In the last article we got acquainted with. This article will tell you about secondary education in the States. Namely, what documents are needed, what methods exist to get into such a school and much more, read below.
General information
The academic year in an American school is divided into two semesters. A school day can last up to 6 hours, including a lunch break, each lesson lasts 25 minutes (one module or block).
The school day lasts until 14:40, and begins differently for each school (more on this below).
A child can get to school either with the help of a free school bus or with a student brought by his parents.
Holidays such as Christmas or Easter, as well as summer holidays, children spend at home.
American schools pay enough attention to physical development, so students have the opportunity to additionally engage in swimming, basketball, tennis, golf, etc. Competitions between city and regional schools are required.
During the entire period of study, schools are required to host extensive cultural events and programs.
For an additional fee, there are “extended hours” where your child will be played educational games or helped with homework.
There are always police officers on duty at the school before the start of the school day and at the end. Additionally, in the mornings and at the end of the school day, school staff go to intersections and, as traffic controllers, help students cross the road.
Choose a school you can based on her rating, which is in open access, and it is determined based on the students’ results at the end of school.
Documents for admission:
- Visa;
- Medical certificate in English (translated), as well as information about the last medical examination;
- Results of English testing and interviews;
- Some schools may also require a transcript or report card with grades for the last 1-3 years, as well as a recommendation from an English teacher.
Knowledge of English
Any student, upon admission to either a private or a municipal school, must pass an English language test. If a child does not speak the language well, he may be transferred to a preparatory class, in which such gaps will be actively made up.
Structure:
Depending on the state, school programs may differ from each other because there is no uniform curriculum in America. By the way, all schools are located separately from each other.
After graduating from grades 9, 10, 11, the student has the right to go to a technical school, thus, in addition to general education program, the teenager already has the opportunity to get a specialty (designer, teacher in preschool institution, electromechanics, etc.)
- Zero grade (preschool kindergarten). Age 5-6 years.
- Primary school(Primery or Elementary School). Grades 1 to 5, ages 6-11 years. Lessons start at 08:40.
Before we start academic year, all children take an IQ test. Based on this test, children are divided into several groups depending on their abilities. Upon reaching third grade, each child is tested annually. There are classes for children with better academic performance, where subjects are studied in more depth and vice versa. Until the fifth grade, children are allowed to move around the classroom, or even conduct a circle under open air, and then they ask you to write an essay about a leaf from a tree or a beetle on a tree. Actually, this approach is one of the differences between American schools.
Most subjects are taught by one teacher, with the exception of fine arts, music and physical education. As a rule, writing, reading, natural and social sciences, and arithmetic are studied.
- Averageschool(Middle School orJunior High). Grades 6 to 8, ages 11-12 to 14 years. Lessons start at 08:00.
By the fifth grade, all children sit at single desks, and lessons already look familiar to us. In American schools there are compulsory subjects (mathematics, English language, subjects of the scientific and natural cycle, physical education, social studies and art studies) and elective subjects (each school has different elective subjects, for example, journalism, theater arts, rhetoric). Each subject is taught by a separate teacher.
By the way, every year, children are assigned to new classes, so each subsequent year, students study in a new group.
- High School. Classes from 9 to 12 grades, age from 15 to 18 years. Lessons start at 07:30.
Students are given even more freedom to choose what subjects to study. Thus, each student studies according to a program chosen by him. That is, the total attendance is checked every morning, after which the students go to the required classes.
Also, high school students can choose additional subjects in an in-depth course.
But in order for a student to be awarded a certificate of completion, there is a certain list of subjects that he must learn and successfully pass.
By the way, in college, as you know, you have to pay for each course you take. But not everyone knows that some subjects studied in school can be the same in college. Therefore, a student can pass such additional subjects with excellent marks after graduating from school and no longer study them in college in the future.
Schoolchildren study on a 100-point scale, where points have letter values, namely:
How to get to school
There are three ways to enroll in an American school:
- Private school.
Most private schools accept foreign students without any problems. In order to get into such a school, it is enough to contact the school yourself to find out all the details, or contact a private office (intermediary). The approximate cost per year can range from $10,000 (depending on the state and the school itself).
- Exchange program.
Selection for such a program is usually carried out in several stages: written exam, testing and interview. In addition to language knowledge, adaptability is also taken into account during such a competition. After successful selection, the student is given the opportunity to live in an American family and study in a public school.
