The curriculum

Outline the storyline of Scripture in six movements — creation, fall, promise, Christ, church, consummation — and place at least four biblical events under each.

Assessment

Written outline produced from memory on a blank sheet.

Mastery criterion

All six movements in order, with at least four correctly assigned events under each, twice in a school year.

Summarize each of the five books of Moses and each of the four Gospels in one accurate sentence.

Assessment

Written one-sentence summaries, closed book.

Mastery criterion

Eight of nine summaries judged accurate against a parent answer key.

Recite sixty cumulative Scripture verses and three extended passages — Psalm 100, Psalm 19:1–14, and Romans 3:21–26 — with references.

Assessment

Weekly recitation plus a cumulative end-of-term review draw of twenty verses at random.

Mastery criterion

All three passages word-perfect; at least 18 of 20 randomly drawn verses correct.

Define in his own words and use correctly in a sentence: justification, sanctification, atonement, repentance, faith, regeneration, providence, covenant, grace, and glory.

Assessment

Written definitions plus original sentences; oral follow-up on any term defined by rote.

Mastery criterion

Nine of ten defined accurately and used correctly in an original sentence.

Use a concordance and the cross-reference column of a study Bible to find at least four additional texts on an assigned topic.

Assessment

Three assigned topics; student submits the texts found and where he found them.

Mastery criterion

At least four relevant texts per topic on all three topics, unassisted.

Explain the difference between the covenant of works made with Adam and the covenant of grace revealed in Christ, and cite one supporting text for each.

Assessment

Oral explanation with an open Bible.

Mastery criterion

Both covenants correctly described with an apt proof text, on two occasions a month apart.

Explain from Scripture why baptism is for those who profess faith, describe baptism by immersion as a picture of death and resurrection, and state two reasons Baptists do not baptize infants.

Assessment

Oral explanation to a parent, with texts open; then a written paragraph.

Mastery criterion

At least three supporting texts cited correctly and both reasons stated fairly, without caricaturing paedobaptists.

Identify five figures from church history — for example Athanasius, Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and Bunyan — giving century, one contribution, and one reason God's providence used them.

Assessment

Oral or written identification quiz.

Mastery criterion

All five identified with the correct century and an accurate contribution.

Complete all 144 questions of A Catechism for Boys and Girls, answered verbatim and out of order.

Assessment

Cumulative examination in four sittings across a term, drawn out of order. Tracked question-by-question.

Mastery criterion

At least 90% of the 144 answered verbatim on the cumulative examination.

Recite questions 1–43 of The Baptist Catechism verbatim — through the application of redemption — and give at least one proof text for ten of them.

Assessment

Weekly recitation; term examination with proof-text spot checks. Tracked question-by-question.

Mastery criterion

At least 39 of 43 verbatim, and ten proof texts cited correctly.

Restate any of twenty selected catechism answers in his own words without losing the doctrine, and say why the question matters.

Assessment

Oral paraphrase task; parent judges whether the paraphrase would satisfy the catechism's author.

Mastery criterion

Sixteen of twenty paraphrases doctrinally sound and non-circular.

Diagram simple and compound sentences showing subject, predicate, direct and indirect objects, modifiers, and prepositional phrases.

Assessment

Fifteen sentences to diagram on a timed written test.

Mastery criterion

13 of 15 diagrammed correctly, twice in a school year.

Recite the twenty-three helping verbs, the linking verbs, and at least forty prepositions from memory.

Assessment

Timed oral recitation of each list.

Mastery criterion

All helping and linking verbs correct; at least 40 prepositions listed within 90 seconds.

Write a five-sentence narrative or expository paragraph with a topic sentence, three supporting sentences, and a clincher.

Assessment

Independent paragraph on an assigned topic, graded on a structure-and-mechanics rubric.

Mastery criterion

85% on the rubric for three paragraphs across three different terms.

Produce a key-word outline of a source paragraph and rewrite the content from the outline alone, then summarize a whole chapter in three to five sentences.

Assessment

Outline and rewrite submitted together; chapter summary graded for accuracy and concision.

