I will talk here about how education is organized in American public (free) schools in our state of Massachusetts (each state has its own differences).

Here are the questions and answers:

1) Is it possible to learn more about the education system in schools in America? How many classes are in American schools?

Children go to school in America for only 13 years (from 5 to 18).
The school in América is subdivided into 3 different schools:
Primary school (Elementary school): from 0 to 4 grade (5 years)
Middle school (Middle school): from 5th to 8th grade (4 years)
Senior classes (High School): from 9 to 12 classes (4 years).

All three schools are located in different buildings. My youngest son went to 3rd grade at Elementary school this year, and my eldest went to 10th grade at High School.

2) In Russia, you can study in grades 9 or 11, is there something similar in the USA?

Yes, there is something similar. After the 8th, 9th, 10th or 11th grade, a teenager can go to study at a technical school, where, along with general education, he can get some useful specialty, for example:
Engineer,
Electrician,
Educator at preschool
landscape designer,
telecommunication specialist,
marketing specialist,
and others.

3) What subjects are there in American schools that are not taught in Russia?

My oldest son is in 10th grade. Here are the subjects he is taking this year (5 compulsory and one optional).

Compulsory subjects in grade 10:

2. Algebra
3. Chemistry

5. The study of America (American Studies). They have this instead of history (the history of the ancient world and other states was in high school).

The elective subject at our school could be chosen from the following (usually the choice depends on the state): "Photography", "Ceramic Making", "Drawing", "Painting", "Additional Physics Course", "Additional Course in History and Law".
My son chose "Photography" (this is a classic photography, not digital, where pictures are processed according to all the rules: developer, fixer, clothespins, etc.). His work is very creative, especially black and white.

Compulsory subjects in grade 9 were as follows:
1. English (as mother tongue)
2. Social Sciences (Social Studies) includes the History of the World and Geography
3. Physics
4. Spanish (as a foreign language)
5. Geometry

4) How is education organized in American schools?

The fact is that starting from the 9th grade, teenagers are offered to choose the level of education in each subject. The teenager and his parents, together with teachers, choose the level of education that best suits the interests and abilities of the teenager in this area.
Each subject has 3 levels, and each teacher has 3 groups of students, respectively:
Level 1 (Easiest): College Preparation class
Level 2 (more difficult): Honors class
Level 3 (hardest): Advanced Placement class

All children have different interests and different abilities. So someone might take English or Algebra in a Level 3 class and Chemistry or Physics in a Level 1 class.

The Levels 2 and 3 classes study the same material as the Level 1 class, but in more depth and their curriculum is focused on developing independent thinking and creative ideas. The number of people in the class is slightly smaller than in the Level 1 class to make it easier for students to participate in class discussions and express their opinions. At the end of the year, classes of all levels take the same annual test (MCAS), and in grades 11 and 12, the SAT test (it's something like the Russian EG).
There is one test for everyone, and in order to pass it, you need to know the required program, so a student who did well at Level 1 can pass this test with excellent marks. And those who studied in the classes of Levels 2 and 3, if they pass the test well, will receive in addition the postscript “graduated with Honors” (“graduated with honors”), and this is a big plus for admission! And the more these "differences" in each subject, the better.

In elementary school, education is organized more simply. Children learn to read, write and count in a class of 25 with one teacher. Once a day, they have an additional subject: Physical Education, Art or Music. They have many short breaks throughout the day, as well as two long breaks, one of which is for lunch.
You can buy lunch at school or bring your own.

5)Chow many lessons per day?
Lessons consist of modules (blocks) of 25 minutes each.
Since all students in high school attend classes at different levels, each teenager has his own schedule and does not look like the schedule of other students.

Here is a typical day for my 10th grade son:

Algebra: 3 modules of 25 min.
Exploring America: 2 modules of 25 min.
Break: 3 modules of 25 min.
Photography: 2 modules of 25 min.
Break: 1 module of 25 min.
Spanish: 2 modules of 25 min.
Chemistry: 2 modules of 25 min.

6) When do children come to school and when do they leave?

In elementary school, the school day lasts from 8.40 to 14.40.
In secondary school - from 8.00 to 14.40.
In the senior classes - from 7.30 to 14.40

Many children travel to and from school on the school bus, the route of which takes into account the residence of children in this town.
Many parents bring their children to school and pick them up by car. If the parents cannot pick up the child after school, he can attend an extended day group at the school for an additional fee, where educators will work with him, play educational games, do crafts and help him with his homework.

Every morning, when children go to school, at several intersections located near each school, there are traffic officers in yellow vests who stop traffic to allow children to cross the road safely. The traffic controllers are not police officers, they work at the school.
When children arrive at school, as well as when they go home, police are on duty at the school to monitor the safety of children and prevent unwanted individuals from entering schools who may pose a threat to children.

I apologize for the quality of the photos. Teachers don't like taking pictures at school (you need to get special permission for this), so I had to secretly take pictures with a mobile phone.

Finishing high school is the responsibility of every US citizen. At the moment in the United States of America, 85% of the adult population has completed school. And only 15% either do not have a basic education at all, or have an incomplete one. In comparison with other developed countries, this is a very good indicator.

The average stage of American education covers the age from 6-7 to 17-18 years.

US school levels

elementary school

Education in elementary school for American children begins at 6-7 years of age. It all depends on the laws of the particular state or school the child goes to. For children who want and can go to school a year earlier, "zero grades" (KinderGarden) are provided. Here the child is prepared for classes, for communication with peers.

The Elementary School teaches writing, reading, counting, and the basics of fine arts. There are music lessons, physical education.

The assignments are creative and interesting. For example, students may be asked to describe what they saw on the street while walking. It can be a flower, a park, some unusual tree or a house. This is how young children develop creative thinking.

The standard class size in elementary school is 25 people. One teacher works with them. Only classes in creative or sports subjects are taught by another person.

Middle school

Children aged 11-12 study here. In middle school, different teachers teach different subjects. At this stage, children are introduced to the liberality of American schooling. They can already choose the lessons they want to go to. Music, foreign language, fine arts and a number of other disciplines to choose from. However, at this stage there are still compulsory disciplines: mathematics, English, history, physical education. There is another subject called "science". Here, schoolchildren receive knowledge of their areas such as chemistry, biology, physics, geology, astronomy.

At this stage of education, children are divided into two streams. On one schoolchildren study, whose performance is at an average level. On the second - those who study perfectly. It is believed that the second stream is more honorable, since there children are given a greater load than in the first one, students learn the material better, they are more capable and smart.

High school (high school)

This is the last school stage in the life of an American child. It starts at the age of 14-15 and lasts for three years. The freedom to choose disciplines is increased here. As a rule, mathematics is required to study (it must be studied for at least two years), English (four years), natural sciences (three years). Exact disciplines may consist of branches of mathematics. Social subjects may include narrow areas of knowledge. For example, the history of a certain area or region of America in the 19th century, world history, and so on. Each of the disciplines is taught at different levels: from the basics to a fairly serious university level. As you can see, everything here is quite individual.

