Academic Overview

At Lakeview Christian Academy, we determine our instructional sequences in every core subject area through a process of examination of post-secondary entrance requirements. We surveyed 2-3 public and private universities in every state in the United States to determine their expectations of how a freshman entering their institutions would be equipped academically so as not to need any kind of remediation. The results of our survey revealed an important consistency among post-secondary institutions, with an additional emphasis on course content within each core subject area. For example, they are more interested in the content of the math courses you take in high school rather than the number of math courses you take in high school. With this example, post-secondary institutions would require Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Trigonometry/Pre-Calculus as the 4 math courses a high school student must take in order to minimally qualify for admission. No other math courses will substitute for these requirements. The same would apply to the other core subject areas.

At Lakeview Christian Academy we believe it is important to require all of our students to take an instructional sequence in each of the core subject areas that will prepare all of them for entrance into a post-secondary institution. This is called our College Readiness Program. The rigor involved in such a requirement provides the additional benefit of developing the character of our students. Even if they decide to move directly into the workforce, they are adequately prepared with disciplines that will position them favorably with employers. This is a very important part of our program, and one that cannot be underestimated. Integrity in our young adults is something we old adults want to see. Below is an outline of our requirements for graduation from Lakeview:

College in the Schools (CITS) and College Level Examination Program (CLEP) courses available at Lakeview Christian Academy.

CITS Courses: (College credits provided by Lake Superior College)
General Chemistry I-5 credits
General Chemistry II-5 credits
College Composition I-3 credits
College Composition II-3 credits
American Literature: Civil War to Present-3 credits
English Literature: 18th Century to Present-3 credits
Philosophy-3 credits (provided by Bryant College)

CLEP Courses:
Spanish II-5 credits
Spanich III-5 credits
American Government-3 credits
US History I-3 credits
US History II-3 credits
Microeconomics-3 credits
Biology-5 credits
College Algebra-3 credits
Pre-calculus-5 credits
Calculus-5 credits

We have found that the primary factor that college admission's officers believe is most important is a high school student's performance in college preparatory courses. The second most important factor is the strength of the curriculum of these courses. While performance on the ACT or SAT is important for high school students, especially in accessing scholarship funding, it is only a snapshot at a given point in time that may not adequately provide a broad enough assessment of student ability. There is also the added challenge that some very academically gifted students do not do well on standardized tests. While we believe that performing well on the ACT/SAT is important, our primary emphasis in preparing our students lies in the rigorous content of all of their core academic courses during high school.

Please view our AcademicProfile2017 for more information.

Based upon our annual Terra Nova 3 testing (nationalized norm-referenced test) results, our students in grades K-8 rank in the top 25% of all students in the United States that take the Terra Nova 3 test. Based upon our College Readiness standards (course content), our graduating classes rank in the top 25% of all high school graduates in the United States that go on to college. Students that complete a rigorous high school instructional sequence are not only better prepared for college, they are the most likely to finish their pursuit of a college degree.

Curriculum

In grades Preschool through 12, we use a variety of curriculum at Lakeview Christian Academy. We establish our instructional sequences by monitoring the entrance requirements at post-secondary educational institutions as our starting point, and then work backwards from our established graduation requirements through the grade levels, establishing a core curricular sequence that connected to desired outcomes. This way we ensure that we are able to graduate all students with the skills necessary to enter those institutions without the need for remediation.

We have attempted to choose the best curriculum from the best publishers at each grade level, and have implemented a structured curriculum review cycle. All grades are curriculum mapped and reviewed/revised annually to ensure adjustments are made in a timely manner.

Textbooks

Lakeview uses a variety of Christian and secular curriculum. We choose the best textbooks that provide the best academic resources to achieve success. The school supplies students with reusable textbooks for an annual rental fee. All consumable textbooks, workbooks, etc. are purchased by parents annually. The cost of consumables vary by grade level and are billed to the parent account during the month of September. Parent accounts must be paid in full at the end of each month. All textbooks must be covered to prevent damage and extend their life. Textbooks which are the property of LCA must be treated with care. Any damaged or lost books will be charged to the parent's account.

Lakeview Christian Academy

College Preparation Emphasis

Many courses at the high school level have been replaced with college-level courses taught by our highly qualified faculty on our campus. Dual credit college courses permit our students to obtain credit towards their high school diploma while earning college credit. The goal is to eliminate as many general education requirements for a college degree as possible while the student is still in high school.

This innovative approach avoids scheduling, availability, and equivalency challenges associated with the PSEO (post secondary enrollment options) program, and permits the retention of our students on our campus through graduation from high school.