ACE (Academic Challenge and Enrichment) courses are designed to provide Middle and Upper School students with an extra academic challenge or additional support in English or mathematics twice a week. A wide variety of courses, which differ each year, are offered. Options include such offerings as aviation, book club, mechanics, web design, and robotics. Students are placed in courses based on interest and academic need.
Students receive effort grades throughout their ACE courses and a final Pass/Fail grade. A passing grade for the year is worth a ½ credit. Homework may be assigned and expectations are as high as they are for any other CCS course. For enrichment courses, lessons are structured with the intention of presenting a coherent curriculum aimed at providing academic challenge and fostering curiosity and interest in a new area of study. For the Math and Writing Labs, lessons are geared to specific students and their challenge areas based on their ERB results.
ACE courses are not clubs. Instead, they are designed to:
- Expose students to a field of study that may be new to them
- Give students a chance to explore a subject that is not included in the standard curriculum
- Encourage students to utilize their brains in new ways
- Provide academic challenge
- Provide support and individualized attention in math or English as necessary
Current and former ACE offerings include aviation, entrepreneurship, global cultures, outdoor survival, Glee Club, actors' studio, and engineering, among others.
