Accelerated Christian Education - Accreditation Impact Statement
After a lengthy process of rigorous evaluation, Lighthouse Christian Academy received
accreditation in 2003 with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
(SACS) and the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation
(CITA). These two organizations represent the premier accreditation available
for private educational institutions and are recognized around the world. CITA provides
systems of accreditation to promote quality schools and continuous improvement, which
enhance student success. CITA is an accrediting authority both in the United States and
throughout the world. It is an alliance of the largest and most highly-recognized
American accrediting associations. These associations are responsible for evaluating
and accrediting more than 30,000 schools in 100 countries.
The root of the word accreditation means "worthy of trust." Accreditation is
a voluntary, nongovernmental method of quality assurance and peer review. It is granted
to an educational institution upon successful completion of a thorough evaluation
process, which includes a self-study and an on-site evaluation. Following the
self-study, a team of experienced educators evaluates the school to verify that it
meets the quality standards.
This milestone provides several benefits and opportunities for schools throughout the
world using the Accelerated Christian Education (A.C.E.) program of Bible-based
individualized instruction.
Our school is adamantly opposed to government intervention and control. Does the
accreditation received by the Lighthouse schools mean the government has approved the
curriculum or the schools?
Absolutely not! A.C.E. has always maintained, with conviction, strict separation from
any kind of governmental intrusion into its academic program. In fact, A.C.E.'s legal
counsel served as "watch dogs" on the lookout for any kind of government
influence or pressure to compromise the Biblical core values of the ministry throughout
the entire accreditation process-start to finish. One distinction that is sometimes
overlooked is the fact that the accreditation process undertaken by A.C.E.M.'s
Lighthouse schools was a completely voluntary and nongovernmental process of peer
review. The regional accrediting commissions are private organizations which are
themselves highly opposed to governmental intrusions. The commissions are governed by a
Board of Directors made up of representatives from the member schools who develop and
constantly update the standards of excellence held in common by all. The ministry of
A.C.E. and its President, Esther Howard, D.Litt, have always been steadfastly opposed
to all forms of governmental licensure and state certification requirements of any
kind. A.C.E. can with confident assurance proclaim that not a single compromise was
made to obtain the accreditation seal for the Lighthouse schools. To the contrary, the
process of accreditation has helped the schools to execute their Biblical mission more
efficiently than ever before and has set them on a process of continuing improvement to
the glory of God.
Will A.C.E. help our school become accredited with the same private entity?
Yes. While A.C.E. does not perform the accreditation, the things we have learned and
the resources we have created will be of substantial benefit to schools using the
A.C.E. program who themselves wish to become accredited. For this reason, A.C.E. is
developing resources and a process by which it may facilitate the accreditation of
A.C.E. contract schools by CITA and the appropriate regional accreditation commission.
The development of this process must be done very deliberately in order to ensure the
academic integrity of the program. Accordingly, the initial pilot program will include
a relatively small number of schools representative of the various types of school
programs that use the A.C.E. system and materials throughout the United States and
internationally. In the months that follow, criteria for pre-candidate status will be
published to all A.C.E. contract schools to evaluate each school's readiness for
accreditation. Once the pre-candidate standards are satisfied, A.C.E. will provide
expert consultation services to facilitate the school's accreditation with the
appropriate commissions.
Our school is not interested in accreditation. Will this hurt our relationship with A.C.E. in any way?
Never. A.C.E. is honored to partner in Christian education with your ministry,
regardless of your position relative to accreditation. For some schools, accreditation
is a desirable process. Others take a different view. Accreditation is not in any way
connected with a ministry's status or financial arrangements with A.C.E. In fact,
A.C.E. recognizes that the process of accreditation is an expensive process-in time,
money, and effort-and many ministries will not want to partake. For those ministries
that desire accreditation, A.C.E. can help. For those ministries that do not, A.C.E.
respects your choice and would never attempt to influence your decision.
Does this mean that our school using A.C.E. is now accredited?
Not automatically. The accreditation process involves a rigorous evaluation and
multiple site reviews of the particular school environment of each individual candidate
school. While the academic curriculum in use is certainly part of that process, many of
the accreditation standards deal with how well the total educational program is
executed and with the specific characteristics of each individual candidate school.
Therefore, although individual schools desiring accreditation status for their own
ministry must complete the journey themselves, A.C.E. has blazed the trail, making it
possible for them to accomplish that goal. Again, this does not mean that all schools
using the A.C.E. program are accredited. For accreditation, each school must
successfully complete a process similar to the one completed by the Lighthouse schools.
In the near future A.C.E. will be providing assistance to schools that would like to
pursue accreditation as discussed below.
If our school has Model or Quality Status, does that make us accredited?
