You Know, About That Book I'm Going to Write...

I was introduced to Bruce McIver's book, Stories I Couldn't Tell While I Was a Pastor when I was teaching at Fort Bend Baptist Academy in Sugar Land, Texas.  Bruce McIver was pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas and his daughter was a parent of a student in my wife's first grade class at Fort Bend.  Pastor McIver was a guest speaker at one of the school's grandparent's day events, and my wife was given a copy of the book.  

I decided to read it when I heard her laughing uncontrollably at one of the stories he related, something that takes an understanding of the culture and life in a Texas Baptist church in order to find it amusing.  It's a really enjoyable, uplifting book that reveals a pastor's heart, along with those inevitable circumstances that happen because people are people, even in a large, traditional Baptist congregation. 

There are plenty of the kind of anecdotes that Dr. McIver offered in his book that also happen in a Christian school.  They are things best discussed after those directly involved are no longer in a position to be the object of a joke, or they've had plenty of  time to get over themselves and see things in a different perspective now.  Those memories are for another time and place.  

After spending 38 years as a teacher, coach, principal and superintendent in Christian school ministry, the kind of book I want to write first has a lot more to do with some of the things I've observed from where I've been that might contribute in some way to improvement in the way we do things, and into a more effective use of resources we have to work with.  

Thirty-eight years is a long time.  Actually, it's more like 43 years, but there was a time when I took a hiatus from Christian school and was involved in local church education and discipleship ministry, and that included teaching in an alternative high school, which was a much different atmosphere than a Christian school by any stretch of the imagination.  

What Would I Write About?  

Chapter 1:  Defining Christian School Education for Evangelicals  

The current era of Christian school education in the United States, what I would call a "movement," began in the 1950's as a response to the humanist influence over public education curriculum and instruction brought about by John Dewey's progressive education movement, which had taken over teacher training at most American universities by the 1950's.  Humanism swept into the vacuum left behind by the inability of public school systems to navigate the religious neutrality required by the establishment clause of the Constitution.  The first Christian schools started by Evangelicals in response to this educational philosophy began to appear in areas where it had the most influence first.  

I use the term "movement," because it is one of those things among Evangelical Christians that finds its own path, rather than ministry that is organized around a specific purpose and with planning and resources committed to its success.  Christian schools popped up at random, either associated with a church that started one, or a group of parents who got together to start one.  And there was little cooperation or coordination involved.  The independence and autonomy of most Evangelical churches, and by extension denominations, did not permit the kind of coordination and cooperation that the Catholics, Lutherans or even the Quakers had for their schools and churches working together.  

So Christian schools sprang up where groups of parents perceived a need and put together the resources to start them.  Just like churches, some areas have multiple schools from which to choose, while other areas, mainly those where resources are more limited, have none.  

There are those who think this provides a distinct advantage to the schools, and in some ways, independence and autonomy has become critical to school success.  But it has created a situation where the cooperation and support of like-minded churches is uneven.  In most cases, Evangelical churches that don't have Christian schools of their own are not necessarily supportive of those that exist in their community.  It is a fact that the reality of Christian school ministry is that most Christian schools are on their own when it comes to recruiting students, and raising the resources necessary to operate. 

In fact, Midwestern Christian Academy has been the exception rather than the rule when it comes to the connection between the church and school, and financial support provided by the church.  I've worked at four other Christian schools during my career, two as a teacher and two as an administrator, and all four were housed in facilities owned by a church.  And in all four cases, the school was not only responsible for the lion's share of the maintenance and custodial care, but they also had to pay a monthly lease for the use of the buildings.  MCA is an exception in this aspect of school support. 

This lack of cooperative support to spread the costs of ministry operation out so that whole congregations or even denominations are providing much needed financial support to the schools, has proven to be costly to Christian school ministry.  At its peak, in the late 1980's and early 1990's, the Christian school movement was reaching and serving only 20% of the families with school aged children in Evangelical churches.  The rest of those families, no less in need of the kind of ministry to their children that the schools could provide, could either not afford the tuition and fees to send their kids to Christian school, or they did not live close enough to a Christian school to send them.  

And even for most of the families who can afford to send their children, it is still a financial sacrifice.  

There are models for success, though Evangelicals as a whole, representing thousands of independent churches in addition to more than a dozen different denominational groups and classifications, have not been able to lower those walls to extend the life of this ministry.  Among Protestants, both the Reformed Church in America, and the Quakers, have developed school models tied to congregational support that opens the door for most of the families involved in the churches to provide a Christian education for their children.  And of course, for decades, the parish and diocese schools of the Catholic church were able to offer affordable Catholic education to the vast majority of the children growing up in their churches.  

In the case of all three of these examples, a significant portion of school experiences were underwritten by a denominational budget dedicated to Christian education, which, to them, meant everything they did for children and youth, including operating expenses of the schools.  And as a result, each of those groups has had a high success rate in enrolling children in schools operated by the denomination, and has, as a result, seen a correspondingly high percentage of those children grow up and remain in practice of their faith.  

Contrast that with the larger part of the Evangelical movement in America, where losing the younger generation has been such a chronic problem over the past three generations.  According to multiple major church researchers, over 75% of the children and youth raised in an Evangelical church will leave the church and abandon any practice of their faith before they leave young adulthood.  And with research showing that those who attend a Christian school are far less likely to do so, I've had trouble understanding why Evangelicals invest much more money, time and resources in construction loans to build capacious edifices used once or twice a week than they do on the Christian schools which support and undergird their ministries.  

2.  Taking Care of Teachers and Staff Whose Sacrifice and Commitment Benefits Students and Parents

When I signed my first teaching contract in a Christian school, I expected the pay to be lower than what I had earned from teaching in public school.  I was also single, and had few financial obligations.  My first contract, in 1983, was $14,000 a year, and I am glad that I had the foresight to have it distributed in 24 payments, instead of 20, even though it meant a smaller check.  That was exactly half of what I had made in public school the year before.  But it paid for a small studio apartment, groceries and a lot of fast food, a car payment and insurance, and an occasional movie or trip to the beach.  And I enjoyed my job.  