In high school, students are offered a large selection of electives. Depending on the interests, the student can attend, say, music, healthy lifestyle or business lessons. All of them are also divided into several areas.

Such a training scheme stimulates the activity of children. You will never see the same group of children attending the same elective in an American school. Students are constantly changing. Thus, a teenager grows up comprehensively developed, sociable, open to new people, knowledge.

A separate subject is such as physical education. More precisely, there is no such discipline at all. In US schools, children go in for a specific sport. It could be basketball, swimming, football or athletics.

In high school, students have semi-official names among teachers and in general the whole society, depending on the class in which they study. Ninth graders are called freshmens (newbie), tenth graders - sophomores (sophomore), eleventh graders - juniors (junior), then - seniors (senior).

Unlike the system familiar to us, when a graduate graduates from school and only then submits documents to a university, in the USA the system is different. There, a student already in grade 11-12 knows not only where he enters, but also the results of admission. While at school, he prepares and takes the entrance exams to the university (SAT or ACT).

Classification of schools in the USA

public schools

Free high schools that are on public funding.

Public schools are subordinate to school districts (with the exception of the state of Maryland). It is an administrative-territorial unit of the United States. It is created by the government of a particular state and is a syndicate of legally independent organizations. In territory, the boundaries of school districts are identical to the boundaries of counties or towns. Overall, there are almost 15,000 school districts in the United States of America.

School districts regulate, in fact, all the rules for schools. This applies to training programs, rules of conduct, standards for entrance examinations, student assessments, and so on. All of these standards can be discussed and challenged by the school board. In turn, it includes the board of trustees, the board of education, the school committee. Including the parents of the children. The school board is elected by vote of the residents of the district.

The districts are above the entire system of Public Schools of America. They run elementary school, middle school and high school.

Private schools

A fairly popular type of school in the United States. Education in them, of course, paid.

For children with unique abilities, talents or gifts, there are separate schools in the United States of America. However, getting there is difficult. The child needs to prove that he is better than his peers in any business. There are also schools for children with various disabilities: in particular, this applies to children with impaired hearing, vision, physical development.

An interesting fact is that twins or twins study in different classes. This (and many other things) forms independence.

Publications about the problems of education in our country evoked a lively response from readers. Along with comments and questions, the editors received requests to tell in detail about how the Western school works, from which, it seems, our officials are copying a plan to remake Russian education. It would be nice - about the American school. American films taught us the idea that American schooling is terrible. However, everywhere and always there is good and bad. And if we talk about a positive experience. Valerian Matveyevich Khutoretsky, a longtime contributor to our journal, who has been living in America for many years, prepared a detailed article for Chemistry and Life on how a good public school works in the USA. This year, the twin granddaughters of Valerian Matveyevich graduated from it, so the information, as they say, is first-hand. We hope that the article will be interesting and useful not only for teachers, but also for those who care about the fate of school education, that is, for all our readers.

There is no need for illusions - in America there are a lot of schools where the class is re-learned to read and calculate fractions, and girls get pregnant already in high school. But this applies mainly to schools in large cities. Many of those who work in big cities (city) try to live in neighboring small towns (town), where the quality of life is higher. We are not talking about an American school in general, but only about a good public school in a good suburban area. Here lives the middle class, which includes licensed repairmen, small business owners, managers of various ranks, realtors, etc., and not just, as is commonly believed in Russia, doctors, lawyers and "programmers" of all kinds. Real estate (house and plot) in places with good schools can be twice as expensive as the same in other parameters of housing, which serves as an obstacle to the appearance of unwanted neighbors. Personally, I have not been able to understand what comes first - the increased price of real estate or the high level of the school, but they are undoubtedly connected. Note that good schools happen in poor places, and bad schools in rich ones. When choosing a place to live, reasonable people who have or are going to have children look at the rating of the local school. And there are ratings for everything in the world.

What are the schools here

Schools in America are private (private; if a boarding school, then boarding) and state or public (public). In the 2009-2010 school year, 10% of the total number of US schoolchildren and preschoolers, or 5.5 million people, attended private schools and kindergartens. Some children for some reason do not attend school at all (home schooling), for example, for religious reasons or to finish school faster. Private schools provide a good education, but the cost of education in them starts at 10 thousand dollars a year. The upper limit of payment is unknown, but 35 thousand is a real figure. Public - free.

Education at school is divided into three levels: primary (from first to fifth grades, with it there is also a mandatory zero grade, kindergarten), middle (grades 6-8) and higher, and higher school in America (grades 9-12) is not should be confused with higher education in Russia, where universities are called that. If translated accurately, then high or secondary school is a “high” school, and higher, tertiary or post-secondary (college) is “higher”, and none of them is higher (highest). Let's call her the eldest, shall we? Each of the schools at all three levels is a completely independent institution, usually in a separate building and with its own teaching staff. If the town has, in addition to one or two secondary and several elementary schools, also a high school, then it also has a Board of Education, which determines what, how and what textbooks to teach in this district. In another town, the program will be somewhat different.

A really good school has dozens of different courses, and many of them are taught at the university level. The choice of foreign languages ​​is something like this: Spanish, French, Latin, Chinese, German, Italian. The dropout rate in a good school is essentially zero, while in New York public high school only 76% of whites and 56% of black students graduate. The state of New Jersey has an average public school dropout rate of 1.7%.

There are also special schools for children with disabilities - in both directions. They are attended by either especially gifted (reception by competition!), Or children requiring special attention - blind, deaf, severely lagging behind in development. Disabled children and children with mild behavioral and developmental disabilities attend normal schools; twins are bred into different classes. There are specialized schools, for example, the Stuyvesant physics and mathematics school, which is abbreviated as Sty, in Manhattan (an analogue of Moscow schools No. 2, 57, 179).

The most expensive purchase for school is a computer that lasts at least four to six years and costs about $800. For a year, stationery is spent on the strength of 100 dollars. Lunch costs 2-4 dollars, but you can bring food from home. To receive a free lunch, it is enough to submit a corresponding application. Since "a good school in a good neighborhood" is a vague concept, let's put it this way: the US Department of Education awarded the Blue Ribbon Award to 74 of the 490 high schools in the state of New Jersey. Thus, we can assume that the share of "good" schools is about 15%.

Teachers and budgets

Teachers are members of the trade union, their salary increases with experience and does not depend on personal achievements. To work as a teacher, you need a certificate from the state; without this, you can actually conduct a lesson only in the presence of a “real” teacher. Most states recognize a certificate issued by another state. According to a survey by the National Association of Science Teachers, in 2007, about half of high schools and one-third of high schools had a shortage of science teachers (here these subjects are called "Science"). In difficult situations, they take a subject specialist (chemist, physicist, etc.), and he goes to certification courses in the evenings for a year, while teaching at school. When studying at a four-year college, you can take the appropriate set of disciplines and get a diploma and a teacher's certificate. About a third of the courses should be related to school work, the rest - general education and scientific specialization (mathematics, chemistry, etc.).

