Students begin their PACE work by noting their goals, the concepts they will learn, a Bible verse, and a corresponding character trait. From the beginning of each PACE, they know what is expected and assume the responsibility for their own learning! Full-color explanations and illustrations add excitement to each lesson, and innovative learning activities reinforce the interesting text material.
Each PACE contains several Checkups, which are quizzes covering a section of the PACE. If mastery in an area is not achieved, the Checkup will reveal that weak area. Students can then take the time necessary to review and learn those concepts before proceeding to the next.
Upon completion of the activities and Checkups, students prepare to take the Self Test. Here students evaluate themselves, and a supervisor/tutor determines readiness for the final PACE Test. When the Self Test is successfully completed, the student turns in the PACE and takes the PACE Test the next school morning. The PACE Test objectively measures student mastery of the material.
Before investing in any homeschooling resources, please read "How to Choose the Best Homeschool Curriculum."
Reviews are solely the opinions of the contributor.
Cons: You have to take charge
Grades Used: 1
I am homeschooling my 1st grade son this year due to the pandemic. He is on the spectrum with ADHD. He is excelling with the self paced books, plenty of little breaks. It allows me to work with him when he is ready to learn. We are finishing week 2. He’s already completed a few paces and I suspect we may be able to finish two grades this year if we choose not to supplement with a lot of other activities (thanks to a great kindergarten program). With the addition of him attending a few hours of ABA a week, OT and speech. I love the flexibility, ability for him to take charge of his learning, the ability to keep moving on or to add extracurricular activities. I love the freedom to add my own touch/flare for what I want to teach him as a parent. It gives you the basics and you are free to expand! You can do schoolwork on weekends, evenings to work around your job, other activities if needed. You can take it with you on vacation, etc. I completed my own education using this curricular base. I went on to earn my masters in nursing and am successful.
Cons: Dumb names; old, outdated English; dumb character trates and goal reading
Grades Used: 6-8, 10-12
The concept is good, but the result is terrible. The English is the worst. They, just like many other curriculums, take the unfortunate conclusion that literature and Grammar belong in one course. In the high school years, English is complete garbage. Terrible, outdated methods of research on the grammar end, and literature literally take up over half of the Pace. Also, the stupid wisdom sheets are just a waste of paper. And that is just English. In every other subject, you still have the dumb comic strips, the useless ‘character trates’, and the infamous reading of goals. I know I vent, but grade 8 Ace is comparable to grade 4 Abeka. I can’t recommend this curriculum to anyone.
I have personally used ACE when I was in high school and am now using it for my 5th grader. A couple things to note:
-Any experienced homeschooling parent will tell you there is no ‘one size fits all’ curriculum. It doesn’t exist. Every curriculum has pros and cons and you have to do what’s best for your family.
-No curriculum in itself is interactive. It’s simply information on paper. You, the parent, must provide the extra things like games and hands-on activities like a public or private school teacher does in a classroom.
-ACE is an older curriculum that needs updated in some areas. I haven’t seen anything racist (as some others claim) but I agree that it needs to be updated.
-It’s definitely Bible based. If that bothers you, this curriculum probably isn’t for you.
-Sometimes ACE gets a bad rap because Christian schools use it and very little interaction is provided by teachers. I am not a fan of that because I believe kids need interaction to learn well.
-I personally believe parents should evaluate every year to see if a curriculum still suits their family needs. Some curriculum is very strong in elementary but not as great for the older years or vice versa. If one doesn’t work for you, the beauty of homeschooling is the freedom to change it up and tailor it to your family.
That all being said, I am homeschooling this year due to the pandemic/uncertain economy and I am fine with ACE for fifth grade. To clarify, my son has been in a Christian school that uses a popular curriculum that is very drill-and-kill. It was making my son miserable so I decided to change things up and I’m glad I did. ACE is a gentle approach to learning and while some of it is old fashioned, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I will re-evaluate next year to see if we should change curriculum or maybe we’ll go back to private schooling, depending on life circumstances. However, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend ACE to anyone.
Cons: legalistic, characters with absurd names, seems to discourage the freedom and ability to think crticialy
It was a long time ago I attended a christian school that used the ACE curriculum. I was actually 20 years old but had been out of school for the last few years so was doing some catch up learning. One thing that bothered me was that we were encouraged to see pastors and leaders as someone who was not to be questioned. There was an emphasis on submission to authority. By this i mean for instance, characters with names like ” Pastor Alltruth”. That’s absurd. This suggests one’s pastor is incapable of error and should not be questioned. In fact no one gets an A plus on their theology exam. And the bible speaks approvingly of those who are Berean and accept what an authority or teacher says only after testing it to make sure it actually IS truth. I would say that its a bit legalistic.