When one of my colleagues was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease, and his lack of insurance forced him into the public hospital in Houston, I decided the $35 a month for the school's health insurance policy was worth the sacrifice.  I'm still surprised at how many Christian school employees go without health insurance, even now.  Over time, I've seen a colleague have to leave the Christian school teaching and coaching position he loved because his wife had complications during a pregnancy and they didn't have insurance.  I've seen circumstances where a share plan that a school offered would not fully cover the better kinds of treatment for things like leukemia, breast cancer and a spinal cord tumor that I have seen colleagues experience.  The last two schools I've worked for covered my insurance premium as part of the package, but only one of them did the same for teachers. 

I think the question here is not so much the understanding that parents are sacrificing to send their kids to a Christian school where teachers sacrifice to help them do so, but how much of that sacrifice goes beyond the boundaries of our biblical obligations and our responsibility as Christians for the wellbeing and care of those who serve in ministry.  There is nothing more disappointing in this ministry than to leave a board meeting where a teacher "raise" was compromised by a tuition increase not big enough to accommodate what was really necessary.  Or to leave a board meeting where teacher raises couldn't be considered at all.  

According to the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) the average teacher salary for a certified elementary teacher is $38,000 per year.  That is at the very bottom of the salary ranking for college-educated professionals.  Public school salaries vary greatly by state and local school district but less than 5% of first year public school teachers in the United States make a salary equal to or slightly greater than that.  There are a few states where public school mandated starting pay is almost that low, but the average certified elementary teacher in the US earns $74,177 according to the NEA.  That's still below average for certified professional occupations, and it indicates that Christian schools are maintaining a salary level 50% of that of their public school counterparts, but not gaining or improving on that.  

In I Timothy 5:8, in a book of the New Testament where a literal application seems to be emphasized more these days than it ever has been before, Paul tells Timothy, "For the scripture says, "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading the grain," and, "The worker is worthy of his wages."  He is citing Deutonomy 25:4, and Luke 10:7, a principle of the old covenant along side a principle of the Christian gospel revealed by Jesus.  This applies directly, and literally, to the employees of a Christian school who are following a specific spiritual calling in their lives given by the Holy Spirit.  

For many employees of Christian schools, including administrators, administrative staff, teachers, and support staff down to the custodians, the sacrifice they have made in accepting a salary well below the expected level for their occupation is the difference between almost half of the students who attend any given Christian school being able to afford the tuition.  At the two schools where I have served as head administrator, I have calculated the difference between the current tuition and what it would cost, per student per year, to pay the teachers and administration the lowest entry level salary in the local public school.  In Pennsylvania, where public schools pay as well as almost any other state in the nation, the tuition difference would have amounted to almost $3,500 per year, per student.  At MCA, the difference is over $2,500 per year per student.  

What's interesting is that raising the tuition at MCA by $2,500 would not even raise our tuition and fee expenses per student to what the next highest private, religious-based school in our area charges.  We'd still be the least expensive private school in this part of the city.  But raising the tuition to that level would definitely cause many families to reconsider their ability to afford tuition.  Some of our 8th grade parents got some "tuition sticker shock" this past year when they found out how much a private, Christian high school was going to cost for their children, compared to what they have paid at MCA.  

When we lived in Texas, sometimes a little humor helped make the sacrifice more endurable.  One of the high school students noticed the difference between the kinds of cars parents drove through the car pool line, and the cars of the teachers and staff in the parking lot.  So he did a survey, and found out that those big SUV's with the movie and computer screens, big, comfortable seats and lots of room collectively added up to a value that was almost twice the amount of the school's entire annual budget.  

Against that backdrop is the fact that most teachers in Christian school today cannot afford health insurance, even with deep discounts chipped in by the school.  And somewhere around 80% of those Christian school teachers who are the primary breadwinner in their home will not be able to have saved enough to have accumulated much, if any, pension income and will largely depend on Social Security.  This includes my wife and myself, who tried, but were unable to set aside the kind of money required to invest in a retirement account.  We retired on social security and medicare, and trust God that it will be enough. 

This must change, or we will lose many of the surviving Christian schools that still operate, as Evangelical church attendance and membership drop like a stone in a well, drying up what resources are left to try and maintain overbuilt facilities dating back to better days.  Christian school ministry has proven to be a much stronger, enduring investment than the billions Evangelicals have spent on capacious edifices and the debt service required to build them.  RNS reports that the interest on church construction loans in the US runs over $1 billion annually.  

And during the last two and a half decades, this problem has caught up to Christian schools.  Half of the schools that were started in this movement that began in the 1950's have closed their doors since 2000.  A large part of it has been the fact that schools were operating on the edge of their budget and as their Evangelical constituency declined so severely, that decline also included the families in the churches with school aged children who could afford Christian school.  It might be different if schools had been able to work together to avoid overbuilding,  established endowments and gained support of the churches, but this hasn't developed, and schools have closed.  And while the number of members in conservative Evangelical churches in the United States has declined by 40%, Christian schools have lost 50% of their enrollment.  

Until there is a vision that includes Christian schools as ministries which support the discipleship function of the local church, and are supported that way, we will continue to see schools close as the membership and attendance among Evangelicals continues to decline.  It seems like a self-perpetuating problem.  Christian schools, according to all the research, support and undergird church discipleship ministry that, in turn, supports evangelism and church growth.  So if we're seeing a decline in Christian school enrollment, we will also see a decline in church attendance and membership.  

First on the List

Well, those are a couple of topics that have just been waiting to come out.  It's in writing, now and I hope it finds its way to a productive purpose when it  comes to Christian school education.  This isn't rocket science.  But churches sometimes have a tendency to make tradition out of habit, and this is what happens as a result.  We learn from experience.  

I don't know when, or if, I will ever actually write a book.  What I have written on the subject has been enough to fill several books, over the years.  I''ve led seminars and conferences, helped teachers improve their personal perspective of Christian school education while improving my own, from integrating the truth of scripture into the practice of education.  I have to hope that helps.  