There are also special pedagogical colleges where teachers are trained, more often for elementary and secondary schools. With them, not everything and not always smoothly, many of them are not accredited by anyone. How graduates from non-accredited colleges find work, I don't know. Maybe it is from them that teachers for the “bad” schools in large cities and remote villages come out? All school teachers once a year go to a two-day professional development conference, classes are closed for this time. Somewhere else a day a year, the teacher undergoes additional retraining, but then someone replaces him in the classroom. In a good school, ten percent of teachers have a doctoral degree (candidates of science), 73% have a master's degree. The teacher's workload is five lessons a day, 25 lessons a week.

The idea is that schools should be supported by municipalities, and in a good place, 87% of the funds actually come from the local budget, and only 11% from the state budget and 2% from the federal budget. In a bad school (usually in a poor area), the picture is different: only 13% comes from the local budget, 74% from the state budget, and 12% from the federal budget. The average salary of a teacher (half earning more, the other half earning less) in a good school is $81,000 a year, in a poor neighborhood, $59.

When the New Jersey government cut subsidies to good schools because of the crisis, residents of some districts with such schools voted for voluntary tax increases to keep the quality of teaching high. It should be noted that not all of these residents have children, but a good school increases the price of real estate in its district. My point is that they are not necessarily altruists, they also vote to preserve the value of the property they own, even if it comes at a cost in the form of a slightly higher tax. Both state and national governments are much more interested in preventing bad schools from becoming terrible than they are in maintaining the quality of good schools.

Textbooks, timetable and electives

The American elementary school differs from the Russian one not only in the presence of air conditioners, which are in almost all US institutions, and in the shuffling of classes every year. There is no strict discipline in elementary school: children are not prevented from walking around the classroom, they can learn by sitting in a circle on the floor, someone can read on their own. They are taken to a clearing near the school, and then they are offered to write something about what they saw: about a piece of bark in the grass, a worm or a beetle, etc. However, by the fifth grade, everyone is already sitting at single desks and the lessons look almost familiar to us. .

In secondary school, there are no classes at all as permanent teams: schoolchildren move to different teams for different subjects, some of which they already choose themselves. Basic subjects, including those included in the "Science" - biology, chemistry, physics and earth sciences (geology, rocks and minerals, the earth's crust, etc.) - remain mandatory. In order to be eligible to choose a more difficult program in a subject, you need to get an excellent mark in it in the previous year. From the 7th grade, you can take an increased level of complexity of mathematics and English. In the 8th grade, the choice of subjects of a higher level of complexity is expanded and the freedom to choose some optional subjects is given: for example, there are a lot of people who want to cook, including boys.

In high school, in four years it is necessary to pass three courses of a more complex and diverse (to choose from) "Science" and three - mathematics. In the 9th grade, science is "Fundamentals of Chemistry and Physics", in the 10th grade - biology. At least one of the scientific courses should be with laboratory work, in a good school - everything. The choice is that you can either take courses of varying complexity (see below), or choose narrower subjects, that is, it can be ecology, not biology, astrophysics, not physics, etc. Mandatory in high school are four annual courses in English and literature, physical education, social and historical sciences, and at least one art course. In what order what to pass is a matter of taste, therefore it is normal when tenth graders and students of the 12th grade are sitting in the same class. Each credited course, which lasted the whole year, gives five credits. Some subjects are taken in one semester (2.5 credits). Another 15 credits (three annual courses) need to be collected from a variety of additional courses, but you can simply take another one at a rate per year from the required ones. The amount by the end of the school must be at least 120 credits. University education is structured similarly: the total amount of credits and the list of compulsory disciplines, the rest is optional.

All students are called students - why not? But when you hear about kindergarten students for the first time, you have fun, of course. Each year of both high school and college has its own ordinal name: freshman - the first year, sophomore - the second, junior - the third, senior - the fourth.

School textbooks are printed on thick paper, richly and usefully illustrated, however, because of this they are very heavy. They are handed over at the end of the school year, because they are also expensive (more than $ 100 if you want your own copy), then they pass to another student. To solve the problem of heavy backpacks, many states have already introduced laptops that combine all textbooks, a diary and homework. Each student has a locker in the corridor, which is vacated at the end of the year.

School starts after the first Tuesday in September, Labor Day, and ends on June 24th. The school year is divided into four non-holiday quarters (four Thanksgiving holidays in November, Christmas holidays from December 24 to January 3, the penultimate week of February, and a week in early April). Classes run five days a week. In high school, the day consists of eight lessons lasting 43 minutes. In four minutes between lessons, you need to have time to move to the desired subject room (the word “office” here means closet), and the school is long, because it has only two, rarely three floors. So the movement in the corridors after the call is very, very busy. After the fourth lesson, 20 minutes are allotted for lunch.

At the end of the school year, each student makes a list of subjects, including their level of difficulty, that he wants to take for the next year. Since one of the eight lessons is physical education, these are seven subjects. So he draws up a program of seven courses and coordinates it with an adviser (see the chapter "Advisors"). The office shakes up the schedules of all students and sends each student a completed schedule for the next year. It is impossible to change the teacher, whoever got it will be.

This schedule includes the number of the room where you will be coming all year. For example, the first lesson every day and all year will be physics (room 129), the second - always history (room 215), the third - geometry (room 117), etc. The exception is physical education, which is four days a week. Usually, due to it, double laboratory work is carried out once a week. Thus, each subject has five lessons per week.

Since there are no classes, then there are no class teachers, in our understanding, either. Each student is assigned to the Home Room, that is, the classroom. There after the second lesson for five minutes (therefore, the second break is five minutes longer) the same teacher comes in, conducts a roll call and makes sure that all students listen to the current announcements on the radio, if necessary, distributes educational materials or some forms to them, which need to be filled out and then handed over to the office or nurse (certificate from a doctor for participation in competitions, permission from parents for an excursion, etc.). If the teacher has nothing to add to the radio broadcast, then he dismisses the students for a break.

Typical lesson and homework

A typical lesson is a lively lecture. The teacher involves students in a discussion of a topic proposed in advance or presented in the lesson. Those who wish raise their hand and speak, the teacher incites, sharpens the questions. Participation in the discussion is not a survey; there are no oral knowledge tests here. Some teachers do not evaluate it at all, others, especially in linguistic and historical disciplines, take it into account at their own discretion. This form of "voluntary survey" is aimed at consolidating what has been learned and developing one's own opinion, and not at keeping one in fear: they will call - they will not call. The lesson is often illustrated by a slide show through a projector from a teacher's laptop, experiments and fragments of films in foreign languages.

Everyone does their homework in writing and turns it in in the classroom or on the Internet - every day. You can get sick, grab a couple of days for the holiday (a note from the parents) - please, only homework must be handed in, and without delay, for all the days of absence. Occasionally, instead of, or even together with homework, there are larger tasks - “projects”. Usually they are humanitarian. For example - compose a short piece in French and perform it in the class (and repeat it at the parent meeting). Or organize a discussion “Are you for co-education of boys and girls or against?”: One group of students collects the arguments “for”, the other - “against”, the rest of the class judges. Often they are asked to create presentations (Power Point), for example, on the topic "Mendeleev's table". Each represents the element entrusted to him: position in the periodic table, properties, application.