Cons: None
Grades Used: 3-12 and 7-12
PJ, thank you for your excellent review! Our kids were homeschooled, one from 7 through 12 and the other 3 through 12. We used a mix of a ACE (General Studies) Apologea (Science), Saxon (Math) and Tapestry of Grace (English/Literature). The content and accountability associated with a ACE is exceptional! By the time our kids were seniors, they both went to community college and took classes with credit that applies to their degree at 2 major universities, which they both attended. Because of the credits accumulated during each of their HS senior years, my son graduated in 3-1/2 years and my daughter a full year early. For anyone who thinks ACE has racist content or doesn’t work, you are highly mistaken.
Cons: None
Grades Used: K-3
Racism??? Where?
I used A.C E. for 3 years to bring my grandson up to grade level. Our public school system completely failed him.
He repeated Kindergarten.
He repeated 1st grade.
After 6 weeks in 2nd grade, he was failing so miserably I asked his parents to pull him out and let me have an opportunity. I had homeschooled 2 sons.
After several educational evaluations, it was revealed he was functioning at a late Kindergarten/early 1st grade level.
I had used Abeka with my other children, but felt it would move too quickly for my grandson. A C.E. was a perfect fit. Methodical, but thorough with ample review and repetition. After 2.5 years, he was so proud to be at his appropriate 4th grade level.
Solid, Biblical principles with no racism involved anywhere. There are characters of different races, all with equal abilities, etc.
Each student has a unique learning style. A.C.E. fit our need perfectly.
Cons: None
Grades Used: 2,3,6,9
To the person “briefly” educated…
I went to an ACE school for three years and am currently using ACE in my home. I have the actual books here right now. I have NEVER thought that anything was racist about this curriculum! I’m sure you could come up with something online to say that anything is racist. Good grief – stop looking for things to stir up strife.
Grades Used: 4th-5th
I am now in my 30s and was briefly educated by reading A.C.E. packets when I was quite young. I remembered racist elements in them—among other things that bothered me. I was thinking about that recently, looked it up online, and found specific examples of overt racism in the learning packets. I cannot link to articles and blogs detailing this information here, but it is available online.
I felt a real need to say something about the problem of racism here since I experienced the curriculum myself.
Cons: It is poorly and woefully misunderstood.
Grades Used: 4-11, 2-9
I would be more interested in reviewing the reviews. Some of you….”wow” is all I can say. If you are insisting that the curriculum is responsible for providing dynamic, interactive learning for your child, than YOU are the one who is being lazy. The ease in which you can simply take the assignments with you on a vacation, field trip, or road trip, etc… exemplifies the ease in which YOU can add a dynamic, interactive style to the learning. This curriculum is made of staples and paper and thereby does not have the authority to dictate how dynamic or interactive your child’s learning experience is throughout the school year. That’s YOUR responsibility.
For those who suggest the curriculum is nearing “white nationalism” – that is simple laziness. If you are searching so hard to find fault with the curriculum, than you are wasting your own time when you could have been finding a more dynamic, interactive method for your child. One of the things I love most about this curriculum is its focus on personal accountability – it seems some of the parents in this thread failed to master this concept.
I attended a private school that utilizes this curriculum during high school. I was sorely lacking in fundamental skills traditionally taught in the public school. With the first year, I not only excelled, but I had progressed ahead more than two full grade levels. I graduated Valedictorian, was accepted into more than five major state universities of my choice, received full academic scholarships, and completed my degrees (yes, more than one) in less than five years, including writing several dissertations. I am now at the top of my chosen career and I serve as a consultant for several healthcare companies.
In the spirit of fairness, I allowed my children to attend public schooling until it was woefully clear to me that there was complete lack of “dynamic, interactive” learning in that setting – apart from the fact that multiple children just happen to be sitting in the same room. My children were depressed and lonely. Everything was a popularity contest, even among the educators. Despite the fact that my children were straight A students, it was suggested that they be held back multiple times so as to, “ensure their mastery was concretely laid”. Well, I scream a very firm, “Nope” to that sentiment. Not only was my 4th grader reading at a 10th grade level, my 2nd grader was solving multiple-step equations. “Nope”, indeed. We now use the ACE curriculum. Not in a school, but at home, utilizing our own style of learning. My now 7th grader is in high school level subjects and my now 5th grader has just completed 8th grade literature. Both are happy, involved, gifted athletes, and are busy with friends 5+ days a week. No, the curriculum did not do that – I as the parent who facilitates their learning did that. Could that have happened in public school? Sure. Was it? That is also a resounding “Nope”.
The curriculum gets the highest possible rating from my family because of its flexibility and its components, not to mention its structure and commitment to ensuring the student understand and gain mastery the concepts.