Some Well-deserved "Thank You's" to Some Committed, Dedicated Staff Members

But  you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.  And have mercy on some who are wavering; save others by snatching them out of the fire; and have mercy on still others with fear, hating even the tunic defiled by their bodies.  Jude, v. 20-23, NRSV

As a Christian educator, the small, short book of Jude provides a lot of wisdom and a lot of inspiration.  In a ministry where a diverse variety of Christian practices come together in one place to provide a practical education in a Christian atmosphere and environment, where the truths of scripture are integrated into the core subject areas of the curriculum, and into the instruction itself by teachers who bring their own salvation experience into the classroom, Jude's words speak truth from the reality that Christians faced in that time, right into the reality that we face today.  

Christian schools have put themselves on the front lines of Christian discipleship.  We have almost eight hours a day, five days a week to be the Christian influence our students see as teachers, role models and who have the responsibility to lead students to a recognition of and understanding of spiritual conviction, and to help be the way their minds can see and hearts can respond to the truth.  

By every means of measuring academic success, MCA as a school community experienced it this past school year.  We've been moving in this direction now for a while.  We achieved full accreditation in 2022, which is an outside, peer evaluation of excellence.  One measurement of progress is the annual academic assessment for which we primarily use the Iowa Assessments.  This year's scores were one of those "knock it out of the park" kind of success.  Along with the NWEA testing done by some of our middle school students, we can be very proud of our academic success this past year. 

In partnership with each local church where our students are engaged with their families, we see spiritual growth as well.  We support the ministry of the local church with our Bible teaching, where every student is engaged in a Bible study every day, and where we worship together corporately once each week.  One of the achievements that was instituted this school year was the recognition of "Cougar Values," as each student received recognition of one of these biblically based attributes their teachers recognized in their growth and character development.  

We Work Together as a School Community

We deeply appreciate the parents who make the sacrifice to send their children to MCA.  That indicates a deep desire to put their children in a school environment which will contribute to their spiritual growth and development as well as to their academic success.  Spiritual growth, including recognizing the spirit's conviction and responding in repentance, is affected by multiple factors, including home, church influence, friends, and by the culture itself, but it is an observable fact that students who are enrolled in a Christian school reflective of their family's faith tradition are much more likely to remain faithful, and to strengthen their commitment to Christ through adulthood  

Over the past eight years, Midwest Bible Church has contributed over $500,000 to the school's operating expenses, and private donors, some with connections to the church, others with a desire to support Christian education, have given an additional $500,000.  The church also provides a lease-free facility for the school's use, something that is rare in Christian school education, where most schools pay a lease for the use of church facilities that would normally stand empty six days a week.  

But the biggest sacrifice made for our students comes from the faculty, administration and staff who come to work every day to make each school experience a success for the students.  Core subject teachers at MCA, because of the school's accreditation standards, must have the same credentials that state certified teachers have, and in addition to this, must have at least six credit hours in Biblical studies and a course in the Philosophy of Christian Education.  But what they receive in salary and benefits makes a major difference in our ability to offer what is among the lowest tuition rates for private, religious based schools in the city.  They do this because, as Jude says, they are motivated by keeping themselves in the love of God and looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Most of our teachers come to us in the early years of their educational experience, straight out of college, or in some cases, early in a career change to education.  But we have a very low turnover rate, because, over the last eight years, the average tenure of teachers at MCA has increased by an average of eight years.  Noting that the key words in our experience as a Christian school ministry are mercy and grace, we appreciate the patience of parents when working with younger teachers, but I have to say that the results certainly speak for themselves.  MCA has come a long way over the past eight years, and it has made that journey because of the work that each teacher has invested in the school.  Thank God for those he has called and sent our way.  

The willingness of this particular teaching staff to remain committed to this ministry, and to your children, comes from what they know is the value of this school.  They know what is out there, and what is being taught, in a public school system where the basic philosophy of education is based on the belief that the human intellect is the highest power in the universe, that moral values are self-determined and that human beings have the power to resolve their own problems.  Nor is every school with a religious label in their name or affiliation teaching Biblical truth.  The bigger picture is that the students at MCA have teachers who love them, and who are not just casual observers of their spiritual growth and development.  And they have worked hard to make every dollar you have sacrificed to place your children here worth it.  

A Diverse Office Staff Wearing Many Hats

There are two people who are part of the school's administrative staff that I must commend, because without their experience, knowledge, sense of ministry and commitment, we would not have made the progress that has been achieved.  

Mrs. Libby Stack is not just the school registrar and secretary, she is the expert on all things MCA.  Her expertise as a parent of three former MCA students, and in various jobs in the office have made her invaluable in the process of administration.  She has the discernment to sense how certain decisions will go, and how parents will respond, and is sensitive to each family's needs.  She is the first contact that most parents have with the school, and when she gives a tour, she is able to answer everyone's questions.  Most of what I learned about MCA, and its families, came from her experience and knowledge.  And she is a prayer intercessor, so you can count on your needs being lifted up to the Lord when she knows about them.  

Mrs. Daniela Poenar is also not just the finance administrator.  She is certainly that, and has been the main reason why MCA has been able to get through some trying financial situations and make sure that our bills are paid on time.  The school was operating in the red when I came in 2018, and the first couple of years were a struggle, with low enrollment numbers and expenses left over from past school years.  But we turned the corner in 2020.  One of the conditions of our accreditation was the financial independence of the school from the church, which was making up for cash flow shortfalls, and we achieved this through Mrs. Poenar's careful budgeting.  

She also handled building maintenance liaison with the church, especially during the renovation of the main building, and has been uniquely positioned to monitor contingent funding produced by budget surplusses over the past few years, which led to the art room renovation, completing the gym renovation, putting a new roof on the main building, and some practical steps to improve the appearance and the wear and tear on the middle school suite upstairs above the fellowship hall.  