Team work is seen here as an important skill acquired in school, so both projects and classwork are often done by two to four people. In computer science (the foundations of informatics and computing), teamwork is the rule, not the exception. The task of the project there is set in the most general form: to write any application for the iPhone or to come up with a game. The guys themselves get together by two or four people and work together, sometimes the whole year. If something does not work out, they go with questions to other groups, or the teacher tells them who to consult with.

The total mark for the project varies from teacher to teacher, but in general it stays at the level of a major test. The contribution of each to the project is usually not allocated, everyone is equally divided. In addition to homework, there are tests (short, quiz, 5-20 minutes; more detailed, test, 40 minutes) and exams.

Grades and Difficulties

Examinations appear towards the end of high school, and in high school they are held every six months. Cheat sheets and cheating on exams and tests (but not cheating on homework, especially at the end of the 12th grade!) are practically unknown. Intra-school exams, which are compiled by the teachers themselves, can be quite legitimately corrected if it turns out that the majority did not perform well on a particular task or exam as a whole. Then scaling is carried out: those students who scored the highest percentage of correct solutions, say 95%, are credited with 100%, and the rest are added 5%.

The number of tasks or questions is measured in dozens; The time allotted for the exam is 90 minutes. Not all, but usually most of the tasks are tasks for choosing the correct solution from the proposed answers. There are no special days for preparing for exams, and the exams themselves go on four days in a row, or even two a day.

All grades are given in the alphabetic system: A, B, C, D and F, plus and minuses added. For correctly solved 93% or more they put A, 90-92% - A with a minus, etc. Only 60% of correct answers (D-) will still be credited, but less is already F (failed).

Grades are given at school, but they are not reported in the classroom, only to parents and the student. (Although many other cities in the country maintain a student ranking system.) Now parents are simply given a password to a site with their child's current grades.

Although other people's marks are unknown to others, closer to graduation, the position of each in the educational hierarchy is not only known, but also accompanies the student's application for admission to the university. It is impersonal and represents the percentage of the top ten in terms of academic performance, in which the student fell in terms of his average score: the first ten, the second ten. Getting into the top ten adds to the certificate the diploma "With the highest honors" (Honors), the second and third - "With honors" (Honors). Each edition has a valedictorian of the year, sometimes two, who are given the honor of giving a speech to the graduates at a ceremony. Another category of awards are the prizes of numerous scientific (Intel, Merck, Google, etc.) and art and humanitarian competitions and olympiads.

The submission of documents to universities ends on December 31, and by April 1, all universities send their decisions, and those who have been accepted only need to not be expelled from school before receiving a certificate. Therefore, in the second semester of the last, 12th grade, only enthusiasts or those who complete AP courses (see below) study. The university competition primarily takes into account the average score for the 10-11th and the first semester of the 12th grade - the so-called GPA (Grade Point Average), which includes marks in all subjects, except for physical education and health, but including art subjects. Therefore, there are many who want to improve it, and the main way for this is no, not just to study well. To do this, you still need to increase the level of difficulty of the items that you pass.

Each subject in high school has four levels of difficulty. The names of these levels differ not only in different states, but even in districts. Pretty typical set: Сollege Level or Advanced Placement (AP, A.P.); Accelerated or Honors; CPA or standard; and CPB or essential. The last two mean "College Preparation" (College Preparation) A and B. "A" means the usual, typical level, "B" - a little lower. In the certificate, these levels have different weights. If the maximum in CPA and CPB is estimated at 4 points, then the maximum in Accelerated (Honors) gives 4.33, and in AP - already 4.67 points. Selection for the Accelerated level is carried out according to previous assessments; to AP, in addition, you must pass an entrance exam.

In addition to grades, there are prerequisites for choosing many advanced subjects: to take advanced algebra 2, you must pass algebra 1, and to enter AP physics or AP statistics, you must complete algebra 2, so the choice must be planned far ahead. To stay at the Accelerated level for the next year, an average score of B with a minus is enough, but in order to move from it to the AP level, you need to have an annual A, sometimes they can take it from A with a minus. AP is the highest level, corresponds to the first year of the university. The first three AP courses (European History, Biology, Art) are allowed to be taken in the 10th grade, then more, and some courses are only available in the last grade.

The most prestigious universities don't take GPAs under 4.25 seriously, which is impossible without honors and AP courses. On the other hand, most universities and colleges in the US count a high school AP course as a university course. Many schoolchildren use this opportunity to get a bachelor's degree not in four years, but faster, which, with rapidly rising tuition fees (recently about 10% per year), can save tens of thousands of dollars. In addition, many courses taken by AP are a plus when considering applications for admission to universities, and competition for the most prestigious colleges exceeds ten people per place.

They say that there was a girl in the school who was able to take 16 AP courses. My granddaughter's friend passed 14, but not with maximum marks, which lowered her main indicator - GPA. Alas, she was not taken to any of the prestigious universities she chose. The adviser (see below) placed her at a lower rank university, where at first she did not apply, however, for full support (full ride): she does not pay anything either for tuition or for accommodation.

Private exams

The grade point average (GPA) is important for admission to universities, it is evidence of the quality of assimilation of school material, an indicator of a stable interest in learning. After him, the second most important indicator is the results of exams conducted by private organizations. Their goal is to determine how ready the student is to continue his studies in college, that is, to assess his abilities and work skills, and not the amount of accumulated knowledge. For them, the school on a free day provides a place and teacher supervision.

These exams are paid and only those who are going to go to college take them, but in a good school, this is almost everything. In fact, there are two such exams: SAT (Sholastic Assessment Test) and ACT (American College Testing), although there are additional varieties in the more common SAT. You can take either or both of them and in any class. The SAT is administered by the same organization, the College Board, that verifies and grades the AP exams.

The regular SAT (there are also subject SATs or SAT II, ​​which assess knowledge of chemistry, physics, economics, language, etc.) consists of three parts, each of which has a maximum weight of 800 points: this is critical reading (critical reading) , which includes checking the student's ability to analyze texts, in particular, to compare two texts by different authors on a similar topic; writing (writing) - the ability to choose the right means for conveying thoughts, in particular, in 25 minutes you need to write an essay, preferably five paragraphs with an introduction and conclusion; and foundations of mathematics. In addition to tasks with a choice of four possible options, there are also tasks in the SAT that require an answer in free form, and the complexity of the tasks is different. It lasts 3 hours and 45 minutes, and time is rarely superfluous.

Of course, testing for intelligence according to such a system resembles an exercise in solving speed problems and thus allows you to assess only the ability to solve problems that do not require deep thinking, but after all, such problems, in fact, are to be solved in college. By the way, the ability to concentrate for four hours is also an important skill in college. Such an exam is suitable for ranking students for admission to decent, but not the most prestigious universities. It is held many times a year, it can be retaken, however, since 2011 it costs $50 (last year it was $25). In accordance with the future specialty, the requirements of the university for SAT are different depending on the specialty that the applicant has chosen: if you are a future artist, then you may not be interested in the mathematical section at all.

