ACADEMICALLY EXCELLENT

MCA is an Illinois Recognized school and meets or exceeds all of the state standards for curriculum and instruction.  

MCA is ACSI accredited and has met all of the standards required for full accreditation through the commission of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). ACSI accreditation is recognized nationally for its excellence and has joint accreditation agreements with regional agencies such as MSACS, SACS-CASI and Advanced Ed. 

ACSI Accreditation is a recognition of the school’s excellence. The school has met or exceeded a specific set of standards which measure its spiritual life and Christian distinctiveness, the academic program and its organization of the scope and sequence, objectives and instructional strategies of the curriculum, its provision for the health and safety of its students and the allocation of its resources in a way that achieves its goals.

A variety of measurements and assessments are used to determine the quality of the instructional program at MCA. Since the spring of 2021, MCA has used the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) as an annual assessment of student progress. The ACSI recommends the use of the ITBS as a measure of average yearly progress made by students. The standard scores measure student progress in core subject areas, including mathematics, all aspects of English/Language Arts including phonics in grades 1-3, reading skills, writing skills, grammar and spelling, social studies at each grade level, and basic science concepts.

Test scores are not the product of education, they measure student progress from year to year. At MCA, we look at two outcomes. One is that the student has met the benchmarks for their grade level in each core subject, and is evaluated as being proficient in the skills required for that subject. The second is that the student has progressed a full grade level from their previous score. On the 2024 ITBS, more than 87% of the students at MCA met or exceeded grade level expectations in core subjects. The school’s overall average composite score on the ITBS in 2024 was the 68th percentile.  
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More than two-thirds of our students, 66%, scored in the top quartile in at least one core subject area and 38% of all MCA students had a composite score that placed them in the top quartile. Our mathematics scores have improved more than 35% over the past four years of ITBS testing, reflecting a move to a set of mathematics curriculum standards which emphasize mastery of math facts. Mathematics computation scores in the lower grades now average in the 90th percentile, with overall math scores in the low 70th percentile. Scores in the upper grades have also improved significantly, since adding Pre-Algebra and Algebra 1 objectives to the curriculum. 

Our Pre-Kindergarten program is an academic extension which focuses on early development of reading, phonics, and verbal skills to prepare students for Kindergarten. Most students who enroll at MCA in Pre-Kindergarten are reading above their expected grade level during Kindergarten, and generally remain advanced readers throughout elementary school. 

WHERE DO OUR GRADUATES ATTEND HIGH SCHOOL?

Our past three graduating classes have gone on to attend:

Chicago Academy
Chicago Bulls College Prep
Chicago Hope Academy
Christian Liberty Academy
Guerin College Prep
Holy Trinity High School
Intrinsic High School
ITW David Speer Academy
Lane Tech College Prep
​Lincoln Park High School
Logos Christian Academy

Maine South High School
​Maine West High School
Northtown Academy
Proviso Math and Science Academy
Pritzker College Prep
Rauner College Prep
Steinmetz College Prep
Taft High School
Timothy Christian High School
Walther Christian Academy
Westinghouse College Prep

CONTACT

3465 N Cicero Ave,
​Chicago, IL 60641
(773) 685-1106