Absolutely all American youth films show us heavenly learning conditions in their schools. It’s as if the lessons there are more like entertainment, the interior of the classrooms in schools resembles a home environment, and the student has the right to snack on a hamburger right in class. But is this really so?
September 1 - the student himself chooses the subjects he wants to study
Before the new school year begins in American schools, students are asked to independently choose the subjects they want to study for the first semester. Approval is given by the school director based on how many children have already enrolled in a particular class. As a rule, American schools require the study of four compulsory subjects: mathematics, English, history and science (chemistry, physics, zoology, biology, etc.). Next, the student is provided with a list of 50 subjects, three of which must be selected in addition to the required ones.
IN Russian schools Oh, there is no such freedom - children study the disciplines that the Ministry of Education has developed for them. Thus, American children have a clear advantage over their Russian peers - they are unlikely to get bored with the subjects that they themselves chose to study. While Russian schoolchildren literally sleep in their least favorite lessons.
Difficulty levels of subjects in American schools
All American high school students must pass 4 levels of difficulty according to compulsory subjects. For example, in the 9th grade they can study English at the first level, in the 10th grade - the second level, in the 11th grade - the third level, and in the 12th grade they can complete the study of the subject.
In Russia, everything is different - the complexity of the subject increases gradually, throughout all 11 years of study.
Uniforms in American schools
American children are completely freed from the obligation to go to school exclusively in uniform. “The main thing is for students to feel comfortable,” teachers say. There are, of course, exceptions in some states. But mostly school uniform optional.
In our schools it's the other way around. The Ministry of Education recalls with affection the USSR, when a student stood out in the crowd, but was not visible in the classrooms financial situation each of the students. That is why uniforms have returned to Russian schools. Seeing a student in loose-fitting clothes in a Russian school, the minimum that threatens him is an entry in a diary. Basically already on the threshold educational institution the children are sent to change clothes and put themselves in school appearance.
Student and school administration
In American schools, the relationship between teacher and student is strikingly different. Unlike Russian schools, in America a student can easily talk with the director or teacher about show business, discuss politics or talk about personal topics. The school principal's door is always open to any student. Americans are sure that the smaller the line between student and teacher, the better the mutual understanding.In Russia, they take the concept of subordination too seriously and you shouldn’t even count on friendship with the teacher.
When to go home?
Unlike Russian schoolchildren American children, who are counting the minutes until the bell rings, are in no hurry to go home. Why? At school, all conditions have been created for them that allow them to communicate with their friends, develop as individuals, and engage in hobbies.
All American schools have their own small theaters, sports and music clubs, well-groomed school grounds with lawns and everything necessary for picnics. All this is aimed at ensuring that school becomes a favorite place for children, and that lessons do not turn into torture.
In Russia, in this regard, everything is not so rosy and it is not at all due to the lack of theaters and sections. By the way, they are in all schools. The matter most likely has to do with the mentality of Russian children. It’s customary to go straight home after school in order to have time to do numerous homework and pack a heavy backpack for tomorrow.
The result: in America, schoolchildren have more freedom, which Russian children can only dream of.
When in 1990, Sasha Zueva’s parents told her that she would have to go with them to the USA, she burst into tears: she really didn’t want to part with her classmates. Now Sasha, who recently turned 17, lives in New York, studies at a private American school and communicates with new friends. She comes to Russia only for the summer holidays. On her last visit to Moscow, Sasha told the “i” correspondent how she lives and studies in America.
Seven years ago, my dad was offered to work in the USA, at UNISEF - the World Children's Fund.
I had a good time in Moscow, and besides, I didn’t know English. But - let's go.
In August we flew to New York, and in September we had to go to school. My parents said that the American school was better than the Russian school at the embassy, because there I could learn the language.
And I was accepted into a public American school not far from home. I ended up in a class where there was not a single Russian. I sat in class in silence for two weeks - I didn’t understand anything. Then I was transferred to a lower class; there were three Russians there. The parents decided that it was more important to understand the language than mathematics.
At first I didn’t do any tasks: I just copied words from the book and drew pictures for them. AND whole year I went to a tutor who “taught” me grammar. Gradually I began to read and talk, and after a year I understood everything without difficulty and did my homework myself.