So, the graduate receives two most important documents: a record of the GPA marks and the results of the SAT and / or ACT. The third mandatory component for success at admission is references, and the most important of these is the school profile. The Guidance Counselors who write this profile play a prominent role in school life. They give students advice on behavior at school, the choice of subjects for the year, changes in their personal schedule, but, of course, their main job is to enter universities. Their task is to know students, and there are 50-60 of them per adviser only in the senior class, so they distribute questionnaires to students, communicate with teachers about their wards and simply encourage them to come more often. With the question "Why does my Vasya have a deuce in geometry?" you can go straight to the math teacher, but everything else - to the adviser, there are no class teachers at the school.

When entering, social activities are taken into account - sounds familiar, doesn't it? A system of recommendations is practiced from those places where the applicant worked, for hire or as a volunteer. Individual teachers, as well as out-of-school teachers and coaches of art, ballet, sports, religious schools, studios and clubs can give their recommendation - at the request of the student, of course. All recommendations are sent directly to the admissions office (Admission Office) of the university, the recommended does not see them.

Almost all universities require several recommendations and two or three short essays on a free or given topic upon admission: from the standard “Why our university?” to exotics like “How could you use the ability to write backwards?”. These essays are not entrance exams (although they are practiced in some places), this is additional, in addition to recommendations, material for studying the personality of the applicant.

When selecting students, achievements in any kind of activity, especially competitive ones, are valued. A future chemist who has a diploma of a laureate of a piano competition has an advantage in admission. Why? Because this diploma shows that a person can achieve something, win, and we will teach chemistry. Sports achievements are welcome, but in different universities to a different extent. In some, promising athletes are sought out, invited, and wholly or partly exempt from tuition and accommodation fees. In others, this is a plus, but other things being equal. The system of interviews (interviews) is widely practiced, which are often conducted by former graduates of this university, who live or work near the applicant. There is another scheme: a representative of the selection committee comes to places where there are many applicants and conducts interviews with them at one of the nearby schools.

At the end of the 11th (not the last!) class, the student usually has a list of potential universities for admission agreed with the adviser. There are three approximate gradations in it: at the limit of the possible, your level and the reserve, where they seem to be exactly taken. Usually the list consists of 10-15 titles. More would be nice, because many graduates of 2011 received one or two offers in response to them, some - nothing, but everything has its price: in 2011, each application cost $ 75, plus mailing SAT to each college beyond the first five - more fifteen (results will be accepted only from the organization that conducted the exam).

Colleges are chosen not only on the Internet or the very informative printed guide "Fiske Guide to Colleges", which includes only 300 of the best of them, less than 10% of the total. On holidays and weekends, many parents with children travel around the country, attending open days in the proposed places of future study, in order to see for themselves where the child will live, what to eat, what and how he will be taught.

Mathematicians, chemists, humanities

The trouble with the American school is mathematics. Intimidated by her bogey, teachers introduced “connected math” in high school, which “intelligibly”, that is, according to ready-made formulas, teaches to calculate the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe barn or the perimeter of the fence. Although in high school, it would be a good time to hone your ability to abstract thinking. As a result, children develop not understanding, but fear of the very discipline that is designed to create a simplified, idealized image of complex phenomena in the natural sciences. If at home they understand what is happening and help the child, then you can go a year ahead: get “excellent” in the seventh grade and in the eighth take simple, but at least reasonable algebra instead of Connected math 1. Strict mathematics appears only in geometry for 10- th grade or AR courses in calculus (Calculus).

Computer classes at the school are well equipped, but without luxury. There are two of them in the mathematical department (for geometry and computer science) and two in the art department, where the lessons of architecture and computer graphics and design are held. At the lessons of informatics, they study the programming languages ​​Visual Basic and Java and relational databases.

Natural science subjects are taught at a quite decent level. Compulsory chemistry in high school is the Periodic Law, the structure of the atom, valency and bonds, molar ratios, expression of concentrations. Biochemistry is taken in the course of biology, it includes metabolic cycles, the structure of carbohydrates, protein and DNA. A one-year AP chemistry course in high school includes gas laws, the structure of crystals and solutions, acidity and basicity, redox reactions, the structure of molecules (s- and p-bonds, hybridization, the basics of orbital theory, chirality, isomerism), equilibrium, the Arrhenius equation and kinetics, the beginnings of organic and analytical chemistry. Mastering such a course at school is a serious work, however, the same applies to courses in biology and physics.

In laboratory work, both simple instruments such as electronic balances, burners, pipettes, burettes, and the old reliable Spectronic 20 spectrophotometer, developed back in the late 50s and modified many times, are used. If anyone remembers the Soviet SF-4, then the Spec is even more compact and simpler. The results are averaged: "one experience - no experience."

However, most school graduates choose humanitarian specialties for the future: politics, business, art, psychology, languages, so the humanitarian component of American education is at a very high level. World Literature, Film and Society, the Middle East, Russian History, Macroeconomics, US Government, six levels of Chinese, four Spanish are just a few of the liberal arts courses on offer. From a very early age, students learn the construction of not only sentences, but the entire composition. School essay (essay) in high school in any subject consists of more than just an introduction, discussion and conclusion. The location, purpose and scope of each phrase in it are determined and fixed by repeated practical repetition. In high school for creative writing lessons (there is such a subject of choice), children write one page of free texts daily or a story once a week.

While only two years of foreign language is required in high school, colleges usually require at least three years, and those who intend to enroll are forced to follow this.

French, which began in the 6th grade (Spanish was completely useless in elementary school), the children know well enough to calmly read The Little Prince in the original and ask about the road in Paris. With subjects for aesthetic education (painting, drawing, cinema, dancing, music, drama, etc.) everything is in order here, but we will not talk about them in more detail. Working part-time at the cinema in the summer, my granddaughter now not only tears off ticket stubs or sells popcorn, but paints the windows of the entrance panel with scenes from new films - they taught drawing and painting well, therefore.

Not only lessons

At the end of the school year, in elementary, and in some places in high school, they organize the Strawberry Festival (Strawberry Festival) - a holiday in the school yard with many attractions, lotteries, competitions (what a squeal is when tug-of-war!), prizes, ice cream, hot- great danes. At this time, strawberries really ripen, but these days this has nothing to do with the holiday. Police officers participate in the general entertainment: they measure the speed of throwing a baseball with their radars. One of the teachers is sacrificed: they put it over a transparent box with a target filled with water, and if someone hits the target, the hatch opens and ... the victim has fun with everyone - it's hot.

In middle school and especially in high school, where there are no permanent educational groups, social life separates children into groups, “cliques”. The school has a parent committee, almost all events, except for discos, parents are invited. Entertainment does not obscure learning, but creates a favorable background. School printed magazines publish literary works and drawings of students, usually from homework for advanced courses. The school library subscribes to 140 journals, including some scientific ones. In the halls and corridors, exhibitions of schoolchildren's works replace each other, concerts of school orchestras, sports competitions with other towns are popular, but the central event of the year is the production of a musical, which gathers the whole school; even a basketball game between teachers and students does not attract such an influx of spectators.

