A Beka Book learning

Melody Hawkins achieved the A-B honor roll this school year, and she plans to keep it that way.

It's a goal the 13-year-old's never had before. One she didn't think was possible.

"Ever," Melody said. "I've always been ‘C.' "

Melody's one of 140 students at Odessa Christian School using a curriculum called A Beka Book focused on home-school marketed, faith-based learning.

The school uses an entirely A Beka curriculum, which was developed from a set of courses used at the Pensacola Christian Academy.

A Beka offers a faith-based curriculum for Christian schools written by Christian scholars emphasizing "the Scriptural truth through subjects like math, science and reading."

It's the first year for the Odessa Christian School to use the curriculum, and it's the first Christian school in West Texas to use a total A Beka curriculum, Odessa Christian School interim principal Twyla Greenfield said.

The curriculum uses books, games and other activities and tools to help students learn.

For teachers, Greenfield said, the lesson plans are already put together for the year in a binder, which outlines what the classes will discuss each class day.

In years previous, the school taught students with another home-school method called CORE curriculum.

But A Beka seemed to better fit the needs of the school's students, Greenfield said.

For seventh through 12th grade, the A Beka curriculum also focuses on college readiness by using DVDs for students to watch while following along in a textbook or workbook.

Melody said the DVDs of scholars discussing the various subjects she learns helps her in areas like math, where she isn't as strong of a learner.

"In math, I was failing badly," Melody said. "They explain it better than it was explained last year.

Parents receive a booklet referencing all subjects, by grade level, that their student will learn with in the course of a school year, Greenfield said.

"So there's no gaps in their education," Greenfield said.

Brianna Lingle, who teaches seventh- through 12th-grade students, said her son, Garrett Lingle, a kindergartner, has developed handwriting skills within his first year at the school.

"I'm amazed," she said, noting her son writes in perfect cursive.

With A Beka, students are taught in the mornings, then in the afternoons, students concentrate on completing homework or worksheets.

"The teaching is all done in the morning when the kids are fresh," Greenfield said.

Students don't take the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test, but they are assessed using the Stanford Achievement Test.

The study time students have each day helps them better understand the class materials because they gain the help of their teachers.

"Plus, they see they're getting the results they never had before," Greenfield said.

ON THE NET:
>> A Beka Book: www.abeka.org