About CCA
Covenant Classical Academy supports families and churches by providing an academically excellent classical Christian education that cultivates knowledge, wisdom, eloquence, and godly character and equips students with the tools of learning that will last a lifetime.
Covenant Classical Academy (CCA) was established in 2024 to expand accessibility to academically excellent classical Christian education for Beaverton-area parents who are looking for a school that embodies the values and goals of a Christian home. The curriculum and culture of CCA are purposefully designed to amplify the discipleship work of families and churches and to promote human flourishing by training children to be lifelong learners who enjoy and magnify the Good, the True, and the Beautiful, namely the Triune God who has revealed Himself in the Scriptures. CCA classroom teachers, staff, and administrators assist parents in providing their children with a body of knowledge that enables them to rightly understand and enjoy the world in which they live; to engage contemporary culture with a biblical, Christ-centered worldview; and to communicate truthfully, graciously, and effectively.
CCA is neither traditional private education nor homeschool. Rather, it is a shared-instruction collaborative model that offers the best of both worlds: proven curriculum, guidance by expert teachers, and high levels of parental involvement and awareness. CCA exists to support parents in their God-given role as the primary educators of their children; it recognizes parental involvement as the most significant factor in student success. CCA teachers, administrators, students, and parents work together as a team. In this model, parents are co-teachers.
Philosophy of Education
Classical methods of education have been tested and refined for over 2,500 years and were still the dominant approach to schooling in the United States as recently as the early 20th century. Building on the cultural heritage of the ancient Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans, a classical education equipped nearly every great thinker, leader, scientist, and scholar of Western civilization.
Following Sayers’s 1947 essay “The Lost Tools of Learning,” the modern resurgence of classical education is built around the Trivium, or “three paths” of learning. In ancient and medieval education, the Trivium described the meeting place or intersection of the three essential language arts — Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric — which were considered fundamental to the education of free people. These paths generally correspond to the natural development of the student’s mind as he or she grows in knowledge, understanding, and wisdom:
Grammar
Grammar deals with the foundational rules and facts of any given subject. It is the focus of Kindergarten through 5th grade.
Logic
Logic is emphasized during the middle school years (6th-8th) and is concerned with the reasoning that ties all the various particulars together.
Rhetoric
Rhetoric, the art of effective communication, is taught during the high school years when students are trained to express their thoughts clearly and persuasively.
With a classical education, students acquire “the tools of learning,” the ability to listen, read, interpret, understand, think, and communicate clearly, which enable them to continue as lifelong learners wherever God calls them to serve, whatever He calls them to do.
A classical Christian education is built on the conviction that every person is created in the image of the Triune God who has revealed Himself and His purposes for us in creation, in the person and work of His only Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Bible. A classical Christian school is an expression of our firm belief that God created and called us and our children to love and worship Him with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. Consequently, every aspect of the school’s instruction and operation reflects the Gospel, which teaches us that all people are fallen and in need of redemption and restoration, and that God accomplished this redemption through the finished work of Christ and applies it to us by the Holy Spirit. We strive to maintain a learning environment where each child is given the opportunity to develop his or her thoughts and affections within the framework of a biblical worldview.
The principles and practice of classical Christian education are further explained in the following works:
- “The Lost Tools of Learning,” by Dorothy Sayers (essay)
- Shaping Hearts and Minds, by Monica Whatley
- Wisdom and Eloquence, by Robert Littlejohn and Charles Evans
- The Case for Classical Christian Education, by Douglas Wilson
- The Seven Laws of Teaching, by John Gregory
- The Liberal Arts Tradition: A Philosophy of Classical Christian Education, by Kevin Clark and Ravi Jain
While the Covenant Classical Academy program is not officially accredited, the commitment to classical and Christian education at St. Stephen’s Academy has been rigorously examined and affirmed by three national accrediting bodies: the Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS) the Society for Classical Learning (SCL), and Middle States Association (MSA).
In loco parentis (“in place of parents”)
Covenant Classical Academy affirms that the education of children is the responsibility of parents and the immediate family rather than the state. Consequently, the education offered at CCA is inherently different in philosophy, content, and goals than that offered in public or other private schools.
CCA hires and trains qualified, highly effective teachers and staff who love and follow Jesus, who understand and are committed to the classical model, and who will pass on a love of learning to their students. Teachers and other staff members do not function with independent authority, but rather with limited, delegated authority, which is given directly to parents by God and granted by parents to the school for specific purposes. This acknowledgment ensures that parents’ authority over the education of their children is always respected at CCA. The principle of in loco parentis applies to all teachers and staff who exercise authority of any kind over students.
Statement of Faith
CCA is a distinctly Christian community. The following Doctrinal Statement, including the Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality (collectively, the “Statement of Faith”) expresses the theological foundation and biblical convictions upon which CCA is based. It reflects the key elements of Christianity that are held by Protestant Christian churches and taught in various ways throughout the entire school. The substance of these Statements is considered primary doctrine at CCA. All parents and employees at CCA must agree to and support these Statements:
Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality
- We believe God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God.
- We believe the term “marriage,” in human relationships, applies only to the exclusive union of one man and one woman as described in Scripture.
- We believe God intends sexual intimacy only to occur between a man and a woman who are married to each other.
- We believe God, for our good and His glory, has expressly prohibited all forms of sexual immorality including fornication, adultery, homosexuality, pornography, or acting upon any disagreement with one’s biological sex. Such behaviors are distortions of God’s design for human sexuality and are always destructive to the individual and offensive to God.
- We believe God delights to forgive and restore all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
- We believe every person must be treated with compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. All hateful, harassing, or abusive words, behaviors, or attitudes directed toward any individual or group are to be repudiated as contrary to Scripture and inconsistent with our calling as followers of Jesus Christ.
