The Upper Program

The upper program encompasses the dialectic and rhetoric stages of learning. At CCA, these years are seen as a time to focus on equipping the students with the tools of logic and the art of rhetoric while developing a passion for learning that will carry them through college and beyond. ​

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 Students enter this stage as they are leaving childhood and exit this stage as they are becoming young adults. Students transition from more concrete thinking in the School of Grammar to more analytical thinking that questions, challenges, and tests what they are learning. A less formal, more socratic method, of teaching is used in this stage in order to draw students into discussion, dialogue, and debate.  This allows the students to become active self-learners and critical thinkers while developing time management and organizational skills that are critical for later success. Learning how to think and debate critically and logically are skills that will allow them to excel academically in high school and beyond.

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Students in the Rhetoric Program are challenged to go deep into subject matter using the Socratic Method of questioning and discussion-based classroom techniques.  The Rhetoric Program consists of smaller classes with high levels of interaction with teachers. In a Rhetoric class, one will find engaged discussions, persuasive student presentations, and lively classroom debates which challenge each student to think critically and speak persuasively to justify their beliefs.  The students are taught how to argue persuasively and winsomely to defend their beliefs. 

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 By integrating history, literature, theology, art, music, and science, we are able to help students see the connections between subjects and disciplines, as well as, the academic world and their faith. Students are pushed to go beyond a "take the test and move on" mentality to develop a true love of learning and understanding that will carry them forward and prepare them for the rigors of college. Our goal is to equip these students with the "tools of learning" that they will use throughout their years.