Our policy on education is centered on six areas:

a. Christ-Centered Education

• Scriptures should be read daily very carefully and understood so that they may be accurately and regularly applied to daily life

b. Teacher-Directed Instruction

• Teaching is viewed as a gift from God.
• The teacher is considered as integral to the learning process as the student
• Access to a competent teacher is the chief value of the school experience
• Opportunities to interact with the teacher as opposed to machines (read: computers) should be maximized
• The teacher assesses the needs and determines the activities that need to occur in each class to address the same
• The teacher is accountable to God, the Board, and Parents, in that order, to ensure that learning occurs

c. Focussed on Fundamentals

• Understanding of simple concepts should precede more complex ones
• Students who are skilled in the basics are best equipped to learn advanced problem solving
• All students should be able to read and write well, and calculate quickly and accurately
• Phonics, spelling, and math facts are foundational to reading, writing, and arithmetic
• Creative writers must first be literate writers
• Creative artists and musicians must first be skilled artists and musicians
• Good athletes should first of all be "good sports"

d. Result-Oriented

• Our definition of "Teaching" is "Causing Learning to Occur"
• Nothing has been "taught" until "something has been learned"
• If one method, no matter how credible, doesn't work, another should be tried
• If one resource doesn't work, another should be tried
• Methods and resources should be found and implemented until learning takes place
• Policies and procedures should support, not undermine, the learning of each student
• Parents should be informed of the success or lack of thereof for each program
• Results should be verified through a variety of means including standardized testing

e. Mastery Learning

• Success breeds success
• Mastery of concepts fosters self-confidence and therefore a willingness to try something new
• Mastery of concepts provides the proper foundation to be able to succeed at the next task
• Success on complex concepts is best assured by "mastery" (80% or better) of the simpler ones
• It is better to ensure that a few things are learned well than many things poorly

f. Personalized Programming

• Students with differing abilities should not be treated the same
• Not all students can or should work at the same pace or with the same materials
• All students can do well if the program is properly designed for them
• All students should be allowed to study at a level appropriate to their gifting
• Programs should be adapted to students, not the other way around