Achieving goals is a benchmark of A.C.E.'s curriculum and program. Short-range, mid-range, and long-range motivational incentives assist students in meeting their goals. Congratulations slips, daily praise and encouragement, and stars for Student Progress Charts are short-range rewards. Privilege levels and weekly field trips are mid-range rewards. Long-range motivational rewards are the culmination of faithful attention to the short- and mid-range goals. Here are a few examples:
Honor Roll
Honor Roll Qualification
Each quarter students included on the Honor Roll must fulfill the following requirements:
- At least three stars in each subject: math, English, Word Building (Etymology for ninth-level students), science, social studies, Bible Reading, Literature and Creative Writing or an appropriate number of literature selections, and electives. Requirements for a specific number of stars in each subject may be adjusted to the circumstance, but the required number of PACEs is the same for all students, even if the number required in each subject is changed. Candidates for graduation who have completed some requirements may be exempt from maintaining academic balance.
- A qualifying total PACE Test average:
Supervisor’s Honor Roll: 88 to 93 percent
Principal’s Honor Roll: 94 percent or higher
- Memorization of each month’s Scripture passage
Honor Roll Day
Honor Roll Day is a greatly anticipated quarterly event for students who qualify. This day should feature something unusual, unexpected, and just plain fun. It should be an activity day involving more than looking and listening. It should involve distance, time, and extra finance. Examples of appropriate activity-oriented events for Honor Roll Day include skating, biking, tubing, ice-skating, horseback riding, and bowling. Examples of appropriate places to visit for Honor Roll Day include the planetarium, museum, state capitol, ranch, or zoo. An Honor Roll luncheon with the pastor/administrator and staff would be long remembered. Honor Roll Day is a regular school day for those who did not achieve Honor Roll.
Honor Roll Certificate
An Honor Roll Certificate is presented by the pastor/administrator in front of the student’s peers or at a special event. Honor Roll Certificates can be purchased from A.C.E., and patches and medals can be purchased from various retailers. The Honor Roll Certificates and Honor Roll Day are awarded to qualifying students each quarter. At year-end, present a larger award to those students who earned Honor Roll all four quarters.
Literature Achievement Certificate
Another long-range reward to achieve is the Literature Achievement Certificate. To earn this beautiful certificate, students must read and report on at least 20 character-building books during the academic year. Books must be approved by the supervisor and must be on a reading level equivalent to or above the student’s science curriculum level. No more than 10 books may be associated with the English or literature curriculum, and all books should be comparable in length and difficulty to PACE literature books at the student’s reading level. The Literature Achievement Certificate PDF may be downloaded for free by clicking here.
Year-End Awards Program
The annual awards program provides great motivation for students to excel in specific areas. This year-end program provides a formal platform for rewarding such achievement. Early in the academic year, design an area in or near the Learning Center to display trophies, plaques, ribbons, pins, and/or certificates to be presented at the end-of-the-year program. This helps students visualize what they are striving to earn throughout the entire school year.
Exercise caution in selecting awards. Students who receive excessively large trophies for tasks that do not require character develop a distorted view of the relationship between effort and praise. Rewards have their best effect when presented in recognition of Christian character rather than for use of skill or talent.