• The ACRE test is administered to students in 5th through 8th grade. 
  The acronym stands for Assessment of Catechesis/Religious Education. 
• This test is published by the NCEA (National Catholic Educational Association).
• The NCEA ACRE is an assessment designed to strengthen catechetical/religious education programs.
• The NCEA ACRE is an assessment based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the most recent catechetical documents.
• The purpose of the NCEA ACRE is to evaluate the effectiveness of a religion program:  The printed curriculum communicated during a teaching-learning session and the formative experiences in and with the faith community, for example, Sunday Liturgy.
• NCEA ACRE reports equip school principals, DREs, religion teachers, and catechists to evaluate not only the local curriculum content, but also the teaching strategies used to deliver that curriculum.
• NCEA ACRE data reports also shed light on those faith formation elements that are not the exclusive domain of the school or parish religion program, for example, physically getting students to the sacraments of penance and Sunday Liturgy, etc.
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“No single evaluative paper and pencil instrument can measure a person’s love of God or faith. However, especially in the formative years, knowing where one stands in relation to knowledge of the faith and faith awareness can help engender a desire to know more about God and the Church. The goal of catechesis/religious education is to foster a relationship with Jesus Christ that leads to maturity in faith. Such maturity will only be achieved through a lifelong pursuit of prayerful faith formation based on the realization that “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). The revised NCEA ACRE is a tool to assist school and parish catechetical leaders in providing a sound comprehensive religion program.”