Finally, we believe that in order to preserve the integrity of Covenant Classical Academy as a program of St. Stephen’s Academy and an extension of the ministry of Evergreen Presbyterian Church, to fulfill our calling to serve and support like-minded families and churches in our community, to provide a biblical example to our staff and students, and to provide instruction consistent with our commitment to the Scriptures and our doctrinal confessions, it is necessary that all administrators, teachers, and co-teachers (parents), as well as any volunteers not under the direct supervision of CCA or SSA employees, agree to and abide by both the Doctrinal Statement and Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality. Failure to agree to, support, and comply with these Statements may result in immediate unenrollment or dismissal.
God’s Word forms the basis of the Christian’s life, and our Statement of Faith is, we believe, a faithful summary of God’s Word that is consistent with the doctrines held in common in all Protestant reformed and evangelical churches. The goal of Bible instruction at CCA is, first and foremost, to point our children to Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. We teach them to evaluate all truth claims in the light of Scripture and equip them to discern error when it is present in their own thinking and the thinking of others. We want our children to understand the central place that Christian doctrine has held in the history of Western culture, especially through the many controversies that have refined our understanding of those things God has revealed.
As we teach, we will strive to present Christian doctrine in its appropriate scriptural and historical contexts, and we will encourage the kind of discussion and debate which the church has enjoyed for the last two thousand years. Other issues of importance not addressed explicitly in our Statement of Faith are appropriate for discussion and useful for helping our students develop a more disciplined approach to interpreting the Bible. In the end, we encourage our students to seek the counsel of their parents and churches on matters of historical disagreement within Christ’s Body.
FAQs
How is the curriculum at the Collaborative Program different from SSA’s current five-day curriculum?
We seek to closely mirror the curriculum currently used at SSA. Our collaborative curriculum is built on the solid foundation of a Biblical worldview, classical methodology, and user-friendliness for parents and students. The collaborative model can accomplish the same learning goals as a five-day model, but with more flexibility and space for one-on-one instruction. While the five-day curriculum may include greater breadth within a subject, the collaborative curriculum creates space for greater depth.
But I’ve never taught before. How could I teach my child at home?
All parents instruct their children! Our teachers are available to support you in your own personal teaching journey. Under the leadership of the classroom teacher, the parent acts as a co-teacher in grades K-3 and gradually transitions to the role of mentor as the student becomes increasingly independent. We will support our co-teachers with on-going training, support materials, and help from your child’s on-campus teacher during home days. Our proven curriculum is adapted to the needs of parents and can be effectively implemented at home. Parents are required to participate in training sessions in order to become familiar with the curriculum and basic teaching techniques.
When will my child’s teacher respond to communications from parents on home days?
Campus teachers will be available at specified times during at-home days. Teachers will respond to all week-day communications within 24 hours. Teachers will check email at regular intervals during home days in order to respond to questions in a timely manner. Many questions and concerns parents may have about a lesson are addressed within the weekly lesson plan document. There are also resources that will be available to parents online that will be able to help with instructional concerns.
What subjects are taught on campus versus at home?
Campus teachers teach most subjects during the two days students are on campus. They focus on essential questions and key learning objectives in class. At home, co-teachers instruct new material in core subjects such as math, spelling, reading, and writing. Work may be assigned in other subjects such as history, geography, or science, but assignments outside of core subjects will typically be reinforcement, application, or review activities.
How will I receive weekly lesson plans?
Weekly lesson plans for both the on-campus classroom and the home classroom are available by Friday of the previous week. The co-teacher (parent) can begin preparations for the upcoming lessons once they receive the weekly lesson plans.
What is the time commitment for our family on home days?
We expect families will spend time on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for learning at home. The benefit of parent-led learning is freedom to progress at the student’s individual pace. Time spent learning will vary for each student. On Monday and Wednesday, our aim is for students to spend a maximum of two hours per day learning in grades K-1 and a maximum of three hours per day for grades 2-3. Friday will likely require less time as students wrap-up the week’s lessons with testing and review. These times assume a parent will be actively working with or available to their children during their lessons and that students will be working more independently as they mature.
How could I teach children in various grades at the same time on home days?
The younger your student is, the more time you will spend with them elbow-to-elbow on each subject. One model many families use is the whole family model in which everyone sits at the table to “do school.” Everyone begins with one subject together; the older ones read through their lessons, and you are available to answer questions before they work on that subject independently for the allotted time. Then, you sit with the younger students for their subjects as the older ones come and go as they check in and need help. When the time is up for that subject, the whole family moves on to the next and so on. Another method is to split the teaching up, instructing your younger student in the morning and your older one in the afternoon or vice versa. No matter your at-home model, it is typically best to accomplish learning tasks that require the most concentration as early as possible in the day and be sure to take any needed breaks.
What if the information my student is learning is unfamiliar to me as a parent?
To help with this, we select curriculum that is user-friendly and contains sufficient teaching resources. Additionally, campus teachers are available for questions and will try to provide helpful tips and instructional strategies for you to review before you teach the material. One benefit of this model is that you are given the gift of time to learn alongside your child.
Can I apply to teach at the Collaborative Program?
We welcome applications from teachers who are excited to be a part of our growing community! Email lhidde@ststephensacademy.com for information about applying.
How do I know the Collaborative Program is right for me?
Consider the following benefits of the Collaborative Program:
- Classical Christian Curriculum
- Like-Minded Families
- Community of Learners
- Structure and Accountability
- Family Involvement in Learning
- Flexibility
- Affordability