As things now change, both of these ladies leave big shoes to fill.  The value of their contribution goes way beyond their salaries.  

MCA as a Part of the Christian School Ministry

Over the past two and a half decades, since the latter years of the 1990's, Christian schools have been closing.  Affordability and financial issues are the main reason, as the cost of school operations increases, while tuition and fees also increasing, enrollments are declining.  This mirrors the decline in attendance and membership that the Evangelical branch of the Christian church in the United States has been experiencing over the same period of time.  The number of families with school-aged children who are members of Evangelical churches has declined by more than 40% according to researchers like Burge and the Barna Group.  As a result, almost half of the Christian schools which existed in the United States in 2000 are closed today.  

Factors that have contributed to MCA's continued existence as one of the oldest Evangelical Christian schools in the city of Chicago include the church's steady, faithful commitment to MCA and a continued vision for the value of Christian school ministry, and the sacrifices made by every person on the staff doing what is necessary to keep the school viable. We have teachers who work two jobs to make ends meet, who take employment over summer break, who share home with a roomate, in order to live on the salaries that the school can afford to pay.  And yet, when the outcome of each year is evaluated against the mission and purpose of the school, I think it would be difficult to find the kind of excellence and commitment we see in the results we get.  

Other Christian denominations are closing schools in the city every year.  There are just two Catholic schools left in our general area, down from six just eight years ago, and only one of four Lutheran schools is left in the same general area.  So our thanks goes to our faculty and staff, who have been provided by God's grace, at a time when it is becoming increasingly difficult for the kind of sacrifice that sustains us to be made.  Of course, we do have an enemy who prowls about, seeking whom he may destroy, and it does not suit him to have children, who represent the future of the church, being strengthened in their faith every day in a Christian school.  

I am so blessed to have been a part of this work here for the past eight years.  I am grateful to every teacher and staff member who have made MCA part of their own ministry, and for the dedication which goes way beyond expectations, and which has made my job much easier.  I am thankful for a church which has gone above and beyond what is considered "normal" in its sustaining this school and moving it forward.  Parents, I don't think you can do better than to enroll your children at MCA, because they are taught with mercy, grace and love,  

The Very Last Day of School

It's been a week since students finished the 2025-26 school year at Midwestern Christian Academy.  It is always an experience to see the excitement and anticipation in the students' faces and in their body language as they finish a school year and head into summer break.  It is also an experience to see the teachers and staff members who have worked hard all year celebrate the achievements in the awards assembly, which are the result of their work.  

Recognizing the influence that the education of children and youth has in their life, in a place where they spend more time in their early years than anywhere else except at home, a Christian school is a place where the platform of education is merged with the discipleship ministry that is a biblical function of the Christian church.  The amount of time spent in school each week is far greater than the amount of time children in Christian families will spend in church or its ministries, so Christian schools have developed and grown as a means for parents to put their children in a place that will support and undergird the work of their church, upholding their family's Christian values.  

Awards day this year was a little different.  

We eliminated a lot of awards that were simply too subjective to have much meaning.  Academic awards are easy, they go to the students who earn the top two grades in each subject area for the year.  There are some students who get multiple awards, because their grades are that good, and there are those who win one in a single subject, or a couple of subject areas.  That just goes by the numbers.  

But the confusing tangle of character awards had an element of subjectivity that left them open for question.  And some awards were a stretch, to be fair, to make sure everyone gets something.  But they had lost their meaning.  

So our elementary teachers came up with the idea of the Cougar Character awards.  Using the first letter of the word "Cougars," a biblical characteristic was developed out of each letter.  The idea behind these awards is that every student can be recognized for exhibiting at least one of these characteristics, with one student from each grade level being recognized as the "Cougar of the Year."  Not only does that place an emphasis on what we are trying to teach from a Christian perspective, but it provides encouragement for students so that they can see in themselves what others also see in them.  

And I think that worked very well.  Students go home for the summer with a slip of paper that indicates a Biblical character trait they exhibited well enough to be recognized.  That's a great way to leave the last day of school. 

From an academic standpoint, our students hit it out of the park.  I like to use the sports analogy because that is exactly what it feels like.  Sometimes, a small, Christian school like MCA gets unwarranted criticism because it doesn't appear to have a strong academic program.  But we've insisted for years that MCA has a superior academic program, with evidence to show that we do, in spite of the limits we have on extra-curricular activities and on non-academic subjects.  Our test scores are always strong, school wide, and among our eighth grade students going on to high school.  Every assessment our students take shows their academic level to be well above average compared to public and charter school counterparts, and among the best when it comes to head to head comparison with other religious-based schools around us.  

And our 2026 assessments proved it.  Not only did we see our school wide score move up by 5 percentile points, but we had whole grade levels finishing above the 85th percentile on individual tests, with some classes over the 90th percentile rank in Mathematics and Reading.  And we had a record number of students who were recognized for a perfect score on one or more individual tests, and for finishing in the top 3 percent nationally on individual tests.  This is blue ribbon achievement territory.  

And This is Where I Leave It

It was a long, uphill climb that we faced on July 2, 2018, the day I arrived to start my new job as Principal of Midwestern Christian Academy.  The building itself characterized the school's condition, as construction had begun on the renovation of the Vernon Lee building, with an uncertain completion date.  We approached the school year with a lot of prayer, depending on God to sustain us.  And of course, he was faithful. 

The academic success we celebrated on June 5 is the result of eight years of hard work developing a curriculum plan, providing the kind of materials and instruction to support the excellence we desired to see, along with stability in the turnover of the teaching staff, which had been a problem.  The school achieved its first recognized accreditation in 2021, a recognition of excellence by peers, which was a major contributing factor to the success we have experienced.  

Our teaching staff is now stable, the turnover rate averages less than two per year, and our teaching faculty has all of their academic credentials.  I am leaving behind a school which has had strong, stable enrollment growth for five years in a row, a budget that has been balanced and produced a cash flow surplus capable of sustaining contingent expenses, such as a roof replacement, and which has attracted major donors providing funds for projects that included the renovation of the gymnasium, resurfacing of the parking lot, and this summer, the replacement of all of the windows and doors in the main building.  

