American vs international system of secondary education.

International Students
1

<p>This question is for American high school students, or those who familiar with US system of secondary education. Since secondary education differs greatly in my country, I would appreciate your help in clearing up some details for me.</p>

<p>I’ve been looking on-line, but the information I found is too general. I’m interested in following:</p>

<li>How many classes a day do most of high school students have?</li>
<li>Who is considered to be average high school student?</li>
<li>Do you have final exams, if yes, how many.</li>
<li>What is the definition for credit? How many credits a year do students earn?</li>
<li>What does traditional curriculum look like?</li>
<li>What is considered to be demanding curriculum?</li>
</ol>

<p>Everyone follows the same curriculum in my country. How would do you evaluate this course load for one semester comparing to US system? </p>

<p>Ukrainian language (2 hours a weak)
Ukrainian literature (2 h/w)
Russian language (2 h/w)
Russian literature (2 h/w)
English language (6 h/w)
English literature (1 h/w)
French language (2 h/w)
Regional Geography of Britain (1 h/w)
Guide-interpretors (2 h/w)
Algebra (2 h/w)
Geometry (1 h/w)
Trigonometry (1 h/w)
Computer science (1 h/w)
History of Ukraine (1 h/w)
World History (1 h/w)
Geography (1 h/w)
Biology (2 h/w)
Physics (2 h/w)
Chemistry (2 h/w)
PE (2 h/w)
Heath care (1 h/w)</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

2

<ol>
<li><p>5-7 classes a day seem to be normal.</p></li>
<li><p>The "average" high school student ranks in the 50t percentile of his class and probably has a GPA around 3.0-3.3, depending on the high school. I would expect him/her to take Algebra 2 and Geometry and 2-3 years of a foreign language by the time he/she graduates. The average high school student is also involved in athletics, an active member of at least one club or holds a part-time job.
The average college-bound high school student ranks in the upper 25% of his class, takes some honors courses, 3-4 years of a foreign language and Pre-Calc (/Trigonometry/Analysis) before he graduates high school. </p></li>
<li><p>Americans usually have a final in each course at the end of the year, and midterms at the end of the first semester. They don't, however, have a fixed set of school-leaving exams if that's what you are asking.</p></li>
<li><p>The definition of credit is completely up to the individual school district. A common scale is one credit for a year-long course and students usually need to gather at least 19-20 credits over 4 years to graduate.</p></li>
<li><p>A traditional curriculum (let's say for a college-bound student) might look like this: 4 years of English and math (through pre-calc), 3-4 years of sciences, a foreign language and social sciences (e.g. US and world history, government, economics, geography...) and a few electives (e.g. studio art, orchestra, computer graphics, typewriting, accounting, parenting, driver's ed, PE...).</p></li>
<li><p>A demanding curriculum would look similar, just with more advanced classes (preparing the student to take some APs, maybe English literature, Calculus, a foreign language, US and world history, and biology).</p></li>
</ol>

<p>We cannot comment on your courseload without knowing what is taught in those subjects. American students typically take fewer classes a semester but spend more time on them (a typical student would take only one year of chemistry throughout high school, but with 5-6 periods a week).</p>

3

<p>Thank you b@r!um. The difference in our system of education is that we have the same course load (like one I wrote) from 7th till 11th grade. I'm sure that in result we cover the same material as in US school.</p>

4

<p>why do you do an hour of british regional geography??!! that seems very odd ot me...</p>

5

<p>I had almost the same curriculum klotto,the difference is only in the names of subjects -everything not Ukranian but Kazakh</p>

6

<p>LadyLou, I did British regional geography, because my school had intensive English language program, we learned everything connected with language and English speaking countries.</p>

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<p>British regional geograph! Wow, you probably know more that 85% of the UK about the subject.</p>

8

<p>psmyth000, I finished school 2 years ago, so, even if I knew something at school, I don't remember anything now :-)</p>

9

<ol>
<li>How many classes a day do most of high school students have?</li>
</ol>

<p>Um, well, I had four a day, but we alternated each day, so each semester, I took eight classes. For some of my friends outside my school district, seven seemed to be a normal number. My brother, who is going to a private prep school next year, will be taking six.</p>

<ol>
<li>Who is considered to be average high school student?</li>
</ol>

<p>I'm not a good person to ask, haha, since most of my friends were in my classes (the high-level classes). But... well, most people would be in what was called general classes or academic classes. We had five levels at my school: basic, general, academic, honors, and AP. Basic was more like remedial classes, honors and AP for those aiming for good colleges. People in general and academic either did not go off to college or went to a state school/community college. They're basically the average, I think. Anyway, the math track for them was usually</p>

