to help our children see God as Creator of the world around them so they will be able to recognize God and follow Him.