We have expanded and improved our athletic department, fielding competitive teams in soccer, volleyball and basketball on two levels.  We have parents willing to invest in all aspects of the school's improvement.  

It is still very clear that God has work for Midwestern Christian Academy to achieve in the hearts and minds of the students he sends our way.  The last day of school, which was, for me, the very last one I am expecting to experience in my life, was one that fills me with gratitude for being called to serve these last eight years in this school.  It has, a times, been long, and difficult, and uncertainty and the worry that often accompanies it, has been overwhelming at times.  But God is faithful, and he has found a way for us to come through the storm of crisis into the light.  And here we are. 

Cougars Score a Big Win on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills!

We're still looking at the numbers we've received from the Iowa Assessment our students took about three weeks ago.  This is the best year we've had when it comes to the test scores we've seen from our students, which is something that our teachers have been working on for a while, now.  

We're in Illinois, So Why Do We Take The Iowa Test? 

The Iowa Assessments, formerly known as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, is actually a nationally used test to measure the "adequate yearly progress", the AYP in educational language, of students in school.  It is called the Iowa test because this particular test was developed at the University of Iowa.  And while it is widely used to measure AYP in Iowa schools, somewhere between 3 and 4 million students across the country also take this test.  

About four years ago, the Christian school organization to which we belong, the Association of Christian Schools International, began recommending the use of the Iowa test to its members.  It is estimated that at least 500,000 students in ACSI Christian schools take the Iowa test each year.  We will get a better idea of where we stand in comparison to other Christian schools sometime next fall when ACSI releases its research on Iowa testing in its schools.  

Based on last year's rankings, MCA ranks right up there among the best when it comes to the private and parochial schools in Illinois and in Chicago who take the Iowa Assessments. Data from other assessments Illinois private schools use isn't always easy to compare, but we know from having some of our students also take the MAP test, also known as the NWEA, and from NAEP samples, and from Illinois recent "right sizing" of its proficiency rating that about 90% of our students are "proficient" or above in mathematics and reading.  

So How Do We Measure AYP Using the Iowa Test? 

The test uses two specific measurements of student progress.  One is called a "stanine" score.  This is a scale which measures student performance against the standards established by the test on a scale using the numbers 1 to 9, hence, the "standard nine".  The number of correct answers on any specific part of the test is compared to a standard score in that subject area and grade level to come up with the "stanine" score.  A score of 5 is the mid-point, or the average stanine score for each test, so the further to the right a student scores, the higher their level of achievement.  

The percentile rank is reflected in the use of a 100 point scale.  This compares the score earned by a student to a "norm group" which calculates the average score of a specific group of students who took the test.  So when you see a student in the 65th percentile, that doesn't mean they got 65% of the questions correct, it means they did better than 65% of all students in the norm group who took the same test.  

The norm group is divided into four equal quartiles, with 25% of the students scoring an average composite score between the first percentile and the 25th percentile, 25% of the students scoring between the 26th and 50th percentile, 25% of the students scoring between the 51st and 75th percentile, and 25% of the students scoring between the 76th and 100th percentile.  So if a school's students score exactly as the test standards expect, the school's composite score would be the 50th percentile.  If a graph is used to illustrate this, it looks like a bell, and is called a "bell curve."  For the norm group, the highest point of the bell curve is exactly in the middle, at the 50th percentile.  

But you can move the top of MCA's bell curve 17 points to the right.  On the composite score of the test, almost 75% of MCA students are in the top two quartiles, with a significant number of students in the top quartile.  But that's just the composite score.  

We actually had multiple grade levels where the composite scores on some of the specific tests were actually above the 90th percentile.  The highest overall scores on the test were in Mathematics Computation, where we not only had whole grade levels above the 90th percentile, but where we had multiple students who earned a perfect score.  Next to that, the lower grades really hammered out a big win in the Reading, Vocabulary and Language Arts tests, with scores ranging from the 85th percentile to the 95th percentile.  

Other Observations From the MCA Scores

There are a few things we have observed, over the past four years of Iowa tests, that seem to be trends here at MCA: 

• Kindergarten reading scores are exceptionally high.  The test doesn't account for kindergarten students reading by the end of the year but ours do.  Students who have been in Pre-k learn what the test standards have in place for Kindergarten, so they master those skills early in the year. 
• The longer students are enrolled at MCA, the better they do on the Iowa Assessment.  At this point, for this year's test, I've gone through about 50% of the scores at all grade levels and this is true for about 7 out of 10 students.  Looking primarily at Middle School, most of the higher scores are earned by students who have been here since Pre-K.  
• We made a decision in 2018 to switch from Singapore Math to Purposeful Design, and the mathematics scores have gone up each year, including the three Terra Nova assessments we did prior to 2022.  
• In the English/Language Arts core, scores have remained steady at above average levels, noting that 40% of our students come from homes where English is a second language.  
• We have a record number of students this year, across every grade level, who either earned a perfect score on one of the tests, or in a core area, and who were among those who finished in the top 3% nationally.  
• Using the sports analogy, if the whole school is the Cougar team, then it was the elementary level grades, K through 5, who "carried" the Cougars to the win.  Reading and Mathematics computation were the big touchdowns that were scored.  

Academic Achievement is Expected, Spiritual Development is Essential

In the world of American education, with the public, government funded educational system accounting for 90% of the enrolled students, the academic advantage of any private school, religious-based or secular, can be easily measured by assessments like the Iowa test.  Christian schools are no exception.  We know what our advantages are, including small class sizes, a much higher degree of parent involvement, and teachers who are committed to teaching as a ministry, not just a job.  Christian schools generally perform better than the public schools that surround them, at about the same percentage level across the board, depending on where a state has set its educational bar.  

