Just some questions...What does it take to get an A?

Parents Forum
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<p>Could you please answer some of my random questions concerning the U.S educational system..(hmm somewhat) I'm just curious for no special reason ( I would like to compare your system to the one we have out here).</p>

<p>So...a typical high school...</p>

<p>1) What time does the first class start/the last class end?
2) Breaks?
3) How many classes per day/per week?
4) The amount of homework? How much time does it ~ take to do the homework in the evening?
(Just wondering how come everybody seems to have so much free time...meaning lots of ECs and stuff?)
5) Tests? How often? Are multiple-choice tests very typical? Are there many cheaters?
6) Psychological pressure?</p>

<p>I know that these questions are kinda stupid...but I would appreciate it if you provided answers to at least some of them:)</p>

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<p>Class times vary widely. My D's school starts at 7:15 and ends at 2:15, but many schools start at 8:00 or 8:15 and get out at 3:00. Students usually have from 3 to 5 minutes to change classes. Lunch is usually half and hour to 45 minutes. At my D's school there are usually about three tests during the trimester and a final exam. The tests usually consist of multiple choice and about three essay questions. Cheating is not terribly common, but it happens. There is not a lot of psychological pressure in her school, other than self-imposed by the students taking AP tests. Homework requires about two hours a day. Here in the Midwest many students have part-time jobs to pay for their cars. They also participate in sports and clubs extensively--about 95% of the students are involved in extracurricular activities.</p>

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<p>I agree with Pattyk..."it depends on the school" is the right answer...</p>

<p>My S's school, which is a competitive, selective, public HS on the east coast (TJ, for those who've read the TJ threads) is as follows:</p>

<p>1) What time does the first class start/the last class end? </p>

<p>School starts at 8:30 and ends at 3:50.</p>

<p>2) Breaks?-- </p>

<p>There is a five-minute interval to move between classes, with two 10-minute "breaks" and one 45-minute lunch during the "usual" day.</p>

<p>3) How many classes per day/per week?</p>

<p>There are 8 academic periods...on Mondays, each of the 8 meets (that's "anchor day")...the other four days/week are "block schedule" with four of the 8 periods meeting on alternate dates</p>

<p>4) The amount of homework? How much time does it ~ take to do the homework in the evening?</p>

<p>My S typically puts in 2-3 hours/day on homework, with more time required right before long-term projects are due and at end of quarters; his friends seem to have similar work loads</p>

<p>(Just wondering how come everybody seems to have so much free time...meaning lots of ECs and stuff?)--</p>

<p>(I know what you mean! But in the case of my S and his friends, sleep patterns get weird...as far as I can tell, they all go on very short sleep rations during the week, and sleep half of the day on weekends!)</p>

<p>5) Tests? How often? Are multiple-choice tests very typical? Are there many cheaters?</p>

<p>S's test tend not to be multiple-choice, altho there are certainly some...he seems to have quizzes in most classes every couple of weeks, "major" tests every month or so. Very little cheating (altho there is some, and when it's found, the school "pounces hard"...the kids at my S's school take their privileges VERY seriously and there's major peer pressure to avoid the "bad behavior" that would threaten those privileges for everyone...that includes cheating...it does happen, but it's a "cause celebre" when it does, and the kids pounce on cheaters every bit as hard as the administration does...</p>

<p>6) Psychological pressure?</p>

<p>Both very intense and nonexistent...particularly pressured is the college application process (including taking the SATs, SAT IIs, etc.)...there's lots of peer pressure to get admitted to good colleges...on the other hand, there's almost no pressure "in general"...kids at TJ are free to be who they are...geeky, nerdy, jocks, drama kings/quees, whatever...there are some slackers (in context), of course...but by & large, kids at TJ do their school work as a matter of course and there appears (to a parent's eye) to be little or no pressure to be thin, or blonde, or popular, or into sports, or whatever the going trend might happen to be...</p>

<p>Hope this helps...</p>

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<p>1) My highschool starts at 7:30 and ends at 2:30.</p>

<p>2) You have lunch and whatever time in class that's free. Its pretty bad that some elementary schools are taking out recess! I can't believe it! </p>

<p>3) Some have 7 classes a day. Some have 8. Some have 4. It depends. You go to school 5 days a week.</p>

<p>4) It depends on the difficulty of your course. A regular's student might have 30 minutes at most, but for an AP student, that might be 30 minutes of homework ATLEAST. Its not that we have free time. It's that we learn how to manage our time.</p>

<p>5) Again, this depends on the difficulty of the course. Some people never get tests and IB students get tests maybe 2 times a week (per course). Of course there is cheating because of what I'm about to say. I think multiple choice tests are common, but for IB students, its not a common thing to get a multiple choice test. Most of my tests have been short answer, write the equation, write an essay, whatever.</p>

<p>6) Yes. There is pressure. Grades are the currency. If you don't make good grades, its nothing. I believe if grades were not taken, there would be no cheating. What's the point when there is nothing at stake? There are pressures like "I'm not popular" or "everyone makes fun of me", but that happens everywhere. And depending on your school, those things (you know kids can be BRUTAL) happen less often or more often.</p>