I hope some of you find the exact curriculum that is right for you and your children – but, my greatest hope is that you do not sell your children, or their schooling, short by searching for the easiest route to education.
Cons: I wish I could buy locally.
Grades Used: 1-10
I have been using ACE for my 5 kids age 8-16 for 10 years. I don’t use all the subjects. This year my 6th & 10th graders are using math, social studies & science. My 3rd and 5th graders are using math & science.
We have tried other math programs over the years but keep coming back to ACE. It is nice to see the pile of completed books. Especially when you are going through a period of self doubt. You can see the progress. All 5 of my kids have varying learning issues. All of their birth parents had learning disabilities. The important thing to know about any curriculum is that it is not one size fits all. Every child learns at a different pace and they sometimes make leaps or slide backwards. You should definitely use a placement test for whichever curricula you choose. Your third grader may need to start in the 1st third grade pace or maybe the 10th second grade pace. If they are really smart, the third grader may be “prescribed” to start somewhere in fourth grade work. Don’t buy a curriculum and be upset that your child is too smart for it, do your research and put them where they should be. And if they are ahead,great! They may move slower when things get tough or if they breeze through they’ll be ready for community college while still in high school. Around here that is “free college credit”!
Cons: None
Grades Used: 8-12
Wonderful. This will prepare your child for college work. My daughter went through all the PACE’s and went into nursing school. Today she is a Registered Nurse earning a good living. Those who say it is anythings less then successful did not work the program. As far a social interaction goes, there is a lot of interaction in public school that is unwanted and not needed. There are several actives for children outside of the public school actives. Be active in community sports, field trips with other home school students and church youth groups.
Cons: kids learn how to fill out a workbook - aims at procedural knowledge, out of touch with reality and complexity of life, promotes very black and white thinking, not truly bible-centered, trains children to be legalistic rather than loving Jesus, robotic
Grades Used: K-4, 7-8
I served as a teacher and monitor of an ACE school, and have taught in a public school.
In my experience, I think public schools are far ahead in pedagogy, research, and training of teachers and students. I understand the rationale for homeschooling and will spare you all from the merits of either types of schooling. From my perspective, ACE just seems out of touch, not in the “in the world but out of the world” way but disconnected from life. I wish students can learn the heart of God and experience Him authentically, not through conforming to a very specific set of standards that are not truly biblical. What I found out later is that ACE has independent baptist leanings. If you’re in this camp though, you would like it.
After teaching ACE for three years, I’ve lost the joy of being in education. While it may be a relief that students in this system are orderly and tame, in the long run, they miss out on inquiry, peer interaction, and many complexities that make life rich and meaningful.
I understand parents for choosing ACE due to the ease of access and administration. However, I beg you to consider alternative choices for the upper grade levels. Students need more than textbook answers and filling out word banks and multiple choice questions.
Cons: Not for everyone, especially those who are not self motivated.
Grades Used: 1-6
I enjoy using the ACE paces for my child. I can add to the learning at anytime by videos and other resources, however if time doesn’t permit, there is still a lot of material covered. Teaching multiple children, which I have done, makes it easier with ACE. One of my favourite thing about ACE is the tracking system and study for mastery.
I went to a Christian school for grade(s) 3-8, which used the ACE books. When I entered into public high school, I was miles ahead of the public curriculum.
Cons: None so far.
Grades Used: K-2
This is my 2nd year using ACE, and we love it so far. I thought kinder was going to be too easy but I think we adults are always trying to make it harder or “more challenging” than it needs to be. I’ve looked up my state standards and this curriculum covers it and more.
My oldest is in 2nd grade and he reads incredibly well. He’s good at math. He’s always asking me questions about science, Bible, and english. This kid’s attention span can be pretty short, but he loves it. We get to talk and learn new things together. Social studies is alittle easy in my opinion but no curriculum is perfect. I don’t mind supplementing at times.
Curriculum is just a foundation and you need something that makes sense to you & the kiddos. We (the parents) put the love of learning in them, not necessarily the curriculum. You can always build on it or supplement. Every parent will have different goals in mind for their children. It’s very important to me that they aren’t like the world, and entirely about loving God, serving Him and others, no matter what they grow up to be. God is the center. ACE helps keep us focused on the Lord along with our studies. Side note, they love the characters and comics.
I see them learning, and they are not behind kids in public school. I have nieces and nephews who go to public, and my kids are not behind them, if not maybe ahead. I don’t care for public for a number of reasons, as I myself went to public k-12. I absolutely know ACE will prepare for college. There are plenty who have stated they’ve done ACE and have a degree. College is great so long as your not getting into debt for no reason. Go to college to get a degree you will actually use. I have nothing against college, but it’s not necessary for all. I come from a family of entrepreneurs, no college, but wealthy. If my kids need to go for the career of their choice then they’ll most definitely be ready. It’s not something we push, but are supportive.
