In 2007 ACE moved its corporate offices to Hendersonville, Tennessee. The Lewisville facility remains as ACE’s distribution center.

Curriculum approach- List of Ace Schools In South Africa

According to the curriculum section on its website, the ACE program is “individualized and nongraded”. ACE states that its “core curriculum is an individualized, Biblically-based, character-building curriculum package”. The material for the classes emphasizes reflecting the Christian ideas and principles of the company, including memorizing Bible passages and learning creationism.

The program allows students to advance through high school. The Accelerated Christian Education curriculum is based on a series of workbooks called PACEs (Packets of Accelerated Christian Education). At the beginning of each PACE is an overview of what the child will be learning, a scripture to memorize, a character trait to strive toward, and a “heads up” on what supplies the student will need. Each subject has 12 PACEs per grade level. The basic subjects of ACE are math, English, literature and creative writing, Word Building (spelling and word usage), science, and social studies (also known in the Philippines as Araling Panlipunan, Philippine history, and Asian history). Test keys are published for corresponding PACEs. Additional PACEs apply, such as Filipino (Philippines only).

A new student starting the ACE system is given a placement test, which assesses ability in the five areas with corresponding subjects. The test results place the student at appropriate levels by subject.  Students are required to set daily goals for work completion and are generally expected to finish a given PACE within two to three weeks (depending on the school). Students are given reviews at certain points in a PACE (called “check-ups”) and a test at its culmination. The passing score for the test can be from 80% to 90%, also depending on the corresponding school. Students who fail must take what measures the school provides to pass the PACE.

In addition to the educational material contained, many of the PACEs also include “Wisdom Inserts”, small comic-strip features intended to demonstrate desired character traits. The strips feature many recurring characters, both adults and children, who all have surnames that contain a character quality (similar in some ways to the naming convention used for characters in The Pilgrim’s Progress). The portrayal of the children is age-progressed; early-grade PACEs show the children as young while later-grade PACEs show them as teenagers.

The two main characters are Ace Virtueson and Christi Lovejoy, who are always portrayed as exemplifying impeccable character. Ronny Vain and Susie Selfwill are portrayed as antagonists demonstrating bad character traits (such as bullying, disobedience, and arrogance). The characters (except for Ronny and Susie) also appear throughout several PACEs as narrators. The remaining characters are portrayed as “normal”, showing good and bad character traits but trying to perform good behaviours.

Distribution and promotion – List of Ace Schools In South Africa

ACE provides annual one-day training sessions for administrators. These are provided in locations around the United States. The sessions focus on understanding and properly implementing the ACE program. For Learning Center Supervisors a four-day workshop is provided annually. The workshop is organized like an ACE classroom, allowing the supervisor to experience the ACE system as a student and learn how to implement the system.

The program is used by homeschooling families and private schools. The company provides instruction and structure for operating a “Christian school”. Schools are not required to use the entire ACE curriculum and may augment it with other resources.

ACE student conventions – List of Ace Schools In South Africa

Schools that use the ACE curriculum may participate in the student conventions. Since 1976, regional conventions have been held throughout the world and the top-placed participants are able to proceed to the International Convention. This convention is usually held at a university campus, such as Indiana University in Bloomington (1990), the University of North Texas in Denton (1991), Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff (1993), and Purdue University in Indiana (1994). One of the national conventions is the All Africa Student Convention, which takes place in South Africa once a year at the end of November or the beginning of December at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The All Africa Student Convention not organized or hosted by ACE United States but by Accelerated Christian Education South Africa, which is a separate organization providing the ACE curriculum to African schools.

ACE holds an annual International Student Convention, for high school students, designed to develop leadership and project building skills and increase their creativity level through a healthy competitive spirit. The conventions augment the curriculum by requiring students to prepare to compete in dramatic, artistic and athletic events.The conventions also offer “Events of the Heart”, which allow students with mental and physical disabilities to participate. When the conventions first started, a parade in the hosting city would accompany a convention. In 1981, over 3,000 students and sponsors marched in New York City to celebrate the opening of the convention at Rutgers University.^[17]Student conventions offer speakers. Past speakers have included David Gibbs from the Christian Law Association, Ben Jordan and William Murray (Madalyn Murray O’Hair’s son).