Upon enrolment, parents are supplied with the Home Educator’s Kit. This kit includes a DVD, manual, parent’s workbooks and tests, and catalogues. Parents are required to complete all the training material and return the completed tests to Jubilee Christian College. This enables the parent to become fully acquainted with the curriculum and the procedures. The trained parent then becomes the ‘Supervisor’.
Establishing student’s starting levels
At the same time as parents are completing their training, students will be completing Diagnostic Tests to determine their placement in the School of Tomorrow curriculum. The four tests; Math, English, Science/Social Studies and Word Building are returned to Jubilee Christian College for marking, and College staff will prescribe a course of study for each student. Should students be transferring from another school using the School of Tomorrow curriculum, Jubilee Christian College staff will simply need to know where the student is currently working on the curriculum.
Beginning work
After marking your children’s Diagnostic Tests and establishing their starting levels, Jubilee Christian College staff will send the first set of PACEs for your children. At that time we will also send you any required Score Keys (Answer books) and any literature books, resource books, or kits needed for completion of the programme.
PLEASE NOTE: From the time you enrol with Jubilee Christian College, it could take approximately four weeks before you start working on PACEs in your own home.
Maintaining a quality programme
Distance Education in your home will take a considerable commitment from parents.
Whilst the curriculum is a learning programme, the supervising parent will be required to be available to guide the students in their work, provide encouragement, motivation and inspiration, maintain security of Score Keys, and ensure that sufficient extra-curricular activities are provided.
If your child will be doing the Pre-Reading or Year 1 courses, the supervising parent will be required to provide the majority of instruction, as set out in the daily instruction manuals.
Parents will be supplied with the necessary forms to be able to keep accurate records of your children’s progress. Please be consistent. Good record-keeping reflects a high quality educational environment.
Completing PACEs
Following the procedures you have learned from your training courses, the supervising parent will be responsible for guiding students to the successful completion of PACEs.
Once a PACE is completed, the students will sit for the PACE Test. When the test is finished, the supervising parent will be required to mark the test. To do this you will use the Test Key that was supplied with the Score Key. Write the score on the front of the test along with the date of the test. When you have satisfied yourself that your child has achieved at least the minimum score, you may issue him/her with the next PACE.
On the first working day of each month, you are required to send Jubilee Christian College any completed PACE Tests, any Score Keys no longer required, and any literature or resource books no longer required, plus your payment for monthly fees.
Reviewing results
When Jubilee Christian College staff receive a package of completed tests from you, each test will be reviewed, test results will be recorded on the College’s permanent records, a report will be issued to parents, and the tests and report will be returned to you for safe keeping.
Ordering more curriculum
Parents are responsible for ordering further PACEs.
The Jubilee Christian College: Distance Education Handbook contains all the instructions necessary.
College staff are available for assistance.
Students experiencing difficulties
Jubilee Christian College staff are always available to assist you with your programme. Contact can be made by telephone, facsimile, email or by post. We will endeavour to help you as much as we can. Please try to establish a network of people in your local area whom you can call on for assistance. You would be surprised the talents and skills found in friends, relatives, church members and other Distance Education parents.
For many advanced Secondary school courses, it may be beneficial to employ a qualified tutor.
Parents have a great opportunity to learn along with the students. Don’t just supervise your children, read the material yourself. Try working some of the exercises the night before your child does. If all else fails, use the Score Key to work backwards. Never underestimate what you can achieve.
Additional help for families
Whilst the College provides a curriculum of high quality to implement in your own home, some activities are better done face-to-face. Jubilee Christian College has sent staff to visit various locations around Queensland to conduct home visits, activity days, and camps. Students can come together for academic assistance, music, art or sporting activities. We provide an on going telephone support, and our 1300 DISTANCE number makes this attractive to families.(1300 347 826)
Taking up the challenge
You may be a family who have been disillusioned by the local schools in your area. You may be a family who have limited options for the education of your children. Or you may be a family with a strong conviction that a home education programme is God’s provision for you in order to build a healthier family.
Whatever the reasons, if you have a solid commitment to put in the time and ‘the hard yards’, a home education programme can provide positive benefits for your family. The challenge to Christian parents is to ‘Train up a child in the way he should go...’ Proverbs 22:6.
Jubilee Christian College can assist you to fulfil this God-given responsibility.
