Answering Your Questions

General

Affiliates

About Our Books

Curriculum

About Rod and Staff Publishers

Store Security and Errors

General Questions and Answers

What is your Return policy?

See our Return Policy.

What are your shipping rates?

See our Shipping Rates.

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, PayPal, checks, and money orders. For check or money order payments, we will wait until it arrives before shipping your order.

What is your pricing policy?

On all the items published by Rod and Staff Publishers, we sell at their catalog prices.

What discounts do you offer?

We offer quantity discounts for the Little Jewel Books series:

  • buy 5 or more to get a 10% discount ($2.43 each)
  • buy 10 or more to get a 15% discount ($2.30 each)

There are also some discounts when you buy certain items as a group, such as the Miller Family Series.

Discounts may be combined, and will appear at checkout, after selecting your shipping method. (Please note that discounts do not apply to shipping costs.)

Affiliates

Do you have an affiliate program?

Yes, you can now earn a commission by recommending our products on your website. Join us as an affiliate now!

About Our Books

Do animals talk in your books?

The general answer is no, except in the case of Balaam's donkey. You may find expressions that a certain animal or bird "seems to say...."

An exception has been found in the 5th Reader. The story "Rebellion in the Hive" tells a moral tale, in which bees are portrayed with human thoughts and emotions.

If you find anything other than that, please contact us.

What version of the Bible do you use?

As far as I am aware, Rod and Staff uses King James Version exclusively. That is true of most books we sell from other publishers as well.

Are your books sectarian?

Most of the books we sell are from publishers with an Anabaptist background. Most are from Mennonite publishers. I like to sell these books because there is a very serious effort to make the scriptures practical in everyday life. While you may not agree with every detail, I believe you will find these books true to the Bible and a blessing to you and your family.

Do you carry all the items in the Rod and Staff Catalog?

We do not carry all the books and other items in their catalog. We do carry most of what Rod and Staff publishes. We also carry some items that they do not sell.

Curriculum

Do you have placement tests?

Rod and Staff Publishers does not provide any placement testing. However, we do offer assessment tests prepared by an independent testing company. When properly applied, your child's scores in these tests will indicate the grade level at which he should be working.

As a general rule, your results from the assessment test should be adequate to place your child in the appropriate grade in Rod and Staff's curriculum. A child who is average or above should be able to work at the same level compared with most other curricula.

One exception is the English curriculum, which covers grammar and composition. If your child has basic knowledge in these areas, they will probably do fine in grades 2 through 5. From the feedback we've received, grades 6 and above don't provide as much review of the basics, and are more advanced than average. (While Rod and Staff only publishes the English series through 10th grade, it is equivalent to completing a high school grammar course.) For students switching in the upper grades, especially those weak in grammar, we usually recommend that they drop back a grade or two, sometimes back to the 5th grade text, which is a good foundation for the rest of the series. If you feel confident they are up to grade level then start there and see if they can manage it. If you find it too advanced, you can always save it for later while you drop back to an earlier grade.

If your child has not been doing well in school, we recommend that you back off a grade or two. Don't try to push a child beyond their level of understanding. You will be far better off to work from a level where you child has a solid footing in the area he is studying. Then you can make real progress.

Finally, it should be remembered that changing from one curriculum to another will often present some challenges to begin with, considering that publishers take different approaches in the way they present their material.

A handy reference is Rod and Staff's scope and sequence charts, showing the new concepts taught in each grade.

Bible Nurture and Reader Series—Purpose and Plan

The Bible Nurture and Reader Series has been written to teach children to read. The parents of children who learn from this series are delighted to find their first graders reading quite well already after only 4 or 5 months, and sounding out new words with surprising ease.

We have found, as other researchers have also concluded, that a strictly phonetic approach to reading hinders comprehension, whereas a strictly sight-reading approach impedes both reading and comprehension. The Bible Nurture and Reader Series uses a combination of phon­ics and sight-reading: the students learn to read a few words by sight immediately, thereby getting off to a prompt start in com­prehension; phonics is taught from the very beginning, enabling the child to sound out words for himself.

This approach to teaching reading is employed in this series for the following reasons:

  1. Learning the sounds enables a child to identify most of the vocabulary words for himself. It takes no longer to learn sounds that compose words than it does to memorize whole words, and the phonetic sounds are the tools that enable the child to sound out every new word that he sees. Phonics gives the child an orderly way of learning to read. He sees that words are composed of small parts, sounded con­secutively.
  2. Since the child is able to sound words for himself and to become an independent reader early, the phonetic method gives him a mean­ingful, challenging, and satisfying approach to the learning of words.
  3. In a classroom setting, the phonetic method makes it easier for the teacher to keep the learning progress of all the pupils in a class together. In the sight-read­ing approach, the children who have difficulty recognizing and remembering sight words become confused and frustrated and drop behind others in the class and are left with no means or tools with which to recover themselves.
  4. Phonetic sounds are more easily remembered than sight words because the child continues to use them with regularity. He is far more ready to begin the second grade after the vacation months, during which time a child usually forgets many of the sight words he has memorized, because the basic phonetic sounds are retained more easily and are more readily recalled.
  5. An effective study of phonetics requires disciplines necessary for the development of good habits such as good listening, concentration, diligence, perseverance, and acceptance of personal responsibility.

