FAQS
What is the impact of the students sitting in front of TV’s all day?
Actually the students only spend an average of 40% of their school day watching the DVD’s. The balance of their school time is spent in textbook/workbook study and live class teaching and activities.
How do the students get enough teacher interaction?
While the rest of the class is being taught by the teachers on the DVD the teacher in the ACA class is free to assist those that have individual tutorial questions and needs. Since the classes are small (typically less than 15 students) much greater time is available from a live teacher than would be available in a standard classroom where the teacher is primarily focused on the lesson lecture and presentation to the whole class.
What is the impact on socialization for a student in a multi-grade classroom of smaller sizes?
Socialization is the result of meaningful interaction and activity with other people. Research data and real life experience reveals that the most meaningful socialization occurs not as the numbers of people in a crowd get larger but actually improves as the group gets smaller. Here the individual experiences a much higher quality of personal engagement in interaction and activity.
Research also demonstrates that positive relational skills are the result of socialization within a circle of people of varying ages and maturities much like the typical family or workplace environment for adults. Multi-grade classrooms come much closer to this model than monolithic age structured classes where peer competition breeds a much higher incidence of negative dominance and ‘bullying’.
How does the parent know how the DVD based curriculum matches up to typical provincial curriculum?
Annually in March the students at ACA are administered the Canadian Achievement Test (CAT). This Canadian standards test assesses each student’s development in five basic academic areas to determine relative academic grade equivalency compared to Canadian student norms as well as areas of specific weaknesses or strengths in each of those academic areas. These results are shared in detail with each parent and then become a benchmark for the monitoring of that students personal progress from year to year.
What recognition does a student graduating from ACA receive for post secondary education?
In a recent survey of post secondary institutions in Canada it was learned that over 100 presently accept applicants on the basis of a transcript of marks. These are provided to ACA graduating students with the transcript representing graduation from Bob Jones University Press curriculum that is significantly advanced beyond the difficulty level of standard provincial curriculum.
Additionally due to the increasing breadth of student applications from distant educational jurisdictions more and more post secondary institutions are requesting applicants to take either a SAT test or other standard entrance exams as a part of their application process.
Graduates from ACA have successfully entered college, the trades and university training based on these criteria.