Mastery criterion

Rewrite preserves all main points without copying source phrasing; summary judged accurate and under six sentences.

Spell eight hundred cumulative words and use twenty Latin and Greek roots to explain the meaning of English words containing them.

Assessment

Cumulative dictation of sixty words plus a roots application quiz on unfamiliar words.

Mastery criterion

54 of 60 words correct and 16 of 20 root-based meanings correctly inferred.

Write all daily written work in legible cursive at a sustainable pace.

Assessment

Parent review of ordinary schoolwork, not a special handwriting sample.

Mastery criterion

Legible to a reader outside the household on four of five sampled work pages, at a rate of at least 30 letters per minute.

Recite eight selections from memory, including at least one of sixteen lines or more and one psalm.

Assessment

Termly public recitation graded on a delivery rubric.

Mastery criterion

All eight from memory; at least 85% on the delivery rubric for the long piece.

Read twelve full-length books independently and discuss each with a parent.

Assessment

Reading log plus a ten-minute oral discussion per book.

Mastery criterion

All twelve completed with discussions showing genuine comprehension rather than summary from a blurb.

Distinguish fable, fairy tale, myth, legend, history, and biography, and state one mark of each.

Assessment

Twelve short excerpts to classify with a stated reason.

Mastery criterion

10 of 12 correctly classified with a defensible reason.

Identify the plot structure, central conflict, and theme of a book read independently.

Assessment

Written response of one page for three different books.

Mastery criterion

All three elements correctly identified for at least two of three books, with textual support.

Give the meaning of four hundred cumulative Latin vocabulary words and name at least one English derivative for eighty of them.

Assessment

Cumulative written test of eighty randomly drawn words plus derivative task.

Mastery criterion

72 of 80 words correct and a valid derivative given for at least 60.

Chant and write the first- and second-declension noun endings in all cases and both numbers, and decline any given noun of those declensions.

Assessment

Written declension of four nouns from memory, no chart.

Mastery criterion

All ten forms correct for at least three of four nouns.

Conjugate first- and second-conjugation verbs in the present, imperfect, and future active indicative.

Assessment

Written conjugation test covering all three tenses for two verbs.

Mastery criterion

At least 90% of the eighteen forms per verb correct, on two tests.

Translate simple Latin sentences into idiomatic English and simple English sentences into correct Latin, using known vocabulary and forms.

Assessment

Twenty sentences, ten in each direction.

Mastery criterion

16 of 20 translated correctly, with case and person endings right.

Recite thirty cumulative Latin sayings with meanings, including several used in the church and in law.

Assessment

Cumulative oral quiz.

Mastery criterion

At least 27 of 30 correct in both directions.

Recall all multiplication and division facts through 12 × 12 automatically.

Assessment

Timed written drill of one hundred mixed facts.

Mastery criterion

95 of 100 correct in five minutes, on two occasions at least two weeks apart.

Multiply a three-digit number by a two-digit number using the standard algorithm.

Assessment

Fifteen problems on a written test.

Mastery criterion

13 of 15 correct on two separate assessments.

Divide a four-digit number by a one-digit divisor, interpreting the remainder correctly for the context.

Assessment

Twelve problems, at least four set in a word-problem context requiring remainder interpretation.

Mastery criterion

10 of 12 correct including correct remainder interpretation in context.

Identify equivalent fractions, reduce to lowest terms, compare fractions, and add and subtract fractions with like denominators.

Assessment

Twenty mixed items including a visual model task.

Mastery criterion

17 of 20 correct, including at least one correct explanation using a drawn model.

Read, write, and compare decimals to hundredths, relate them to fractions, and state place value through the millions.

Assessment

Twenty mixed items.

Mastery criterion

17 of 20 correct.

Calculate perimeter and area of rectangles and composite rectilinear figures, labeling units correctly.

Assessment

Ten problems including three composite figures.

Mastery criterion

8 of 10 correct with correct units on every answer.

Solve two-step word problems involving any of the four operations, showing the work for each step.

Assessment

Ten problems; work shown is graded as well as the answer.