Developing comprehension is another objective of the series. To comprehend, children must learn to think. Many subjective-type ques­tions have been used in the Bible Nurture and Reader Series that require the pupils to think. Few pictures are included in the readers, since comprehension is improved when pupils are allowed to form their own mental images.

Bible stories are used in these readers because they are the admonition of the Lord. Parents and teachers must share with children what God has revealed in His Word, and children must share with parents and teachers their questions and understandings. The Word is for all to know--grownups and children. As babies love milk, so children will be more apt to love the milk of the Word if they are in a healthy, spiritual home and/or school setting and are fed the pure Word of Truth.

Teacher's manuals are designed to include all the necessary help for teachers or parents who take their work seriously and who have some aptitude for teaching.

Pupil's material includes readers, reading workbooks, phonics workbooks, worksheets, printing practice, and flash cards.

What do I do if there is something in the curriculum I do not understand?

The teacher's manuals are designed to answer most of your questions. I strongly encourage you to read the introductory material in the various manuals to get the lay of the land before you begin using that particular course. If then you come across something that baffles you, you can contact Rod and Staff Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm Eastern Time, at 606-522-4348. They will try to help you.

Should I buy the teacher's manual?

Here are some things to consider.

  1. You get the correct answers to the student exercises without wading through all the material. Sometimes it is filled in on the student page and other times it is beside the student page. That way you don't have to guess at the answer and perhaps get it wrong. That is a real time saver.
  2. In most of the teacher's manuals you have a copy of the student textbook page that allows you to look at what he is doing without having to look at his book. Now that is really nice.
  3. Most of the teacher's manuals give the purpose of the lesson. Usually it is given in a brief statement so that you know at a glance what is to be learned.
  4. There are often oral exercises or questions to refresh the child's mind before he starts the lesson. For example, in math he may be asked to review some addition or subtraction facts orally. In English he may be asked something orally about a previous lesson to refresh his mind. In spelling, when you give out the words, the manual gives you a sentence with the word in it so you don't have to make it up.
  5. You can use the teacher's manual for another child, give it to a needy neighbor, sell it, or check out our repurchase program. Frankly, it is a good investment in both time and money.
  6. Rod and Staff teacher manuals are very reasonably priced. Often you can find them used and inexpensive. But watch out, there are old editions around and you can get caught with teacher's manuals and textbooks that don't match.
Are the test booklets important?

Here are some things to consider.

  1. Test booklets are inexpensive.
  2. Unit tests will show you if the child has really learned what he's expected to learn. It will point out what he has missed and needs to review.
  3. It gives a permanent record if you are ever called upon to defend your school.

About Rod and Staff Publishers

Does Rod and Staff Publishers have a website?

No, Rod and Staff Publishers, Inc., does not have a website or email address.

How and why did Rod and Staff begin?

In 1958 a group of brethren from various Mennonite churches gathered in Amelia, Virginia, to share their concern over the degrading effect of much of the printed matter used by the churches. After consultation and prayer, in three different meetings, there was strong agreement that another publishing work was needed. In the third meeting, a statement of bylaws was adopted, a statement of ideals governing the personnel and policy of a conservative publishing work was prepared, and seven board members were chosen.

What church affiliation does Rod and Staff have?

The Mennonite brethren gathered in Virginia in 1958 chose the first seven board members. Since the beginning the work has been directed by a self-perpetuating board. The present board members are members of various Mennonite churches in the United States and Canada.

How long has Rod and Staff been publishing textbooks?

The first grade of the Bible Nurture and Reader Series was first published for laboratory use in 1963. It was produced with the conviction that church schools with Christian teachers also needed Bible-based textbooks. Wisdom from God was sought; tried and proven methods were employed. Other subjects were added as the Lord prospered the work. Christian parents and teachers are pleased with the results. They are working now to complete their curriculum.

What services does Rod and Staff offer to home schools?

The teacher's manuals are designed with the beginning teacher (or parent) in mind. Books may be ordered individually as needed. Rod and Staff offers telephone consultation. You can call Rod and Staff for curriculum assistance on weekdays from 8am to 5pm Eastern Time at 606-522-4348. Rod and Staff is a publisher, however, not a school.

Does Rod and Staff have anything for kindergarten?

