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OVERVIEW

Classical Education and Foundations Academy have a track-record of excellence: 

• Our average student outscores 89% of students nationally on the ERB standardized test.

• On average, our SAT scores for 2006 were 45 points higher on the verbal section and 85 points higher on the math than other Idaho schools, 33 and 74 points better respectively than other private schools in Idaho.

• Students who take Latin score an average of 150 points higher than other students on the verbal portion of the SAT.

• Students in classical schools score an average 70 points higher on the Peers Christian Worldview test than students at non-worldview Christian schools.

ACCS ACCREDITATION

The academic success of classical Christian schools is largely responsible for their rapid expansion in recent years. With this rise in popularity and excellence has come the rigorous accreditation process of the ACCS.  Fewer than 10% of ACCS schools have successfully completed this process.  Foundations Academy and St. Ambrose successfully completed accreditation in May of 2006.  This required a thorough review of our school by three administrators from large, successful ACCS schools:  Westminster Academy of Memphis Tennessee, Schaeffer Academy of Rochester, Minnesota, and Regents School of Austin, Texas.

STANDARDIZED TESTING

Foundations Academy uses one of the oldest and most respected standardized testing services in the world: The Educational Records Bureau. The ERB’s tests are administered at thousands of private and preparatory schools in the U.S. and in 42 countries around the world. Because the ERB is primarily taken by excellent independent schools, we are able to measure our students against a higher standard.  Because it is also taken by many international schools overseas, it provides a more global measure of performance than other tests.  In short, the test provides us with better information to help us improve our program.  For example, portions of the test are in longhand to ensure that students can perform writing skills, not just answer bubble sheet questions. Unlike the Idaho Standard Achievement Tests (ISAT), the ERB test is targeted at schools with a large majority of college-bound students who typically achieve beyond state standards (see below).  We have chosen not to take the ISAT's because they provide a relatively low bar, limiting the constructive information we can obtain from ISAT testing.

We administer both the standard CTP-4 test, and the hand-written Writing Assessment Test provided by the ERB.

In 2006, the average student at Foundations Academy scored better than 89% of students nationally.  Our middle and high school average was above the 90th percentile nationally.

What parents should know about ISATs and standardized tests

Do you want your child to meet the minimum standards for their grade? Or do you want your child to excel to the highest possible standard?  Because of the No Child Left Behind act, the state of Idaho wants every student to meet minimum state standards for proficiency. 

Why doesn't Foundations Academy take the ISAT?  Because we want your child to reach the highest possible level of achievement, not simply clear a low, "proficient" standard set by the state.  The ISAT measures a student's performance relative to a state-established proficiency standard.  Therefore, many schools report scores of between 60 and 90 on the ISAT.  This is not the same as the percentile that we report from the ERB.  When considering performance on standardized tests, you should know:

1. The ISAT measures how students perform relative to an Idaho state-legislated standard.  The state is motivated to set this standard so that most students can pass it in order to obtain Federal funds under the No Child Left Behind act.

2. The ISAT proficiency numbers typically reported by schools represent the number of students who meet or exceed the minimum standards for "proficiency" as defined by the state.  For example, if XYZ high school reports 90 percent on the Math portion of the test, it means than 90% of their students met or exceeded the state's minimum standard.

3. The ERB is given to some of the best schools in the country.  Your child's test results are compared with students at other great schools.

4. If your child is the average student in his class at Foundations Academy, he or she will likely score better than 89% of students in schools across the country. 

5. Because the ERB isn't testing proficiency, but excellence, the test has questions that challenge nearly every student.  This allows us to measure and improve even if all of our students exceed the proficient standard.

ISAT vs. ERB Example:

HONORABLE GRADUATES

The greatest measure of our success is the caliber of our graduates.  SAT's and other academic measures fail to communicate the true character which results from classical Christian education done well.  Our students graduate knowing their purpose (to Glorify God) and possessing a deep perspective of God's world with its history, its beauty, its ideas, its math, its science, and its people.  View our video visit for the 10-12th graders to get a better understanding of who graduates from St. Ambrose Christian School.

HIGH SCHOOL PROFILE

The attached school profile is sent with our transcript. This profile helps colleges understand our program. We include a PDF of this document (best if printed on legal paper) to provide our average SAT scores and many other details about our high-school program.  If your viewer encounters an error reading the profile, much of the same information is available here.