As you know, dates in the USA start with a month, so October 23 is celebrated as Mole Day (do not forget - 6.02x10 23, Avogadro's number). On this day, pyrotechnic outrages are arranged in chemistry, and the fire alarm at the school has to be turned off. The number pi is 3.14 with a penny, so March 14 is Pi Day (Pai Day), recommended by the US Congress for celebration throughout the country. Since the word “pie” (pie) sounds exactly the same, on this day, pies are brought to mathematics, of course, in the shape of a circle, preferably homemade. There they are carefully cut, and then there is no more mathematics. Every high school student of physics must build a bridge (for a toy car) with wooden toothpicks and PVA glue 25 cm long and weighing no more than 60 grams. Then, in an atmosphere of general excitement, according to strict rules, they break bridges that have previously passed the qualification minimum of strength. For the strongest bridge, and the good ones can withstand 50 or even 70 kg, they give an award that is mentioned in the application for admission to college.

It's impossible not to admire the typical suburban high school stadiums with full-sized football and baseball fields, tennis courts, running tracks, lighting, and bleachers for hundreds of spectators. It is equally impossible to list all clubs (circles): debating, cinema, chess, philosophical, botanical, ethnic, etc., etc. To create a new club, it is enough to find a teacher who is ready to attend its meetings (this is duties of teachers) and, if necessary, raise or earn money for its operation. Near schools, it's not uncommon to see announcements like "My $5 car to raise funds for the fencing team."

Until the age of 12, children are forbidden to be left alone - they can easily be deprived of parental rights, but from the age of 13 a child has the right to work, and many begin to earn extra money as tutors or looking after small children. It should be noted that the work of older students is the rule rather than the exception. This is both an opportunity to get acquainted with different sides of life (how do you like to groom paths in a national park in Alaska for a month, then a week-long tour of this state?), And a way to earn pocket money. Millionaires don't give them just like that: it's not pedagogical.

In religious and even sanctimonious America, both religion and propaganda of atheism are not allowed in the public school. In general, the intervention of the district in the educational process is a rarity. But here's an example: a provincial school district in Pennsylvania voted for the introduction of creationism in school, in addition to evolutionary theory (more precisely, the so-called intelligent design theory). The stormy protest of educated teachers and parents led to the second "monkey process" - a trial, in which the US Supreme Court had to put an end in 2005.

But at school they teach a tolerant attitude towards all sorts of "otherness", from race to sexual orientation. Asian children in a good school make up about 10-15 percent, African Americans - about two. Racial tensions in a good school are usually not serious. In any case, all races are represented among my granddaughters' friends.

Motivation of schoolchildren

My nimble granddaughter, still in the sixth grade, asked her Chinese girlfriend, an excellent student: “Why work hard for the sake of A (five), what is the difference if there is A with a minus?” "The difference will be in the college you can get into," was the immediate reply.

There is an internal motivation when a person cannot live without knowledge and understanding, even being in conditions that are completely unsuitable for study, like those of Socrates, Lomonosov, our late contemporary, mathematician (and not only, he did a lot for biology) I.M. Gelfand. A similar, albeit not so large-scale, phenomenon is the students of special schools in Russia and America.

External motivation is, first of all, an attitude in the family and the desire to enter a more prestigious college. In the development of such motivation, teachers and peers, friends also play an important role: "Who will you behave with ...". It is external motivation that creates the environment in which students of good schools find themselves. A young middle-class American family has a choice: buy (in installments, of course) a luxurious house in a neighborhood with a mediocre school, or a modest house in a good school area. Those who choose the second option fall into the circle of like-minded neighbors: people who value the education of their children over personal conveniences. In this environment there will be better teachers who receive higher salaries in a good school and work in a normal human atmosphere, there will be peers who have been selected for motivation, if not internally, then at least under the pressure of their families. I don’t see much difference here with Russian good schools, lyceums, gymnasiums, etc.

There are enough people who do not want to study everywhere, the point is the degree of unwillingness. I don't have any quantitative information. I will say this: in a good school, not everyone is eager for knowledge, but it does not happen that someone tries to disrupt the lesson. When half wants to study, and the other does not know what she wants, then study is quite successful. If half of the class actively does not want to do anything, then the units that want to learn have a hard time. It is difficult to expect a child to be highly motivated to study if he eats once a day - at a free lunch at school, since his parents spend everything on drugs or drink. There are cities where children who receive free lunch are the vast majority, even if it is not their only meal of the day.

Conclusion with afterword

I am only talking about my experience and am not trying to convince you that the American school is the best in the world. I started the story by saying that there are absolutely terrible schools and there are probably no less of them than good ones. But I emphasize that next to the school of my granddaughters, there are mixed bad schools, and schools of the same level as theirs. I visited them, talked to my parents, read reviews about them, looked at their ratings. Ours is not exceptional.

The American school system is not perfect, but at its best it meets the needs of today's post-industrial American society. In essence, the choice of training options in it is free only in one direction - where it is more difficult. Whichever is easier is a must. Although one more choice, perhaps, also exists: if you don’t want to study, don’t study (after the 16th birthday). Not all students can fully use the opportunities provided to them, they need a natural minimum of abilities and constant attention, yes, yes, “families and schools”. The best American schools are good, but there is no system that would provide everyone with equal opportunities for development. And where is she, or at least was?

Having finished these tales in the rough, I sat down to read "Chemistry and Life" for June 2011 and found the article "What to teach in chemistry lessons?". It seems to me that my notes are quite consistent with some of the thoughts expressed in it. The humanitarian trend in American school education has already led to the fact that specialists in computer and even some natural sciences and technologies have to be imported. This is easily feasible in the US due to higher wages and better work organization. In the future, Russia does not have such an opportunity to keep the remaining ones, so the school system for it needs a self-sufficient, much more scientifically oriented than in the United States. After all, it is possible to retrain from a techie to a humanist, but in the opposite direction it does not work.

Khutoretsky M.V.
"Chemistry and Life" №10, 2011

School education in America is aimed at instilling in children self-discipline, responsibility, independence of thought and leadership qualities. Teachers help children develop analytical skills, teach them to make decisions on their own, defend their point of view and apply the acquired knowledge in real life. The spirit of freedom is one of the main distinguishing features of American educational institutions.

In the American school, children study for 12 years - from 5-6 to 17-18. Each school determines the age of enrollment of foreign students independently. In some cases, children are accepted from the age of 7, but few parents are ready to send a child abroad at this age. Therefore, as a rule, children of middle (13–14 years old) or older (16 years old) school age come.

The structure of secondary education in the USA

Academic year:

5 days a week, 6-8 hours with a lunch break

Vacation:

4 days in November for Thanksgiving

3rd week of February

1st week of April

2 months in summer

The American school system has three main levels. Each step is a completely independent institution, which is located in a separate building. In the elementary grades, children study compulsory disciplines; in the middle grades, several elective subjects are added to them. In high school, children can choose the disciplines that will be needed when entering the university. There are no class teachers, as well as classes, in American schools, but each student has a curator who gives recommendations on the choice of subjects, schedule, career guidance and admission to universities.