Rod and Staff's views on kindergarten are expressed briefly on our Preschool page. Rod and Staff has published a series of preschool workbooks. See our Preschool section. We also sell coloring books and preschool storybooks that are excellent material to be read to preschool children.

Does Rod and Staff give high school diplomas? Do they grade pupil's work?

Rod and Staff is in the textbook publishing work. Their books are used in private and parochial schools, by home school institutions, and by parents who teach their children at home. Rod and Staff offers curriculum counsel relating to the use of their books and the operation of the classroom. They do not operate a school, grade the pupils' work, offer credits for courses, or give diplomas.

We at Rod and Staff Books (Milestone Ministries) are now offering, in conjunction with New Covenant Christian Academy, a high school diploma program. See more info here...

Does Rod and Staff have foreign language courses?

Rod and Staff does not publish foreign language courses. They do publish Spanish textbooks for Spanish schools.

Understanding Rod and Staff Publisher's Science Program

Rod and Staff Publisher’s science program for grades 7-10 is being revised. During the revision period, here is the plan they are recommending that you should consider following.

Originally "Investigating God's Orderly World" Book One and Two was written for the seventh and eighth grade students. It is based on six-day creation and shows that true science and Biblical truth agree. Generally it was a very good course. It was revised last in 1992 and much new scientific information has become available and corrected since that printing.

One problem continued to surface. Many teachers and students found that it was to much material to be covered in one year for each book and also cover all the other subject material for that year. Rod and Staff then suggested that "Investigating God's Orderly World" Book One be used for grades seven and eight, and Book Two be used for grades nine and ten. This addressed the problem of two much material to be covered in one year.

More recently, Rod and Staff Publishers decided it was time for a revision. In 2008 they published a revised seventh grade science text called "God's Orderly World" Grade 7. This covers the same basic materials which are in chapters 1,4,7,8,9,10 and 12 in "Investigating God's Orderly World" Book One, in an improved and updated form.

Now, for the present, Rod and Staff is suggesting using the remaining chapters of "Investigating God's Order World" Book One, chapters 2,3,5,6, and 11 for your eighth grade studies. A revised 8th grade text is in the making but may not be available for several years.

Rod and Staff is continuing to recommend that "Investigating God's Orderly World" Book Two be divided and used for ninth and tenth grade students. This material will be revised and updated as the revision process progresses.

Special Notice: You may have noticed that we have added Apologia Science for our High School Program. So now what do we do? Here is our suggestion. If you do not plan to earn high school credits, then continue with Rod and Staff. It is much less expensive and designed for those who do not plan to do high school. If you are planning to complete high school then we suggest you switch to Apologia Science starting at Grade 8. This will prepare you for the more advanced high school courses.

Store Security and Errors

Privacy Statement

Milestone Ministries collects the necessary information to conduct business with you, when you use our checkout, such as your name, address, e-mail address, phone number, and payment information. We also collect information about how you interact with our site and what pages you visit. The data we collect is used to better understand and support you.

We do not share your information with other companies or persons and do our best to protect your privacy internally.

Our site has security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control. We use an SSL secure server with digital certificates (https://) and all personal information is fully encrypted during all transactions, ensuring the highest level of security. Please note, however, that no data transmission over the Internet is completely secure. As a result, while we attempt to protect your personal information, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you provide to us and you transmit such information to us at your own risk. Once we receive your transmission we attempt to ensure the security of your personal information on our system.

Your privacy is important to us.

I encountered a dialog box stating "The Identity Certificate has Expired" when I tried to access one of your secure pages.

Simply click "Continue": the SSL session that secures your transaction with our site is not affected. This is a secure site. You can avoid the dialog box in the future by upgrading your browser.

Netscape Communicator version 4.05 or earlier, Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 through 4.5 for Macintosh include a root CA certificate that expired at the end of 1999. Users of these browsers may be experiencing an additional dialog box when connecting securely with the site after January 1, 2000.

Note: A bug in Internet Explorer 4.5 for Macintosh affects users' experience of secured Web pages. Macintosh IE users should see http://www.microsoft.com/ for more information.

Users who choose to click "Continue" will establish an authenticated and encrypted SSL session.

What You Need to Do to avoid this in the future: We encourage you to upgrade to the latest version of your browser.

Upgrade to Mozilla Firefox - http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/

Upgrade to Internet Explorer - http://www.microsoft.com/

Upgrade to Netscape - http://www.netscape.com/

When I attempt to use Secure Access I get the error message, "The identity certificate uses an unknown signature algorithm."

The error message you have received, "The identity certificate uses an unknown signature algorithm" is a bug in Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.1 and 4.5 for Macintosh users. If you are using either of these two versions of Internet Explorer you will receive this error. In order to resolve this issue, you will need to upgrade to either Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher or switch to Firefox. Upgrades are available free of charge and can be downloaded directly from either Firefox's or Microsoft's respective sites.

And if I have any other questions?

Please contact us.