What Do We Teach, and When Do We Teach It?
The word “curriculum” comes from a Latin word referring to a race track. A school curriculum is the “race track” or course which students follow through their time with us. The CCS curriculum is well-planned to provide students with essential learning as they grow in their knowledge of God and of His world, and as they learn how to serve God and others. Courses build on one another, so the content learned in kindergarten prepares students for what they will learn in first grade, and even ultimately lays a foundation for what they will study in high school as they prepare to move into college and into the broader world.
We invite you to take a closer look at the textbooks we use as well as our entire course catalog.
If you have questions about our curriculum or our textbooks, we invite you to contact our Academic Dean, Dr. Rod Kirby, at rod.kirby@cherokeechristian.org.
No Common Core
The implementation of Common Core standards is causing a raging philosophical battle across our country. As with anything else, there are likely parts of the Common Core initiative that are not problematic. However, there are some significant areas that should concern parents and several of those areas are found in the philosophy of education that has been part of public education in America for years.
Below, you will find the facts about Common Core (CC) standards as they relate to our school (CCS):
- CCS is not tied to Common Core nor is CCS required to implement Common Core.
- We are not involved in whatever “data collection” might be connected with Common Core.
- We are not required to administer either of the two major Common Core aligned tests (PARCC or Smarter Balanced).
- We do not engage in the testing regimen that is common in public schools, where students are constantly being tested, prepped for, or being taught to the test.
- We regularly evaluate our curriculum and textbooks to find those materials that best support our own learning objectives. Some of those materials might state that they are “Common Core Aligned.” We still examine them to see if they support our teaching.