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<p>I go to a private international high school in DC.</p>

<p>1) What time does the first class start/the last class end?
8:15-2:50/3:45 (11th and 12th graders have sixth period some days)</p>

<p>2) Breaks?
10:35-10:55 and 12:00-12:35</p>

<p>3) How many classes per day/per week?
Five classes per day, unless you have sixth period or study halls.</p>

<p>4) The amount of homework? How much time does it ~ take to do the homework in the evening?
Anywhere from 1-5 hours.</p>

<p>5) Tests? How often? Are multiple-choice tests very typical? Are there many cheaters?
It depends on the class. I had anywhere from 3 to over 10 tests in a sophomore year class. No MC-only tests, though a few had a MC section. Some cheat; I don't.</p>

<p>6) Psychological pressure?
Only what you create for yourself.</p>

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<p>at my school:</p>

<p>1) What time does the first class start/the last class end?
8:00AM to 3:00PM</p>

<p>2) Breaks?
10:00AM to 10:15AM and 12:20 to 1:00</p>

<p>3) How many classes per day/per week?
6 per day/5 days a week</p>

<p>4) The amount of homework? How much time does it ~ take to do the homework in the evening?
3 hours</p>

<p>(Just wondering how come everybody seems to have so much free time...meaning lots of ECs and stuff?)
i dont know...good question...i just seem to have time</p>

<p>5) Tests? How often? Are multiple-choice tests very typical? Are there many cheaters?
math/science-fill in
english/hist-multiple choice
about 4 times a week</p>

<p>6) Psychological pressure?
nooooooooooooooooooo. bro i am always relaxed. no pressure at all... were teenagers what do you expect.</p>

7

<p>my school:</p>

<p>1) What time does the first class start/the last class end?
7:20-2:10 (or till 3:30 if you had 8th period)</p>

<p>2) Breaks?
30 minutes for lunch</p>

<p>3) How many classes per day/per week?
there are 7 blocks, with 1, 3, 5, 7 meeting one day, and 2, 4, 5, 6 meeting the next day. Schedule alternates, with ~95 minute classes, with 5th period being 50 minutes. If you have 8th period (only a class for IB Diploma Candidates, who were taking a non IB class for their 7th class during the day)</p>

<p>4) The amount of homework? How much time does it ~ take to do the homework in the evening?
Seem to usually be 2+ for me, unless I decide I don't want to do any. Then it builds up and right before things are due you end up spending 8+ hours a day.</p>

<p>(Just wondering how come everybody seems to have so much free time...meaning lots of ECs and stuff?)
A lot of people don't start their homework until 10pm or later. And, people master the use of their time. For example, if you have something due after lunch, you can do it at lunch. If you have something due 2nd period of the day, you might be able to do it first period. Obviously not the case with papers and things, but the high school busy work can be done the day it's due.</p>

<p>5) Tests? How often? Are multiple-choice tests very typical? Are there many cheaters?
Tests... depends. Sometimes only 1 a quarter, and sometimes as many as 6. Multiple choice tests... rarely. However, the multiple choice tests I took often resulted in lower grades than essay tests (especially in English, it's like they expect us to memorize the freaking book page for page). Cheating? Yea, it happens sometimes.</p>

<p>6) Psychological pressure?
IB is known to be stressful. I like to avoid it by putting work off as long as possible =P</p>

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<p>At my school:
1) What time does the first class start/the last class end?
8:05-3:00
2) Breaks?
3-8 minutes between classes, 24 (weird, huh) minutes for lunch
3) How many classes per day/per week?
3 90-minute classes and 2 43-minute classes each day
4) The amount of homework? How much time does it ~ take to do the homework in the evening?
About 15 to 30 minutes most nights, 3+ hours before a big report/paper is due.
(Just wondering how come everybody seems to have so much free time...meaning lots of ECs and stuff?)
There are almost no EC's available here in rural Hickville, so I just wind up doing nothing all day and feeling lazy.
5) Tests? How often? Are multiple-choice tests very typical? Are there many cheaters?
Lots of my tests are MC. In most of my classes, we have a major test every week or two. (We use block scheduling, though, so we finish a year-long class in a semester.) There is rampant cheating.
6) Psychological pressure?
There are tons of losers at my school, so the general exclamation of glee after graded tests/assignments are passed back is an ecstatic "I passed!!" However, I believe that there is a lot of pressure on us few high achievers. Everyone is just waiting to celebrate when one of us gets a lower grade than they got. I think the high percentage of losers also increases the pressure placed on "top" students by teachers. Whenever there is a lapse in a discussion or a long pause after the posing of a question, teachers will very often turn to one of us and ask, "XXXX, what do you think." You always have to be ready to provide an answer that won't have the other students heckling you. For most students, however, there is almost no psychological pressure at my school.</p>

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<p>Quite the opposite idea at my school, actually. Since the teacher likes to diversify the answer choices given during discussions, he/she will rarely pick on the student who knows most of the subject at hand. Which means, of course, I get sleepy time in class. =)</p>