As we continue to use ACE we will always talk and expand on each topic; add or take away as we see fit.
Check the standards for your state and compare before you knock it. Its not for everyone, but it totally fits our needs.
Cons: disjointed bible integration; unchallenging; rote (read and regurgitate); child is silo'ed; does not promote discussion or critical thinking
Grades Used: 2; 4; 9
I’m using ACE for for my three boys, ages 7, 10, and 15.
I would say ACE is okay for kids under third grade, but the upper levels are simply not challenging enough. ACE relies on the same old formula, and varies little in its methodology…read a passage and answer the questions EXACTLY as you find them in the passage. I agree with other reviewers who say the curriculum is too rote and easy.
I’m also concerned with the KJV only bible verses on the bottom of the pages. The verses are often taken out of context to support a point. I’m also concerned with how culturally insensitive the social studies reading seem to be. It’s actually demeaning to non-white, suburban American cultures, and seems to support a very narrow understanding of the world.
All in all, ACE is ok if your child is in kindergarten to first grade. The content is simply not good enough in the upper grades, especially if you want them to develop higher level thinking skills.
Science and social studies are the weakest part of the ACE curriculum. Math is also not rigorous enough.
Pros: Mastery education curriculum is wonderful. It is simple in elementary so by High School, when the curriculum is significantly harder, a solid foundation has been established. Learning to love to learn, and learning beyond what PACEs introduce is a useful skill in life.
Cons: I do not use PACEs for 5-8 English.
Grades Used: K-12
I taught NC History, World History, Geology, Physics and Chemistry in a public school. While I enjoyed teaching, seeing my children being able to complete PACEs at their own speed is invigorating. Having time to learn musical instruments and play various sports is a terrific addition to our curriculum. It is not uncommon for them to continue in the summer to complete another grade in the upper grades.
We have 13 children, 11 boys and 2 girls and they were all well-prepared for the next grade. We have 3 sons in medical school, 1 son in Information Systems, 1 son finishing up a degree in Christian film, 1 son is in Honors College in EE, ME and Economics. Our 7th son is a junior in college planning on a career as a dentist. Our freshman in college is preparing for medical school. The remaining 5 are continuing in ACE. ACE is flexible and thorough. I highly recommend ACE.
Cons: No teachers manual, only for one type of learner, math lacks explanation and help for those struggeling and is simply boring
Grades Used: For myself I used from K-5th grade. My son is using the 6th grade ones in two subjects.
PACE’s were awful for me in school. I went to two different schools where they had them. There were times where the math was too difficult and nobody was around to ask questions or to have teach me. This was early 90’s and the private schools that had/have these didn’t have to have a teacher on site. So in a subject like math, well us hands on learners get left behind. Other subjects I was doing fine with. I do not remember the science or social studies, aside from them being very Biblical and ties everything back to Christianity. All of that is fine, but for those two subjects it takes away from the lesson and the facts. You are left knowing all about God, but not enough about the real world and how to think academically, rather than religiously. I hate that I was not in a public school for my early years. The foundations were not there and my time at the private schools who use these was spent behind an enclosed desk. As for homeschooling though, well I love the Language Arts and we use the Social Studies as our Bible curriculum. Sitting and guiding my son through the lessons has made all the difference and he is doing so well in those two subjects. If you have a child that is self taught and has the drive, well PACE’s would be perfect. They are not good for the aural, physical, and verbal learner though.
Cons: nothing so far.
Grades Used: 1st grade
I use ACE math. It is definitely slower pace it works well for kids that need the slower pace math. Also the kids can test out of the pace and move on to the next if it is too easy. So people who are saying that they pace was too easy then have them test and move on. so me and my kid its working great.
Cons: Self Directed, unchallenging
Grades Used: 1-3rd
My daughter has been doing Paces for 3 years now. We first started out great, loved it. However things are starting to change for her she is needing more interaction and guidance than I can give. I work full time and I need to get something that fits better for us.
Also she is getting bored and not challenged at all. Looking at various curriculum for 4th grade, have not yet decided.
Grades Used: 9
I am thrilled with the PACE workbooks. I think the open book quizzes are a great way to get ready for the final.