In Illinois, where public schools are among those in the top half of states in the country, I think we rank 16th or 17th, the academic level in private schools is higher than it is in other places where the educational bar is lower.  But we also need to keep in mind that what makes our school unique is not just its academic achievement, but the fact that parents put their children here because of the Christian discipleship element.  In  the United States, the development of public education was in the hands of mostly Protestant Christians until after the Second World War, so much so in fact, that the Catholic church developed a system of parochial schools which it underwrote with its budget because it was losing children of church members to the Protestants who were converting them in public school.  

Those days are long gone.  But what we have learned from Catholic education is its value to the life and ministry of the church.  What we haven't learned is how to support it like they once did. 

We've left that up to our parents.  And what we also leave in their hands is the recommendation they provide for us regarding the quality of the education we provide.  Student achievement speaks well of MCA.  We would like for our parents to also speak well of the school that has done so much on less than half of the financial resources it takes public schools to teach one student.  

Imago Dei: Created in the Image of God

Jesus equates "loving your neighbor as you love yourself" with the greatest commandment, to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind," in two different places in the New Testament.  One is in response to a theological test question asked of Jesus by Pharisees, after he had pointed out a theological error made by their counterparts.  The other, in response to a lawyer's question about how he could inherit eternal life.  The lawyer quoted the law, written in scripture, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and, love your neighbor as yourself." [Luke 10:27 NIV] 

Jesus indicated that this was the correct answer.  But for clarification, the lawyer asked Jesus to define the term "neighbor."  So, Jesus did so by using a parable that we know as the Parable of the Good Samaritan. 

From this, we get a very comprehensive answer to the question that leaves no room for doubt as to how this, the very core principle of the Christian gospel, is to be applied.  This is a core principle, by the way, that is at the forefront of our entire teaching and preaching ministry at MCA.  We teach our students that the foundation of a Christian testimony rests on how they treat others.  And that comes directly from Jesus' revealing this to us this way.  

The Implications of the Use of The Example of a Samaritan

The Samaritans were the object of ethnic hatred by the Jews.  They were the result of a racial mixing of the few Jewish people left behind after the Babylonian Captivity with the other semitic people who moved into the province in and around Jerusalem.  Their religious beliefs, and cultural practices, which set them apart from the Jewish population, along with political favor they had apparently enjoyed under some of the Babylonian kings, let to the prejudice and hatred they experienced from the Jewish people.  Once back in the province of Judah, and the city of Jerusalem, the Jews treated the Samaritans like pariahs and pagans.  

So the message that Jesus was sending, when he told this parable, was about more than just who lives next door or down the street.  He intentionally used this example to demonstrate the idea of Imago Dei, all human beings are created in the image of God, and therefore the definition of "neighbor," for the purpose of obedience to the greatest commandment, is any human without condition. I've heard, in some interpretations of this parable, that since the Samaritan was travelling between Jerusalem and Jericho, he might have been a proselyte, but Jesus didn't go there at all.  In fact, in this particular parable, Jesus uses two religious leaders as bad examples, in spite of their claimed belief.  In that, I believe he was saying that obedience to the first part of this commandment is pointless without the "love your neighbor" part.   

Noting that this is a parable, meaning that the characters display actions Jesus intended to use as a specific example, he creates the character of the Samaritan to deliberately do the right thing.  His experiences from his past, which all of those who heard this parable would be able to understand and put in context, were set aside to illustrate the full scope of exactly what Jesus intended to say, and that was that the evidence of our obedience to loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength is found in the way we treat other people without exception.   

Through all of those barriers, justifications for hatred, and actual experience, the Samaritan, as Jesus characterizes him, sees a fellow human being in need, and takes on the role of a servant.  In unselfishness that reveals Christlikeness, the focus of the moment becomes meeting the needs of a fellow human being created in the  image of God.  And Jesus has revealed, from God the Father, that this is an example which illustrates the first and greatest commandment, leading to eternal life. 

Why This is Important to Us 

As a Christian school that sees its mission and purpose of educating children and youth in an environment where the truth of the Christian gospel is integrated into their school experience as well as their curriculum objectives, we rest on these core principles of that gospel.  This includes recognizing that human beings are all created in the image of God, and that is the intrinsic value of our existence.  The Christian gospel rests on what Jesus said about the greatest commandment, linking the demonstration of our wholehearted love for God with the way we treat others.  

Our ministry is to support and undergird the Christian faith for our students in a way that supports what they are being taught at home and in their local church, alongside teaching basic skills that are an essential part of life in a free society.  We see the two things as being linked.  In order for this to be successful, we need the support of parents who have a clear understanding of where and how the greatest commandment defines our Christian faith.  

I spend a lot of time resolving student conflicts.  Jesus and the Apostles teach us, through the scripture, that humans are created in the image of God, but we are born with a sinful nature that requires redemption.  School aged children may have been exposed to the Christian gospel and its values, and some of them may have experienced the conviction and repentance that leads to redemption, but not all of them have, and even most of those who do are still in the process of figuring out how to listen to spiritual direction and shed their selfish nature.  School becomes a place where multiple experiences with a lot of other children their own age and time out from the direct supervision of their parents produces behavior that is self-centered.  When interests collide, conflict is the result.  

There is an expectation that parents who enroll their children in a Christian school would have an understanding of this direction that the ministry aspect of the school would take, and as a result of that, we would never have to deal with any kind of disruptive behavior or mediate conflicts.  I'm going to be honest here and relate observations that have been true of every Christian school where I have served.  Our students have more exposure to Biblical teaching than they would if they were in a public school, but Christian maturity is a lifelong process, and it starts with salvation.  It shouldn't surprise anyone that about 80% of our students have not experienced conviction, repentance and salvation at this point in their lives.  They may have an intellectual understanding of what is right and wrong behavior based on what they've learned from scripture, but overcoming the selfishness relate to sinful nature takes spiritual maturity.  

School Works With Home and Church

We're designed to support and undergird, and that requires parents being the ones who are primarily responsible for the spiritual development of their children.  And the other side of the equation involves our support for what our students learn and experience in their church.  What that means is that if parents want this to work, and expect this to work, they must be growing in their own spiritual maturity and leading their children, and they must engage them in the worship, fellowship, discipleship, evangelism and ministry of a local body of believers in Christ, as part of the Ecclesia, the gathered body of Christ.  

