Resource Description
Accelerated Christian Education® has taken the conventionally styled textbook and divided it into bite-sized, achievable, worktexts called PACEs. Each PACE is similar to a unit in a textbook. Each level consists of 12 PACEs in each subject. PACEs integrate Godly character-building lessons into the academic content, and self-instructional activities are carefully designed to develop thinking skills and create mastery learning.
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.
Website: A.C.E. (may contain affiliate links)
(69 Reviews)
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Contributor Reviews
Reviews are solely the opinions of the contributor.
Cons: Math needs a LOT of additional help. My son has to see a math tutor to get the "teaching" necessary for math and additional instruction practice on Khan Academy, some outdated facts, a little legalistic in its Bible teaching. It isn't "fun" or interactive enough for younger grades.
Grades Used: 1st, 8th, and 10th grade.
As a whole, I love ACE Paces. I am a working mom, so I do not have the time for constant lesson plans, excessive grading, etc. My 8th grader goes with me to work. I am a therapist that drives a lot and works in homes. He works with as we go, and we discuss concepts and do supplementary videos on drives. This program is PERFECT for my 10th grader. He has really owned his own education. This program is also really good at teaching organization, self-discipline, and motivation skills necessary to succeed in the work force.
It is not interactive for little ones. My 1st grader uses Abeka for reading and phonics, PACES for math, and unit studies for everything else. She needs a lot of activities to spark the love for learning. Honestly, I can't imagine how boring this curriculum would be for 12-13 years. I think parents of younger children will have to supplement a lot to see their children "thrive" and love learning.
My two older children are higher functioning on the autism spectrum. They attend the Lighthouse Christian Academy online school. The academic advisors are SO good. Because my boys had an IEP in the public school, they get modifications to the ACE program. For instance, they do 2 subjects at time. The advisors also seek to fill in the gaps of learning. If the child missed a crucial concept in 5th grade, they identify that gap and make sure the child has all the foundations before moving up to the next level. This did NOT happen in the public school. They just moved along even if the child did not understand the foundational skill.
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.