Cons: Textbook-y
Grades Used: 3,4,6
We have used several curricula: Heart for Dakota, My Father’s World, Christian Light Education, charlotte Mason, unit studies, delight led, and unschooling. I have positive thoughts on all of them, but this past year I put my always homeschooled children in public school, and they hated it. So I pulled them out and they were absolutely so thankful for ACE. They are usually finished with their school in 2 hours. We use a different curriculum for math, and a couple have chosen to use CLE for Bible, but the majority of our school is ACE. It has been nothing but a blessing to us this year. They can bring it along when I go to Women’s Bible study; they can carry their little 3ring binder of school work anywhere. I set their goals and check their work each week to have them redo pages with me. We absolutely love this curriculum. They finish in the morning and have the afternoon to pursue their delight directed unschooling pursuits!
Cons: Writing and literature program not sufficient for us. We replaced with much more diverse writings and ways of writing. We read their missionary books for in junior high, then switched to Classic literature in high school.
Grades Used: 8-12th
Although we did not strictly use this program, we did use it for approximately half of our sons’ high school education. We liked it for math, as this was not a strong subject for them.
We used grammar/writing Paces up to letter writing, and then moved to other ways of writing that were very diverse and interesting.
Science was fairly good, especially Biology.
History was good, except for American History–we used something else that was completely non-racist with discussion and writing about history highly encouraged.
Bible Paces were not used at all, we used the actual Bible, not a Pace for it. Glad we did this.
Cons: Not on par with government curriculum
Grades Used: 1-12
I’ve been an ACE student from Grade 0 – 12. This was taught in a school setting with multiple students with teachers, not at home. The foundation created by primary school levels are excellent due to the way languages and mathematics are taught. During high school, the work became increasingly difficult for students who didn’t come from the ACE primary levels (who came from other curriculums). Having done my government matriculation exams, I did find that they focused on very different exam questions. I did have to do extra learning to achieve desired results for a good government matriculation examination.
However, I will also send my children to the foundation/primary grades through the ACE curriculum.
Cons: They cannot keep up with rewriting all the curriculum
Grades Used: k-12
I have used ACE with 7 children.
I loved that from the start they were learning about the Bible as they were learning other subjects.
The lower grades have worked well with all of them. It provides a very strong foundation, you cannot compare it to what is being taught in public school as most schools do not lay the same foundation of the basic facts. You will find your students will catch up and pass most school students.
For the upper grades I needed to make some changes depending on how my child learned. Sometimes I would adjust the topic of a writing assignment or such. Our adopted children find this level of ACE too academic.
Four of our children are adults now. They are thankful for the learning to read, phonetics and the learning of their math facts, and learning their grammar. Two are using ACE with their children, one up into high school, the other just starting out in Grade one to get that good foundation.
People complain about the grammar but ACE was made to raise Christian leaders who know how to write and speak clearly so that they can be leaders in their various fields.
Not perfect but the best I have found for us.
Cons: need good supervision
Grades Used: K-12
I’ve been working with PACE’s for 13 years now, and I love them!
They are easy, complete, and character building. I plan to continue using them with my younger kids now that my oldest is succeeding in college.
We have been hs since 2002, and we have tried several programs before I came across A.C.E. Personally, I like it alot because it encourages independent work habits. That is a plus for me because I teach several grade levels at once. I only use their math, english, and spelling program. (I use Abeka for literature, science, health, and Social Studies.) I especially lIke the spelling program. I also like the pace idea b/cuz it helps the child stay focused on their goal. We use a combination of programs for high school with ACE as the primary. We have 3 that have graduated and gone on to college and they have scored high on the.Compass, SAT and ACT. As with any program, no matter which one you choose, you need to tweak it toward your child’s needs.
Grades Used: Learning to read and first grade
I have done the 12 week learning to read program with ACE and also first grade. I was nervous at first because of some of the very negative reviews I had read, but when it came time to weigh out my top three choices for curriculum ACE was the best fit for my family. I have to say I’m impressed with how thorough this curriculum is, it build on itself beautifully. My son has been learning how to read at an amazing speed. I had spent countless hours looking at samples of other math curriculums but honestly ACE breaks the math down and. Makes it simple enough for my son to master addition facts of numbers 1-5 in two weeks of school, I mean he has them down solid. I read a post here that says that ACE third grade math only teaches multiplication through number 4, that’s not true. All one has to do is go online and type in ACE third grade math samples and you can see for yourself that it teaches to multiply through ten, along with a lot of other math concepts. I’m not a lazy mom, I actually sit with my son and have him go through the pace with me there if he needs help, I also add extra curricular activities and library books. I love in CA and I’ve taken time to see what the state standards would be for him since he would be placed in kindergarten if he was to go to public school because of his age, what is is teaching is AT LEAST a grade to two grades ahead.