Our school has open enrollment, so about 20% of our families tell us, during the application process, that they are not active members of a local church.  We can discern, from what our students tell us, that another 20% are not regular in their worship attendance and are not engaged in ministry in their church.  We hope that our daily Bible study and weekly chapel worship helps students have this kind of experience, but there isn't a substitute for being engaged in the ministry of a local church, not just sitting in a pew on Sunday.

We can't guarantee that your child will become a believer in Christ, and be an active member of a local church just because they've been in Christian school.  But being here certainly increases the odds of that happening.  There is evidence to support the fact that school aged children and youth who are enrolled in a Christian school, and whose families are actively involved in local church ministry, beyond just weekly attendance, are much less likely to leave church behind in their 20's than their counterparts who aren't in Christian school, or whose families aren't committed to a local church.  

It may be hard to believe, but I've had parents at every Christian school where I've served complain that the emphasis we place on church involvement is "too much."  I'd suggest that an hour and a half a couple of times a month is not enough.  It seems that positive results come from two or three hours at church once a week, and five days a week at Christian school.

This Is All Connected

I earned my Master's degree in a theological seminary.  The major in Christian education also required that half of the hours required for graduation be taken in the school of theology.  There's no Bible study quite like that.  There is time to focus attention, for an entire semester, on single books, if you can imagine a class on Second Corinthians, or on First, Second and Third John, and Jude, taking an entire semester.  

The interpretive standard for the New Testament, and indeed for the whole Bible, is the revelation of the gospel given by Jesus, recorded in the four gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  Jesus was God, and was able to reveal the full nature and character of God accurately, with both authority and a clarity of thought that makes the ominous sounding course in "systematic theology" flow with ease.  With relatively few words, Jesus gave us the gospel.  And our entire understanding of God's plan to redeem his human creation from sin rests in our interpretation of scripture through the lens of that gospel.  

So when Jesus says that the best demonstration of my Christian testimony is shown in the way that I treat my neighbor, translated into "all other people," I can be sure that's true.  When he says, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God," then I need to become a peacemaker.  And when he says, "Go, make disciples, and teach them to observe all things," that becomes the way I conduct my ministry, through this Christian school.  So we start with showing our students how to love God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength by showing them how to love their neighbor as themselves, and all of our theme verses and chapel worship times are focused on this message. 

We want to reflect the image of God.  

MCA Sets the Example by Keeping Costs for Parents Low

One of the undeniable facts about education is that there is a cost associated with providing it that is fairly constant across the board.  Whether a student is in a private school, a charter school or a public school, or even home school or cyber education, the labor, materials and space required to provide education has a dollar figure attached to it.  

Based on a 9 month calendar, and taking into account that this figure is average, and includes all levels of spending that schools can provide, the average cost per pupil for one year in the state of Illinois is $20,120.00 per year.  That figure includes all costs associated with all schools providing an education, including transportation, infrastructure, materials, salaries for all personnel required to operate a school, everything, in fact that is spent to provide one year's worth of education.  

The biggest difference for most families, especially when it comes to choosing a school as opposed to attending the one assigned by the schoo district is who pays the bill.  The taxpayers cover the costs associated with public education.  Parents, of course, pay tuition or other expenses if they choose an alternative for their child.  

But even in religious-based private schools, including other Christian schools, where tuition is the primary means of financial support, the average tuition bill in Cook County and the City of Chicago is just under $12,000.  We have some families at MCA over the past few years who have an eighth grade student graduate, and immediately make note of the fact that the tuition for a Christian high school is double what they've been paying, and in some cases, more than that.  Even private schools where there is support and subsidy from a denomination or church fellowship, like the Catholic and Lutheran schools, tuition is much higher than at independent, non-denominational MCA.  

Why MCA Provides an Education at Well Below Average Cost

The average cost per student per year at MCA is right around $5,000.  That is less than the highest tuition figure, because it is the average of all tuition paid by families including the discounts for multiple siblings, and the scholarship amounts.  That is significantly lower than the $20,000 per year that is the average cost in Illinois.  It is, in fact, lower than tuition at any other nearby private, religious based school in our part of the city of Chicago and it comes in as one of the lowest annual tuition rates among all private schools in the metro area.  

So how does that happen? 

First of all, a big chunk of the expense of most private and public schools is facility and infrastructure.  MCA occupies a facility constructed specifically for the school's use, with some areas shared by the church's ministry, all debt free.  And while most Christian schools around us pay a lease or rental fee to the church that hosts them in their building, we do not.  We cover our share of the maintenance and utilities.  This in-kind contribution from Midwest Bible Church saves just a little over $2,000 per year, per student in what we would have to charge in tuition, if we had to pay a lease.  

Recognizing that this is a ministry, our teachers and staff make a personal sacrifice when it comes to payroll, in order to keep parent tuition costs low.  Raising our teacher salaries to just the minimum first year salary for a new teacher in the public school system would add another $2,000 to each student's tuition bill.  And adding those things would put our tuition and fees at just under $10,000 a year, which is still less than most of the other Christian schools, and private, religious-based schools in our area charge.  

Donations and gifts are also part of what keeps our costs low.  Over the past eight years, we have benefitted from over $500,000 in cash contributions from Midwest Bible Church.  That averages out to $2,500 per student.  The financial commitment of this church to its school ministry is high, compared to similar church-school relationships.  In most cases, scholarships for church members children are the only actual financial support that some sponsoring churches provide for their schools.  

Other private contributions and donations over the same period total $550,000, which includes the gift for renovating the gym, resurfacing the parking lot and replacing the windows.  The $200 fund raising fee, which each family pays, has generated about $70,000 in funds so far, which includes paying for the playground equipment, renovation of the art room, and of the band and music room.  That's four times more money than we would have raised from selling chocolate.  