<p>Algebra I --> Geometry --> Algebra II --> Pre-Calculus.</p>

<p>Some of the honors kids also followed that track. Those of us in all honors or AP took:</p>

<p>Geometry --> Algebra II --> Pre-Calculus --> Calculus or Statistics</p>

<p>Math is probably the easiest way to see this...</p>

<ol>
<li>Do you have final exams, if yes, how many.</li>
</ol>

<p>Yes. We had mid-terms and finals. Mid-terms were in January, finals in June. Every class had them, except for gym. Some of us took the AP exams in May. And like someone said above, no, there are no leaving exams. The SATs are as close to exams like the GCSEs or Baccalureate (spelling?) as you can get, but not everyone has to take the SATs to graduate.</p>

<ol>
<li>What is the definition for credit? How many credits a year do students earn?</li>
</ol>

<p>For us, each semester of a class earned us .5 credits. One year was 1.0. Some classes had a lab, like chemistry, physics, and calculus, and those were 1.5. I earned 7 credits my first year, 8 credits my sophomore and junior year, and 7.5 my senior year. You had to have 23 to graduate. This differs in other schools, though. In my brother's school, each trimester earns one credit, so a full year course earns 3. And my university bases credits off hours you spend per week in the class. It depends.</p>

<ol>
<li>What does traditional curriculum look like?</li>
</ol>

<p>Math, science, history or social studies, English, gym, and electives. For example, my schedule last year was: AP Calculus, AP Physics, AP Economics, AP English, AP Spanish, gym, and band. Electives can be a language, music, art, etc. Some people stop taking math, social studies, and science their last year.</p>

<p>As far as I know, most of my friends in other districts had similar curriculums.</p>

<ol>
<li>What is considered to be demanding curriculum?</li>
</ol>

<p>As many of the AP or IB classes your school offers. If your school does not have AP or IB, you take as many of the highest level classes as possible. Also, four years of math, English, science, and social studies, and if possible, of one foreign language.</p>

<p>Your courseload seems impressive, but I'm not familiar with your country's educational system. Colleges will, of course, take into account the fact that you did not go through the American educational system, though. As long as that is the best in your country, you ought to be fine.</p>

<p>Anyway, I hope my perspective helps. I come from Connecticut, which is pretty affluent (though my school district pales in comparison to some others in the area... it's not that great, really, my town). So that gives you some context.</p>

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<p>ijailin89, thank you for detailed information.</p>

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<p>wow klotto, i've never even heard of some of your subjects. Amazing!</p>

12

<p>I personally feel Indian students learn a lot more than their American counterparts. For example, my American friend, who is a rising sophomore, is just beginning chem. He's learning what I learnt in 6th grade chem (yes, I started chem in 6th grade).</p>

13

<p>Well, some of my classmates who went to US for academic year at school in 9th-10th grade also told that they studied here what we learned in 7th-8th grade. I don't know whether it is good or bad. In Ukraine they just try to staff us with as much information as possible and as early as possible.</p>

<p>I learned on this forum, that the main difference is that while we, in Ukraine, start learning chemistry, physics, biology and etc. in 7th grade and have 2 lessons a week during next 4 years, Americans would take 4-5 lessons a week and do the same or almost the same program in less time.</p>

14

<p>From what I've gathered from discussions with my American friends, they start some subjects later and finish them earlier. Just because the subjects are studied at different times and for different durations doesn't necessarily mean much. It's unfortunate for you, because it probably means you missed out on some stuff that was done earlier in the American system.</p>

<p>I believe klotto summed it up rather nicely. Americans tend to concentrate a subject in a short amount of time, whereas other cultures tend to start early and go a little bit at a time over a longer period of time. That's definitely how it is in Italy, anyway, where it took years of algebra, geometry, physics, chemistry, biology, etc., in smaller doses, to get the equivalent of one semester of the same in an American high school. When I say equivalent, I mean rough equivalent, since many US high schools aren't so reknowned for their quality, but that's a dangerous generalization.</p>

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<p>Not really, quicksilver. I just think that here we spread out the matter over a number of years, rather than compress it all into a year. A slightly smoother method I suppose, but it allows less breadth (a major folly of our system, and one of the reasons why I wanna get out of here for college at least).</p>

16

<p>terrisfan, I think quicksilver was talking about high school and not college. Just as an example - American students typically take only one year of chemistry with about 6 periods a week in high school while in Germany the subject is spread over 3 years with 2-3 periods a week.</p>