Cons: rote, anti-intellectual, cheesy, boring, out of touch, borderline white nationalism, political propaganda
Grades Used: 2-3
I am a teacher of an ACE school, and this curriculum is incredibly rote, and aims at lower level learning. If you care about creativity, critical thinking, and peer-to-peer learning, this is not the curriculum for you. In fact, I would go as far as saying ACE is anti-intellectual. Imagine kids sequestered in their little cubicles, without being able to discuss or ask deeper questions about their learning. If you understand anything about Bloom’s Taxonomy, this curriculum aims at the bottom of the triangle.
However, if you don’t want to put effort into making learning fun and dynamic for your child, this is the curriculum for you. If you think education is about dispensing workbooks, and require little input from the teacher, then again, this is for you.
Cons: Work was very weak, outdated and lacking
Grades Used: 3rd
Our first year of homeschooling 2 of our children. With the kindergarten course my daughter was so behind. The focus on phonics is important I agree but not to the point where the child is not learning basic sight words. Spelling of some of the phonics words was really tough for a 5 year old. She ended up going back to public school since she thrived in it so well in prek. As for our 3rd grader I am not impressed AT ALL the paces were way to easy. He would be done with all subjects doing 3-5 pages in each book a day in about 2-3 hours. While I did not want to overwhelm him with work this was a little to fast.I would even come up with additional math and create spelling word lists every week based off some of the words out of word building and from dolch sight words so he would have a spelling test once a week. No history, science was very lacking and the math was RIDICULOUS. I’m sorry but a 3rd should be further along in multiplication than the 4x table. No introduction to division, no review on time, very little on money. These are basic skills but instead it seemed very far behind. Our 3rd grader did not do well in public school which is why we decided to homeschool but I will be switching to Abeka. For what I paid for this I do not feel my child has gotten a good foundation for the fourth grade nor do I believe the curriculum is up to date with different state standards. Most of thePACES we have are dated as printed between the 70’s and 80’s. That’s pretty old considering the curriculum being taught in schools now days which I think the push kids way to fast but at least they get more from math, science, history and spelling. Would never recommend.
Cons: Lacks the ability to teach children to earn in lectured courses
Grades Used: 8-12
I graduated from an ACE school but went to public school till 8th geade… It was ok but my school was more of a hybrid school. We used ACE only for history, Bible, English, and a few other cores. We had math, music, art, some sciences and languages were taught
My daughter started ACE in 5th grade she hated the literature. When she got into 7th grade the math was very confusing. I didn’t even learn some of that stuff in my days. The English and Word Building are super easy. She is already in 8th grade in 4 of her paces. The math is holding her back and keeping her behind. I would recomend a harder curriculum.
Cons: Not modern, racist, doesn't meet standards.
Grades Used: 7th
PACEs are not the best, but they’re fine if you need something quick. I have a 7th grade daughter that LOVED school until going into PACEs. She loves that they’re Bible based, but not so much that they are something she feels you would use as a practice workbook. In math, they seem very behind. They have 7th graders doing multiplication and division! Even the highest 7th grade math book is something she learned year back. As a parent, you or your student has to correct homework. Not only does it take a bit of time, it also can result in cheatings if the student corrects. If you are willing to check it over after your student checks it, then this part is solved. If you want a more advanced, modern school, this is not the curriculum you want. On to the next note, the school can be racist, with comics going from segregated classes to racist takes on slavery. The English and Word Building PACEs go through very quickly. I do not recommend these books if you want a strong foundation (education wise.)
Please excuse all typos, was written in a short time period.
Cons: Weaker for upper grades, kids good at memorizing could pass the tests by filling in the blanks but not really learn the material
Grades Used: 8-12
I myself used this curriculum from 8th through 12th grade. After pulling out of the public school system due to total frustration of not being challenged and losing interest in learning, the diagnostic test–which I feel is vital and a huge plus in this curriculum–placed me at 5th grade level English and grammar and beginning of 7th grade math. This was absolutely accurate and reflected the downward spiral I was on in the public school. I doubled up on math for a few years to catch up and caught up in English after a few years as well and managed to graduate with an honors degree, according to ACE. However, as others have stated, the math seemed weak, and I just also was not that good at it. I felt like they taught geometry well, but the algebra instruction was not as clear. I got a tutor for science, which helped a ton. The social studies was all dates- and names-driven, rather than painting a while picture of what had happened in context and why it mattered globally. Aggravating as could be. People don’t seem to like word building/etymology, but it is extremely important as a basis for understanding our own language–being truly literate–and builds an incredible foundation for learning other romance languages well (it was a breeze for me to learn Spanish, Italian, and French), and also incredibly useful for anything studied in higher education that uses Latin-derived vocabulary, such as in medicine, veterinary work, etc. Highly valuable. I don’t know much about it for young kids, but my mom, who was an ACE school administrator, said the little kids did so well with it, stayed interested, did fine with it even as new readers. In fact, she said she loved it for K-8th grade, but after that didn’t like it much. The economics, speech, and typing courses were disastrous, as was physics. I got through half a page, and even my mom gave up. The Spanish course was excellent. I did their literature courses and liked it at the time–read a whole bunch of missionary biographies, since that’s what I’d dreamed of being forever. But in college I realized I hadn’t been exposed to ANY classical literature and was so disappointed. There’s always adulthood to explore that stuff, but I felt so stupid and not well read. Like I said, perhaps for 8th grade and up, it’s just not a great option.