Elementary School

5–11 years old (grades 0–5)

In the structure of an elementary school, depending on the state, there may be 5 or 6 classes, starting with preparatory. Children from the age of 5 are admitted to the zero (preparatory) class. Students from other countries may enroll in elementary school if the child lives in the US with parents or guardians.

For the first two years in an American elementary school, there is no strict discipline and no serious academicism: children can walk around the classroom, sit on the floor, read bright books and talk while sitting in a circle on the floor. Assignments are offered in free form. For example, after a walk, the kids are asked to draw what they saw green; older children can write a mini-essay about a beetle that crawled on a tree in the school yard. By the fifth grade, children move to single desks, and the lessons become more structured.

In elementary school, the main subjects - writing, reading, the basics of mathematics and the world around us - are taught by one teacher, and other teachers take children to creative, music and sports lessons.

Middle School

11–14 years old (grades 6–8)

In secondary school, each subject has its own teacher, and students have a certain freedom in choosing subjects.

Mathematics, English, natural sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, geology, astronomy - science), history, physical education and creativity remain compulsory disciplines. Students choose 1-2 subjects at their discretion. Most often it is computer technology, cooking, a foreign language or art.

Also, in the middle link, it becomes possible to choose a more complex program in the subject. To do this, you need to get an excellent mark on it in the previous year. From the 7th grade, you can take an increased level of complexity of mathematics and English. In the 8th grade - also natural and social sciences. In the classes of increased complexity, a more intensive program with complex tasks and a large amount of information for self-study.

In addition, a credit system is being introduced in secondary schools. For the study of 1 subject for 1 year, 5 credits are given, for disciplines that last 1 semester - 2.5 credits. These indicators are then taken into account when entering a university.

High School

14–18 years old (grades 9–12)

In high school, students are given greater freedom in choosing subjects and their level of study.

Required blocks:

2 years of mathematics;

4 years of English;

2 years of natural sciences (with laboratory work);

3 years of social sciences;

1 year of physical education;

1 year art course.

Each discipline includes a number of sub-disciplines that a student can take individually or in a complex way: for example, mathematics includes courses in geometry, algebra, trigonometry, principles of analysis, statistics and other sections; the social science group includes US history, world history, political science, psychology, sociology, etc.

Also, the guys choose extracurricular activities:

• foreign languages;

  basics of a healthy lifestyle;

  basics of doing business;

  oratory and others.

In high school, students take tests for admission to universities or colleges (SAT or ACT - tests that test general knowledge in mathematics, language, logic and critical thinking).

Advanced Placement (AP)

Starting from grade 9, some subjects can be studied deeper - at the AP level. Most often, the guys choose the disciplines in which they will specialize at the university.

There are 38 subjects taught at the AP level in the USA. Among them:

art history;

macroeconomics;

microeconomics;

psychology;

music theory;

Latin language;

programming;

Eastern and European cultures.

The results of the AP preparation give advantages in admission to 90% of universities in the USA, Canada and more than 50 countries. However, for this, the mark for the exams in the selected AP subjects must be higher than 3.5 out of 5.

In 2014, a new program with a focus on research activities appeared - AP Capstone. It consists of two courses: seminars (AP Seminar) and research (AP Research).

The most prestigious universities do not consider certificates with a GPA below 4.25, and this score cannot be obtained without advanced AP courses.

Types of American Schools

Most children in America receive secondary education in free public schools (public school), there are also paid private schools (private school), about 3% of students remain at homeschooling (homeschooling). Only children with U.S. citizenship or U.S. residency can attend public high schools. Only private schools have special accreditation and can accept foreign students.

Private schools are divided into:

boarding schools;

• parochial.

Also, private schools can be coeducational or separate - for girls and boys.

From the point of view of socialization, preference is given to joint schools (they are chosen by 76% of parents). Here, children learn to trust members of the opposite sex and work with them as a team, which is important for future university studies and work.

However, students of separate schools show higher academic results. According to statistics, they are less distracted and spend more time on independent work, which affects the results of their studies (81% of children receive above average scores - against 75% in coeducational schools). In boarding schools for girls, the main emphasis is on the humanities and arts, in schools for boys - on discipline, exact sciences and sports.

Features of US private schools

Private schools make up about 25% of all US secondary schools. Most of them are small, up to 400 students. Almost all are boarding houses that provide students with not only education, but also accommodation throughout the school year.

The advantages of American boarding schools are many:

location in a picturesque area;

high level of student safety;

comfortable living conditions;

quality food;

developed infrastructure (laboratories, sports complexes, theaters);

modern technologies and innovative equipment.

But the main advantage is the high level of education. According to statistics, the average SAT score of private school graduates is higher than that of public school graduates (1645 versus 1453 points in 2016). In addition to studying the basic subjects, an important place is given to sports and creativity, cultural education and the development of the child as a person.

Many private schools focus on one direction: for example, in Fairmont Private Schools, special attention is paid to the study of technical and natural sciences; Idyllwild Arts Academy enrolls children who dream of a future in the arts and media.

How are the lessons in the American high school

A typical class in the US is a lively lecture where the teacher asks a question and engages the students in a discussion. Children are taught to independently seek solutions through discussions and disputes, to critically evaluate historical events.

Collaboration is regarded as one of the most important skills for a future career, so often students work in groups on projects and in the classroom. In computer science classes, for example, teamwork is the main condition: during the year, a group of students of 3–6 people can work on creating a simple application for smartphones. The teacher will always help if something does not work out, or advise you to contact the guys from another group with a similar project to jointly find a solution.

Much attention is paid to the physical education and health of children in the school. Each school has an infrastructure that allows you to practice a huge number of sports: from tennis to horse riding. Students choose their favorite sport and practice it 4 days a week. Each semester, you can choose a new sport. The guys are part of the school team at regional and national championships.

How performance is assessed

Oral questioning in an American school is a rarity. All homework is done in writing and submitted in class or through a personal account in electronic form. Sometimes students carry out large projects: for example, they invent and stage performances in a foreign language, prepare arguments for debates on sensitive topics (ecology, foreign policy, medicine, sociology). Often, as a final task on a topic, children make a presentation (for example, on the periodic table).

There are no exams in elementary school. They appear towards the end of high school, and in high school they take place every six months.

The exam usually lasts 90 minutes. Most of the tasks are multiple choice tasks. There are no special days for preparing for exams, and the exams themselves go on for several days in a row.

For tests, tests, projects and exams, students receive marks A, B, C, D and F with the addition of minuses and pluses. For example, if a student solved 95% of the tasks, then he will be given A, 90-92% - A-; for 60% of correct answers - D- (satisfactory, pass), and less - F (unsatisfactory, fail).

In most schools, marks are posted in an electronic journal that only the student and his parents have access to.

Cost of education

The cost of secondary education in the United States depends on the ranking of the school, state, prestige, history. On average, a year of study costs from $ 40,000 to $ 70,000. This amount includes not only tuition, accommodation and meals, but also extracurricular activities and clubs, study materials, English courses for foreigners and preparation for final exams.

Help from experts

To understand all the nuances of school education in America, contact the experts. IQ Consultancy experts with 17 years of experience in the field of foreign education will tell you how to choose a private school and what you need for admission. Specialists will help to draw up documents, will accompany your child at all stages and resolve issues that arise in the process.

