ACRE (Assessment of Child/Youth Religious Education) is a testing program used by Catholic dioceses to evaluate the effectiveness of religious education and faith formation programs. Administered to students in grades 5 and 8 (sometimes 11/12), it measures both religious knowledge (cognitive domain) and faith attitudes/behaviors (affective domain).
Key details about ACRE testing include:
Purpose: It helps schools and parishes evaluate how well students understand and live the Catholic faith, providing data for curriculum development and improvement.
Content: Questions are aligned with the Catechism of the Catholic Church and cover topics like prayer, scripture, sacraments, and morality.
Components: The assessment looks at both "head" knowledge and "heart" beliefs, attitudes, and practices.
Administration: It is typically taken annually, often during the winter, and can be administered online or on paper.
Results: ACRE results provide insights into student knowledge, often showing that students generally score highest in moral formation.