Cons: Limited information, too conservative, does not prepare for college education
Grades Used: 1st-12th
I attended a private ACE school from 1st-12th grade. As I attended college, I was astounded at how much science and history this curriculum chooses to leave out. It only teaches one very conservative Christian view. Honestly, I felt like I had been lied too and robbed of the basic education that is required by public education. I was also homeschooled for part of my education and this experience also robbed me of a normal education. A normal education where a child can learn social skills and receive the learning necessary to be successful in higher education situations. I struggled in math and science even in college because the “paces” were lacking in information and teaching technique. I had never been in the usual classroom setting until college since every child is required to sit in a cubical by themselves. My daughter attended public school and is doing great, about to graduate from college. Please do not subject your children to a second rate education by homeschooling or using the ACE curriculum.
We’ve homeschooled for 17 years. During the first few years of our homeschooling journey we used a myriad of curricula, but it wasn’t until we found ACE that we knew we had landed on something solid that worked for our family, and we have never looked back. Is ACE a perfect curriculum? No, it is not, but we all know that the perfect one does not exist. As a wise mentor once told me, “The curriculum that works is the one that gets done.”
Homeschooling is so much more than academics. It’s creating a love of learning, it’s character building, relationship building, and instilling a strong work ethic in your children. The curriculum is only one tool in the toolbox of homeschooling. I’ve now graduated two of our children using the ACE curriculum and they have gone to college, and are successful adults. This, I know, had little to do with the brand of curriculum, and everything to do with teaching my kids HOW to learn and to LOVE learning.
What I love about ACE is that it set me FREE. I stopped wondering if I was teaching my kids enough. I stopped comparing what I was doing with other homeschooling families. I stopped looking at every magazine or website and every new curriculum thinking I was missing out somehow. Settling in on ACE brought incredible peace. It’s affordable, requires little prep, is biblically centered, and academically solid. It’s “open and go” and easy to transport. We are a very busy and active family so ACE allows us so much flexibility. When I have time, I can supplement other materials (usually media, or art/science projects) and books to expound on what they are learning. On the days I don’t have time to do that, it’s perfectly fine because I know that ACE by itself is enough. I also love that my children have learned to be independent and take responsibility for their learning.
What my kids love about ACE is, well, pretty much everything. I’ve asked a couple times if they’d like to try something new and I get a resounding, “No! We love ACE!” They have learned to set their own goals, read explanations of new concepts and trying to figure it out on their own before they ask me for help, and feel a sense of accomplishment after finishing each individual pace. They love telling me, “I don’t need your help, mom. I’ve got this. My pace explained it to me.” They also adore the characters and how they “grow up” with them.
I do “score” my children’s work and I do not allow them to do it (which is what is done in an ACE school). This is one thing I do not agree with regarding the suggested way to implement ACE. And the cartoons, sure, they are outdated, and at times legalistic or silly, but my kids still love them and know what we agree with and what we don’t. It’s a non-issue, and as mentioned already, they adore the characters.
ACE is not for everyone, but that doesn’t make it an inferior curriculum. Most people who have this view have either had a bad experience at an ACE school, or they did not use the curriculum correctly or see it all the way through. Because ACE uses a mastery approach, it’s slower in the younger grades and picks up around 4th-5th grade. High school is quite intense, as would be expected. Still though, my children were not bogged down with hours upon hours of work. They still had the freedom to work, and be involved in activities and ministry, which was extremely important to our family.
In conclusion, ACE, while not perfect, is an excellent curriculum that I am thankful that we found so many years ago. I would recommend it to anyone.
Grades Used: 1-8
Love ACE been useing it for years. My daughter loves feeling like she accomplished her goals at the end of the day. Even at 11 years old she loves seeing her stars on test chart. Its very easy to understand ,affordable! Teaches wonderful Christian values,and verses .
Cons: We did run into a little problem with the math level when we attempted to intergrate them to a traditional private school.