The system of secondary education in the United States is significantly different from the way we are used to. So in the country there is no single state standard of education, just as there is no single curriculum. All this is set at the state level. Speaking of how many classes there are in America, often children study for 12 years. Moreover, training does not begin with the first grade, but with zero. It is worth noting that studying at such schools is available not only to American citizens. To date, there are special exchange programs that allow Russian children to study in both public and private American schools.

The school system in the United States

The United States has a nationwide education system. Most of the schools in the country are public, although there are private institutions. All public schools are free, they are funded and controlled by three levels at once: federal authorities, state authorities and local authorities. 90% of schoolchildren study in state educational institutions. Private schools in the United States, for the most part, provide a fairly high level of education, but education there is quite expensive.

In addition, some parents prefer to homeschool their children. Refusal of education often happens for religious reasons, when parents do not want their child to be taught theories with which they personally do not agree (this applies mainly to the theory of evolution) or want to protect children from possible violence.

For historical reasons, educational norms are not enshrined in the US Constitution. It is assumed that this issue must be regulated at the level of individual states. Also, the United States does not provide for strict state standards of education and curricula. All of them are also installed locally.

School education in the United States is divided into 3 levels: elementary, middle and high school. Moreover, the school of each level is a completely independent institution. Often they are housed in separate buildings and have their own teaching teams.

The length and age at which training begins may vary from state to state. Usually, children start studying at the age of 5-8 years and finish at the age of 18-19, respectively. Moreover, at first they do not go to first class, but to zero (kindergarten), although in some states it is not mandatory. In the USA, preparation for school is like in this class. Children are taught to live in a new team, methods and ways of conducting classes over the next years of study. Often, the education of children in the United States takes place in the form of an open dialogue or a kind of game. Although the zero grade is considered preparatory, the children are given a strict schedule. True, homework is not yet assigned.

Primary School

Elementary school in the United States lasts from the first to the fifth grade. During this period, most school subjects, with the exception of fine arts, physical education and music, are taught by one teacher. At this level, children learn writing, reading, arithmetic, natural and social sciences.

Important: Already at this stage, all children are divided according to their abilities. This is one of the characteristic features of American schools. Before starting school, children take an IQ test. On its basis, children are divided into groups. Starting from the third grade, all students are tested annually. In general, all learning outcomes in the states are traditionally checked in the form of testing.

Depending on the performance of the student, they can be transferred to a class for gifted students, where subjects are studied more widely and set more homework, or vice versa, a class for lagging behind, where there are fewer tasks, and the course is easier.

secondary school

US high schools are engaged in teaching children from 6th to 8th grades. At this level, each subject is taught by different teachers. At the same time, there are compulsory subjects and classes of choice. The compulsory ones include English, mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences and physical education. Speaking of electives, really good schools have a ton of specialty courses of all kinds. Moreover, many of them are taught almost at the university level. The choice of foreign languages ​​may vary, but often there are: French, Spanish, Latin, German, Italian and Chinese.

Important: In an American school, all students are assigned to new classes every year. So every next year children study in a new team.

Old school

The last stage of secondary education in the United States is high school. It runs from 9th to 12th grade.

Important: At this stage, the classes we are used to are completely absent. Here, each student is already engaged in an individual program chosen by him. Every morning, the total attendance is checked, after which the children disperse to the classes they need.

In high school in the United States, students get much more freedom in choosing classes to study. So there is a certain list of subjects that children are required to learn in order to receive a certificate. All other activities they can choose on their own.

Important: If you successfully pass additional subjects at school, the student will not have to study them in college, where he will have to pay for each course taken.

Speaking of compulsory subjects, they are set by the school board. This council develops the school curriculum, hires teachers and determines the necessary funding.

In addition, many well-known universities put forward their own requirements for subjects that each applicant must study.

The table below shows the US school system.

Popular educational institutions

The popularity of an educational institution is determined by its rating. The school rating is calculated based on the results of the final exams and is publicly available.

So some of the best US schools are institutions such as Stuyvesant, Brooklyn-Tech, Bronx-Science High Schools, Mark Twain, Boody David, Bay Academy Junior High Schools.

How to get to school in the USA

For a Russian student, there are two options to get to school in America:

Age restrictions

Depending on which school the student is studying in, there are some age restrictions. So in the case of the exchange program, free schools in the United States accept mainly high school students (grades 9-11). In the case of a private institution, the child can enter any class corresponding to his age.

Benefits of teaching children in the USA

Speaking about the benefits of teaching children in foreign schools, this is not only an increase in the level of English proficiency. In American schools, a huge number of both compulsory and additional subjects are taught. Naturally, the number of disciplines studied and the quality of teaching directly depend on the rating of the school. If the child was lucky enough to enter a good or even very good institution, then all subjects will be taught at a fairly high level. In addition, in American schools, all kinds of field trips to nature reserves, museums, memorable places, or even other countries are quite often like. Plus, in the States, a rather serious attitude towards sports.

Important: many famous universities of the country are actively inviting strong athletes. Sometimes they even forgive some omissions in their studies.

And most importantly, studying abroad teaches the child independence. In American educational institutions, children are constantly faced with a choice, whether it be answers in tests or subjects to be studied. Schools in the United States initially orientate and prepare children for their future profession. In addition, for any child to study in another country is an opportunity to test their own strengths and capabilities. The competition among American schoolchildren is quite large, so the student needs not only to be smart, but also talented, to be able to show their positive sides and adapt quickly.

In addition to the above, studying in the USA allows you to:

• Prepare the child for education in the most eminent universities in the country;
• An American school diploma is the basis for continuing education in any state;
• High school students can draw up an individual training plan that meets the requirements of the university they are interested in;
• Each student can independently choose the level of difficulty of studying each subject.

Difficulties in teaching children in American schools

The first difficulty that new students will have to face is the strict rules of the institution. All school life in the States is subject to strict regulation. All school rules are communicated to each student. For their violation, the child may be given an appropriate punishment or even excluded.

The next difficulty concerns understanding the structure of the educational process - on what basis it is necessary to select additional subjects, how to determine the required level of complexity.

The grading system in America can cause no less difficulty.

So American schoolchildren are engaged on a 100 point scale. In this case, the points also have letter designations. In general, the grading scale in the states is as follows:

Importance of knowing the language

Knowledge of English is, if not decisive, then very important. For admission to both public and private schools, any student will have to take a language proficiency test, an interview, may be required to provide a recommendation from an English teacher from a previous school or a report card from the last few years. Depending on the class of the institution, the rules for admission may vary.

If the child is not fluent enough in the language, he can be placed in a preparatory class, where he will actively fill in the language gaps. Such classes can take place as a separate course for 2-4 months or go in parallel with the general program.

The documents

To enter a school in the United States, the child will need the following documents:

1. English test results and interview results;
2. Visa confirming the right to stay in the country;
3. A translated certificate of vaccinations and the last medical examination;
4. Sometimes translated report cards or an extract with current scores and grades for the last 1-3 years may be required.