ACE Program

[Judahslamb]

Does anyone have experience with ACE? I am considering it only because it is offered here in Peru as an accedited option in both Peru and the US. I am a little hesitant as it looks like it is all book work, anyone out there that recomends it or not?

 

I currently use MFW 1 with both my 5 and 6 year old, I like it although repetitive at times. I would love to continue it but am considering the other only to get them accredited... home schooling is not accepted here in Peru and if they want to go to college here they would be stuck later on.

[Brianna]

My husband and I both graduated from a school that used ACE curriculum. It wasn't the most exciting thing, but not bad. I used ACE for kindergarten but that was it. The kindergarten pack didn't teach reading just letters and numbers, but my son enjoyed it and it is definitely a Christ centered curriculum.

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

My experience is using it myself in 7th and 8th grade at a half day private school / teach yourself in the same room as other kids and a teacher to answer questions situation. It required more self discipline than I had. I tested in at 4th grade grammar and spelling and caught up 3 grade in 2 years. I'm glad I did it, although I don't know if I would have liked high school to be like that.

[kiwi mum]

I have tried it with three different students. The oldest used it for highschool as we had similar issues with accreditation where we were living at the time. It suited her because her goal was just to "get a diploma and get out of here". She was able to do everything on short term memory, pass the test and move on to the next topic. That's not my idea of a good education but it worked for this child in her situation.

 

My second student also tried it for highschool and didn't last very long. The only option for high school with ACE is what I would call the college prep track. This student needed an IEP and life skills education and ACE did not allow for that. My third student used ACE at first to third grade level. He is gifted and it didn't suit him either. There was no opportunity to go deeper or get all those "why" questions answered. The only option for gifted kids was to move ahead in the curriculum and keep cycling through the same topics at a slightly higher level each time. We dropped it after a year and moved to a literature based, mastery approach.

 

A question I have about the accreditation issue is when would they need to use an accredited program. For us it was only highschool that counted. In that case you could use whatever you want for the next few years. By the time your kids get to high school there may be other options available or your family situation may have changed anyway. The homeschool laws changed for us between our first and second student so we ended up not needing to use ACE and with my third student we are now in a different country so we can do whatever we want.

[Hunter]

If you need curriculum in a box, ACE is my favorite for K-8. American School is my favorite for high school.

 

ACE's worldview is patriarchal and cheesy at times, but it's a solid curriculum that is DOABLE. A box has to be DOABLE, first and foremost. ACE is not so time consuming that there isn't plenty of time to read lots of literature or do whatever strikes your fancy. I personally don't think a PARTIAL diet of read and regurgitate is bad, as long as the student is able to work at their level and the volume of work is small enough.

 

There is a reason ACE is offered to you with accreditation where other programs are not. It's because it's better than other curricula when viewed as a complete PACKAGE.

[Dory]

I did grades 1-3 in an ACE school and my older brother also were in it up to grade 8 for the oldest one. They have an excellent reading program. I don't mind their history, but in every subject they are at least a grade level behind the other schools here. I despised that answers were expected to be totally memorized with no allowance for rewording. Their math drove all four of us kids nuts. Page upon page upon page of the same type of problem is enough to make any kid cry.

 

For my own kids I would consider their primary L.A and some of their history, but I would never use the other stuff. It is simply too far behind the schools here.

 

Also there is very few instances of application for the information learned. What use is memorized information if it has no application to anything else.

[Hunter]

ACE is typically used in private schools. Other private school curricula is typically advanced and written for ABOVE average students. ACE private schools typically enroll students that other private schools reject. ACE is designed for AVERAGE child development, despite being used in private schools. It is written with lots of room for advanced students to move through the curricula at an advanced pace, though. There is NO need for a student to be behind the advanced private schools, IF he/she is truly developmentally ready to handle advanced work. AND they get credit for doing this advanced work, which is important when dealing with accreditation.

 

There can be too many math problems for gifted students. but when writing a box for accredited purposes, the number of problems needs to match AVERAGE child development. OP would you be allowed to skip problems and allow answers not to be word for word? Or will you be sending the PACES in for grading?

[Zoo Keeper]

Here's a thread with some opinions on ACE...

 

and another one, with links to others...

 

Hope something helps you think it all through.

[HomeofLove4Him]

I just posted a response on another thread (and linked to my blog there so I won't do it again. I don't want anyone thinking I'm just blasting my blog all over the boards...especially as I usually just lurk here). I wanted to make a comment on something:

 

I used ACE for kindergarten but that was it. The kindergarten pack didn't teach reading just letters and numbers, but my son enjoyed it and it is definitely a Christ centered curriculum.

 

I see this said a lot...and it's true. However, as a former unschooler, I like to think of ACE as being what Kindergarten USED TO BE, like back when I was in Kindergarten (which was about 1985). These days, public schools push Kindergarteners entirely too hard, IMO. Some can handle it but those who can't are labeled--even in Kindergarten! :blink:

 

ACE teaches Kindergarten the way it USED to be: gentle. ;) This is in direct contrast to most other publishers, I know. However, as a homeschooling mom (which we all are...), I tend to look at the bigger picture. What will things be like in the grand scheme of things. Unlike public schools, I'm not just focused on THIS year..or THIS standardized test. And, in the end, it appears that ACE prepares children quite nicely for high school and eventually college (at least, I base this on veteran homeschoolers with moms of college graduates).

[Hunter]

I just posted a response on another thread (and linked to my blog there so I won't do it again. I don't want anyone thinking I'm just blasting my blog all over the boards...especially as I usually just lurk here). I wanted to make a comment on something:

 

 

 

I see this said a lot...and it's true. However, as a former unschooler, I like to think of ACE as being what Kindergarten USED TO BE, like back when I was in Kindergarten (which was about 1985). These days, public schools push Kindergarteners entirely too hard, IMO. Some can handle it but those who can't are labeled--even in Kindergarten! :blink:

 

ACE teaches Kindergarten the way it USED to be: gentle. ;) This is in direct contrast to most other publishers, I know. However, as a homeschooling mom (which we all are...), I tend to look at the bigger picture. What will things be like in the grand scheme of things. Unlike public schools, I'm not just focused on THIS year..or THIS standardized test. And, in the end, it appears that ACE prepares children quite nicely for high school and eventually college (at least, I base this on veteran homeschoolers with moms of college graduates).

 

 

:iagree:

 

I think the area that ACE shines is in the big picture and grand scheme. I've learned the hard way that to obsess over details is where I often go wrong.

 

And I agree about kindergarten being kindergarten. Being developmentally appropriate is the other main reason I like ACE.

[morgan]

My sisters and I graduated from an ACE school and we all think the education was horrible. I actually think it was worse than my public school education. Granted we didn't use it from k all the way through. Maybe the lower grades are satisfactory, but I really don't agree that high school is college prep, at least not in comparison with the other homeschool curriculum I've seen or used for my kids. We were from a small town, and honestly, most the kids from our ACE school didn't go on to attend college at all. And those of us that did were not well prepared.

 

It's a lot of fill in the blank, correct, and then write in the correct answer. I would really look at the samples and read the scope and sequence for the grades you are considering. Good luck!

[Ottakee]

Do you need an approved program to be legal homeschoolers in Peru or just for highschool/college?

 

As a boxed program goes, it is doable and covers the main areas in a shorter amount of time. I would though add to it with nature study, experiments, lots of reading of good books, etc.