Mastery criterion

8 of 10 correct with legible work for both steps.

Place forty historical events on a timeline with dates or centuries, drawn from the four-year chronological cycle.

Assessment

Written timeline produced from memory, dates within a century for ancient events and a decade for modern ones.

Mastery criterion

34 of 40 correctly placed and dated within tolerance.

Write a three-to-five sentence narration about a historical figure or event after reading a source, without copying the source's wording.

Assessment

Twelve narrations across the year, graded for accuracy and original phrasing.

Mastery criterion

At least ten judged accurate and in the student's own words.

Label all fifty United States and their capitals, and identify thirty countries relevant to the period under study, on unlabeled maps.

Assessment

Blank map tests, administered in sections then cumulatively.

Mastery criterion

45 of 50 states with capitals and 26 of 30 countries on the cumulative test.

Distinguish a primary from a secondary source and explain why the difference matters for judging a historical claim.

Assessment

Ten sources to classify with a stated reason, plus one open question on reliability.

Mastery criterion

9 of 10 classified correctly and a coherent answer on reliability.

Form a hypothesis, conduct a controlled investigation, record data in a table, and state a conclusion that either supports or contradicts the hypothesis.

Assessment

Six investigations across the year, each written up on a standard form.

Mastery criterion

At least five write-ups complete and internally consistent, including at least one where the hypothesis was not supported and the student says so.

Name six body systems, their main organs, and their function.

Assessment

Labeled diagram plus written functions.

Mastery criterion

All six systems with correct main organs and functions.

Identify the six simple machines, give a household example of each, and explain how each reduces the effort required.

Assessment

Household scavenger hunt plus oral explanation.

Mastery criterion

All six found and explained in terms of effort and distance, not just named.

Construct a food chain and a food web for a local habitat, and describe the three rock types and the cycle that relates them.

Assessment

Diagrams produced by the student plus an oral explanation with real rock samples.

Mastery criterion

Food web includes at least eight organisms with correct arrows; all three rock types identified by sample.

Measure length, mass, volume, and temperature using metric instruments and record with correct units and reasonable precision.

Assessment

Practical measurement stations.

Mastery criterion

All measurements within tolerance and every value recorded with correct units.

Sing thirty hymns and psalm settings from memory, at least five of them metrical psalms, and name the author of ten.

Assessment

Cumulative singing assessment plus an authorship quiz.

Mastery criterion

All thirty sung; at least eight authors correct.

Identify eight composers, place each in the correct musical era, and name one work by each.

Assessment

Listening quiz plus written identification.

Mastery criterion

Seven of eight correctly placed by era with a correct work named.

Produce finished work in at least four media — for example drawing, watercolor, clay, and printmaking — following a demonstrated technique.

Assessment

Portfolio review at the end of the year.

Mastery criterion

One finished piece in each medium showing the demonstrated technique.

Explain what the regulative principle means for what the church sings, and state the family's position and one reason another faithful church might differ.

Assessment

Oral explanation with parent follow-up questions.

Mastery criterion

The position stated accurately with a text, and the alternative described without caricature.

Plan and prepare a simple meal for the family, including safe knife and stove use and cleaning up afterward.

Assessment

Supervised practical assessment, done twice.

Mastery criterion

Meal edible and on time, safety rules observed throughout, kitchen left clean.

Divide his own money into giving, saving, and spending, keep a written record, and explain from Scripture why Christians give.

Assessment

Money record reviewed monthly plus an oral explanation.

Mastery criterion

Records accurate for three consecutive months and the scriptural reason stated with a text.

Work independently on assigned schoolwork for forty-five consecutive minutes and produce the expected output.

Assessment

Timed observation with the work product checked afterward.

Mastery criterion

Forty-five minutes sustained with acceptable output on four of five attempts.

Identify five informal fallacies — ad hominem, straw man, appeal to popularity, false dilemma, and circular reasoning — in real examples.

Assessment

Fifteen examples drawn from advertising, conversation, and reading.

Mastery criterion

12 of 15 correctly identified and named.