Not in the sense that most educators intend. The Model and Quality standards certainly
provide a benchmark for academic achievement based on the standards for excellence
prescribed by A.C.E. The status recognitions offered by A.C.E. would certainly meet the
American Heritage definition of accreditation: "To attest to and approve as
meeting a prescribed standard." For this reason, the status certificates granted
by A.C.E. for many years referred to the achievement as "accreditation." Many
schools have found that the concerns of local public school administrators and even
some colleges are satisfied by the outside validation represented by this status
recognition. Attainment of status is a tribute to the fact that the school's staff is
effectively motivating students, following the A.C.E. Procedures Manual,
submitting to an independent outside review, and operating a high-quality Christian
school. However, most parents and professionals in the academic community equate
accreditation with regional accreditation. Because regional accreditation has
become the standard by which all others are judged, it is often viewed as the highest
form of peer validation an institution can achieve. A school that has achieved Model
Status with A.C.E. is certainly well on its way to meeting the criteria to become a
pre-candidate for accreditation, but should never advertise Model or Quality Status as
a form of accreditation.
Is it true that the A.C.E. curriculum is now accredited?
No. A curriculum cannot be accredited. Only individual schools can be
accredited. The accreditation of the Lighthouse schools does not accredit the A.C.E.
curriculum. However, as the learning vehicle for the schools, the A.C.E. curriculum was
scrutinized, evaluated, and approved as part of the accreditation process. Although
this does not accredit the A.C.E. curriculum, since curriculum cannot be accredited,
this should raise the level of credibility of the A.C.E. curriculum for schools that
use it, and can provide validation of its integrity for those who question it.
Is there any benefit of the Lighthouse schools' accreditation for our own school using the A.C.E. program?
Absolutely! To our knowledge, this is the first time any
school using 100% A.C.E. curriculum and 100% of the A.C.E. procedures has ever been
granted the most rigorous and nationally recognized accreditation. In that sense, the
achievement of the Lighthouse schools is truly groundbreaking. Through the process,
A.C.E. has met many of the wonderful educational professionals who oversee the
accreditation process for CITA and the various regional accreditation commissions,
particularly SACS, and have acquainted them with the individualized delivery model used
in the A.C.E. system of education. In so doing, A.C.E. has forged relationships with
key individuals who now understand the academic underpinning of the educational system
used in your school. In addition, the following three benefits accrue to A.C.E.
contract schools:
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Persuasive Impact. Individuals with general concerns
about A.C.E.'s unique and sometimes unfamiliar process of individualized education
may better understand the program's academic legitimacy when shown that the program
is used 100% in the regionally accredited Lighthouse schools. The accreditation of
the Lighthouse schools shows that A.C.E.'s individualized program is fundamentally
sound and not a "hair-brained scheme" that is "here today, gone
tomorrow." This alone may be enough to convince a local community college or
public school to look more favorably on an A.C.E. student-even if that student's
school is not itself accredited.
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New Accreditation Options. A.C.E. anticipates a great
interest in accreditation among local schools in the A.C.E. community. Undergoing
the process for accreditation of schools using the A.C.E. program will greatly
enhance the education offered to its students. As a ministry, A.C.E. is committed
to helping interested schools through their own individual process of
accreditation. While this is by no means required, schools that feel accreditation
would be a benefit for them will find the process far more hospitable if
facilitated by A.C.E. Because the accreditation organizations now have a deeper
understanding and appreciation for the unique characteristics of the A.C.E. system,
A.C.E. has paved the way for schools using the system to enjoy the school-improving
benefits of accreditation without compromising the academic distinctives of the
A.C.E. program. In fact, several of the regional accrediting commissions now
include A.C.E. Christian schools in their "Special Purposes Division," a
category with special standards for schools that exist for a unique and special
purpose-like providing an individualized Christian education. While the process can
be rigorous and time-consuming, it is now possible for schools using 100% A.C.E.
material to achieve regional and nationally-recognized accreditation. To assist in
the process, A.C.E. will offer accreditation consulting services and accompanying
resource materials for schools that choose to move forward with the process of
accreditation. Help will be offered for the rigorous self-study and future planning
standards of accreditation.
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Dual-Enrollment Possibilities. A.C.E. has developed
guidelines whereby students enrolled in schools using the A.C.E. program may
"dual enroll" in Lighthouse Christian Academy which is already
accredited. To preserve the academic integrity of the process, minimum enrollment
periods must be observed prior to graduation and academic standards must be
maintained, but students whose individual schools are not accredited may thereby
reap the benefits of a diploma from an accredited institution. Some of the details
concerning this process are explained in greater detail below.
We use the A.C.E. program in our school. How could our students benefit from dual-enrollment or academic validation with Lighthouse Christian Academy?
Lighthouse Christian Academy offers a program for
dual-enrollment and academic validation for high school students in schools that use
the A.C.E. program. For some very small schools, the process of accreditation is not
always a viable option. Others desire to see some form of academic validation for their
students until the school itself can pursue accreditation. Dual-enrollment offers
students in these schools the opportunity to receive a diploma from LCA as an
accredited institution while attending the local school. The specific criteria for dual
enrollment are outlined in a separate document provided by LCA. In general, the
students must have used the A.C.E. program for at least two years prior to enrollment
with LCA and the student must maintain dual-enrollment with LCA for at least one year
prior to graduation, a dual-enrollment fee (approximately $200) and a graduation fee
(approximately $50) will apply, and the school must maintain and forward to LCA at
regular intervals the appropriate academic records and student information. Finally, a
school official should be appointed to act as a liaison to coordinate the program with
LCA. LCA will maintain the official student transcript and will issue the student's
high school diploma upon completion of the academic program.