Grades Used: 3rd -4th
We have been homeschooling for only a few months with a different curriculum. My son is an Aspergers child and my daughter an atypical, figure it out on her own. They were in a school that started out using Abeka in k5-2nd grades and then they would move the children to A.C.E. My children are currently begging me to go back to using A.C.E. They talk about how much they love it and actually feel like they are getting their work done when they are working in A.C.E. To this day, they will mention isolated lessons that they have learned in A.C.E. as it relates to something that we might be seeing or doing. I wasn’t really sure about going back to this curriculum, but I guess we will try it again along with a few supplemental resources. We are busy people, and I think this just might work best for us.
Cons: None
Grades Used: K-3
My children attended an A.C.E school before I homeschooled them, where I was also there teacher. So I have used this curriculum since day 1 of my children’s education. I love it, it’s so easy. Well put together and very convenient. This is definitely a curriculum to consider if you have multiple kids, because it allows for individual work to done on your child’s level. I also love how affordable it is, I mean I have four kids I’m homeschooling and the price is amazing.
Cons: None so far.
Grades Used: 3rd
We are using this curriculum for Science, Social Studies and Word Building. My son is learning so much from these and he especially loves the Science. The social studies seems a little dry, but we’ve also tried Lifepac and CLE for this subject and my son prefers the color and the content of ACE. We use a different curriculum for Math and Language that he is doing really well with; otherwise we would probably do all ACE. I would recommend these paces for anyone wanting a Biblical background intertwined throughout the lessons and good solid academics.
As a homeschooling mom of 14+ years and having tried lots of different curriculum, I always come back to using ACE for some of our classes. I like how the progress is seen as each pace is completed. The child does not move on until the concept is learned. I like how I can pick only the subjects I want to use at that time. Some of my favorites are English, Word Building and Math.
Cons: Boring, old-fashioned
Grades Used: K, 2,5,6,7
We used the full curriculum for our 1st year of homeschooling. It was a great place to start. It was thorough & easy to use. The grammar was a bit over the top, however, and my kids found the paces boring. My oldest son still uses the math & loves it. That is the only subject we have kept, however,
In addition, we buy through ACE Canada. At one point I called ACE in the USA to see if they had any social studies units on slavery because one of our children is African American & the Canadian social doesn’t cover it. I was told that they didn’t focus on that because it was the slaves’ own people who sold them so it was their own fault it happened! I was shocked at the blatant racism, and I hope this is not how the company feels as a whole. I would never buy from ACE USA as a result.
Cons: spelling could be more advanced
My son and I love this curriculum!! We are using it through a private Christian school, but still at home. One of the great features is the diagnostic test which places your child at the best level, and it doesn’t go by “grade” like school. So, your child could be advanced or behind in one or more subjects and they don’t ever need to know “what grade they are in”.
The books are small, making them manageable and the content is interesting.
Also, there are interesting literature choices!
Works great for us!!
Cons: much writing
Grades Used: k-4
We used ACE when the children were younger, but there is a lot of writing, and I saw my son’s handwriting skills diminish. I liked the small segments and that everything was contained in one booklet. Because I did all of the grading, I found myself getting behind on so much that had to be graded.
Cons: silly names for characters
Grades Used: 3, 4, 5, 8
I used ACE when we removed our special needs child from public school after a terrible nine weeks in 5th grade. She was devastated by her difficulties in school and the teacher’s attitude. ACE gave her back her belief in herself and her ability to learn. We were able to choose workbooks from earlier grades that covered information she had missed and we were able to jump ahead in a subject she was really great in. The checkups throughout the workbook helped me know when she was having problems and made it easy to review. Overall, we loved word building, science, and English. Bible was OK. Social Studies didn’t really cover history the way I would have preferred. We used a different curriculum for math.
Grades Used: 8th , 9th
I absolutely love this curriculum. I only wish I would have found it sooner. My kids are both ADHD, and the small P.A.C.E.’s are not intimidating to them at all. It’s in a very do-able format, and self paced. We will continue to use this until they are both graduated. Love love love it 🙂
Grades Used: 10, 11
A.C.E. is an easy to use program. The paces(workbooks) are planned out so student can work alone or with instruction. There is a self test and chapter test after each book which keeps everything in order and materials is easliy retained for test. The curriculum is not drawn out over too long a time. will continue to use throughout graduation.
Cons: lots of busy work
Grades Used: 3, 6, 7
I’m really enjoying the Science for 7th grade & the 6th grade Literature & Creative Writing. Science for 3rd is good, but Social Studies doesn’t feel like it’s on grade level to me. I am not a fan of the Word Building program, I feel it was a big waste of money & really feel like that’s going into the “for sale” bin in the garage before next week. We will be moving on to a different curriculum for next year or even sooner.
Grades Used: 3,4,6 & 7
I love this curriculum. Very easy to understand and not overwhelming. I love that there are test when book is completed and are designed to finish in 3 weeks or less. Highly recommend.
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