Needs That Are Becoming More Pressing

Looking at the manner in which our school meets expected student outcomes, including its academic success and the spiritual life of our campus, we are being good stewards with our tuition dollars.  We have managed a balanced budget each of the past five years.  We cannot carry a lot of short term indebtedness, which means that we have to limit what we can extend to parents who are past due.  There is a cost to carrying overdue tuition accounts, which is why we look at this as a mutual commitment.  It takes away from what we can spend on our students when parents don't pay their bill on time.  

And we are behind the curve in providing our teachers with a fair salary for their education and their work.  Our staff is degreed, certified and several have, or are working toward, advanced degrees as  part of their committment to students.  Our faculty turnover rate over the past eight years has been very low, and we want to increase our ability to attract, and retain, qualified teachers.  We achieved full accreditation in 2020, a recognition of excellence from a commission that accredits for both  ACSI and Cognia, a distinction that we have in common with only about a third of the Christian and private, religious-based schools in our area.  Raising teacher pay is now a priority which will affect the bottom line of tuition.  

We take advantage of every opportunity we have to secure funds for scholarships.  Most of these are need-based, income qualified scholarships.  As other funds become available, including the anticipation of a federal tax credit starting in 2027-28, we try to stay on top of finding ways to access and make this available.  One of the things that we need to keep in mind is that in spite of whatever programs state, local or federal government come up with to promote "school choice," the bottom line is that our Christian schools are independent, autonomous, and unwilling to accept control or oversight which will  compromise our values, which is a requirement of many of the state-sponsored funding mechanisms.  These schools undergird and support the work of the local church, and we are worthy of a lot more financial help from those sources than we get.  

We are extremely grateful for the individuals who have contributed to Christian school education at MCA.  We have over 50 churches represented in our student body, all of whom benefit in some way from having families sacrificing to provide their child's education in a Christian atmosphere.  Perhaps there are individuals in those congregations who are able, and gifted, and led by the Lord to share out of their abundance to help the families in their congregation make this possible.  

Ultimately, our dependence on God's help, and the commitment of those who are part of this ministry, including the vision of Midwest Bible Church for Christian education in Chicago over the past 70 years, are responsible for the school's ministry having a future.  

  

The End of the School Year, ACSI Accreditation and the Iowa Test of Basic Skills

This has been a typical Chicago spring from my perspective.  A few days to tease us and let us think the weather is getting warmer, then rain, and a cool front, and we need the sweaters and jackets again.  

This is the time of year when we see a lot of families of potential new students touring the campus, investigating the possibility of enrolling their children here.  Several former students are in this group, along with many others who are following up on a recommendation from families of current students.  The top reason given by parents of new students for enrolling at Midwestern Christian Academy is the school's distinctively Christian identity, aligning with a foundation based on the Christian gospel and a commitment to instruction which integrates Biblical truth into every subject area.  

The other top reason given by parents looking to enroll their children here is the reputation the school has earned for academic excellence.  We hear this from prospective parents who show up to enroll their children, but we also hear it from administrators and admissions staff of the high schools which recruit the members of our eighth grade class, most of whom come to our campus personally to speak with our graduates and encourage their enrollment.  Our test scores help us see what our students achieve but it's nice to hear from prospective parents and peers, too.  

The Iowa Test of Basic Skills

At the end of every school year, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) is our assessment of expected student outcomes when it comes to our academic program.  While most families seek enrollment for their children here because of the Christian emphasis and atmosphere, there is an expectation that our academic program will operate at a high standard, and that students will demonstrate a high level of proficiency in core subjects like English Language Arts and mathematics.  

There are some things that we can almost always predict when it comes to our test scores.  

The majority of our students, over two thirds of them, score in the top two quartiles in core subjects.  Our average scores fall between the 67th and 73rd percentile.  We have had some entire classes score right at the 90th percentile in one or two subject areas.  With the addition of Purposeful Design mathematics back in 2018, we saw our math scores improve each year.  

The longer a student is at MCA, the better they will score on the ITBS.  We spot check the scores every year, and this has been a reliable prediction over the past eight years.  

The reason for strong academic performance here is easy to discern.  We have a staff of well qualified teachers when it comes to instructional skills.  We use curriculum materials that have a proven track record of success.  And we have designed a curriculum that supports our ability to provide high school level coursework in Algebra 1, Physical Science and English/Language Arts for eighth graders to better prepare them for high school, and provide them with more options. 

Accreditation

"Accredited schools are excellent schools, and excellent schools seek accreditation."  

Accreditation is a mark of excellence.  It is the recognition that a school meets or exceeds a specific set of standards which measure the quality of a school's entire operation, from being faithful to its mission and purpose, to the standards and quality of its educational program, and in Christian schools, the level of commitment to its Christian identity.  

MCA is fully accredited by a commission established in the states of the North Central region of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI).  ACSI accreditation is a recognized commission by all fifty state boards of education, and provides dual accreditation with several other recognized commissions, including Cognia, Middle States, and North Central-CASI.  

Our most recent accreditation has been extended through December of 2027.  

Not all private schools are accredited.  In fact, depending on the school's affiliation and relationship with a private school organization, or a religious denomination, only about a third of the private schools nationally are fully accredited.  We were very pleased by the accreditation team's evaluation of MCA which commended our school for its Christian emphasis and atmosphere, and its academic excellence.  

End of the School Year Activities

The Spring Concert, which will involve all students, is May 21.  

We have 24 eighth grade students who are graduating this spring.  They will be touring Washington, DC at the end of this month, which is always an exciting event.  In the fall, they will be scattering across the city to high schools like the academic academy at Lane Tech, Timothy Christian, Chicago Hope Academy, Walther Christian, Rickover Naval Academy, St. Patricks, DePaul Prep, Instrinsic, Schurz, Taft and I hope I didn't leave one out.  

There are several students who are in the running for Valedictorian and Salutatorian.  One of the unique aspects of eighth grade is that each student has to write a speech, as if they were going to be the valedictorian of the class.