The school was not very strong - not enough good teachers. Almost all lessons we sat in the same class, and did not move from one office to another, as in Moscow. And the classes were taught by the same teacher. When we came to class, we didn’t even know what the lesson would be - until she, for example, said: “Well, let’s do math.” It’s good that we didn’t have to carry textbooks with us to school - we left them in our desks.
So I studied for two years - fourth and fifth grade (at the same time I finished sixth grade as an external student at the Russian school at the embassy).
The fifth grade was the last at this school, and my parents began to think about where I should study next. Our friends advised us to choose a private school.
There are three good private schools in our area. In one there were many Russians, in the second there was a very developed atmosphere of competition. Neither of these suited me. I liked the third one - Fieldston School, where they sent me. But to be honest, my parents were not very interested in my opinion, it’s just that in this case our views coincided.
To transfer from public school to a decent private one, you need to have good grades, references from your previous school, and also pass a test in English and mathematics. All this needs to be done in January-February, since the results are already announced in March.
They wanted to put me in 6th grade, but I protested - I was tired of being the oldest in the class. Then I was enrolled in the sixth grade of the embassy school and accepted into the seventh.
Fieldston School is an expensive school, but it has a fund from which some students pay part of their education - based on exam results. And I wouldn’t say that only children of rich parents study there. There are kids at school from absolutely terrible areas. Teachers try to make everyone friends so that social differences are not noticeable.
But still the poor are friends with the poor, and the rich with the rich. I'm friends with average people.
At first I was a little shy of everyone. I was embarrassed by the fact that many schoolchildren live in their own houses, and I live in an apartment. And when I went to school for the first time, I was very afraid that I would be poorly received. I thought there were only millionaires there who only know how to turn up their noses. But everyone turned out to be very friendly. I remember during lunch I went into the dining room, and although I didn’t know anyone there, all the guys waved their hands at me: “Come to us!”
Later I learned that many schoolchildren - including children of wealthy parents - work part-time in restaurants, in companies - wherever they can.
The school was very large: 720 people! Each class has 100-120 people, this is, in fact, something like a course or stream at a university.
Each student has his own schedule - depending on what you want to do. Therefore, in English I sit with some guys, and, for example, in mathematics - with completely different ones. And every year the class composition and teachers change.
In the 7th and 8th grades, it is mandatory to go to mathematics, biology, and physical education - as many as five times a week. In different quarters it was necessary to take drawing, dancing, acting and ethics. And you could choose from two languages out of four - Spanish, Russian, French or Latin. I chose the last two.
For some reason, it seems to me that languages are taught rather poorly in the USA - Americans have no vital need to know a foreign language, because there are few countries nearby where they speak other languages. The only popular foreign language in New York and in the USA in general - Spanish.
At my school in America - than older class, the more freedom. If in the seventh and eighth grades there are almost no elective subjects, then in the ninth you can choose, for example, between natural history and biology.
The tenth offers a choice of chemistry or physics. And in the eleventh year I decided to study biology at the university level. Every school has these “advanced” courses - and the grade you get for them in the exam at school is counted at the university as the current exam mark for the first or second year.
From first to last year Mathematics is a compulsory subject in my school. And also English: it includes different courses in literature and history. For example, throughout the tenth grade we studied American literature, and in the eleventh grade we chose between Japanese, Latin American, Russian and others. I took European literature of the twentieth century. I read (naturally, in English) one book each by five writers: Kafka, then another writer from Czechoslovakia - Kander; Flaubert, Camille, but I don’t remember the fifth. Of course, I didn’t take Russian literature - why am I going to read Russian books in English?
At our school classes last 50 minutes. Lessons start at 8.30 and end at half past two at the earliest. Studying, I must say, is intense, but we often relax - in addition to vacations, there are also American national and Jewish holidays (there are many Jews at Fieldston School, and if they do not go to school, then there is almost no one to conduct classes with).
I also like that in America students are not called to the blackboard. You don’t have to do your homework either, but it will come up on test work. It is very important for a teacher how you participate in class discussions.
At the end of the quarter, teachers write feedback about students. They usually write about me: “Sasha is a quiet girl, she hardly participates in discussions”... But they don’t ask me themselves - they don’t want to embarrass me: you never know, or maybe I don’t like speaking?
In general, the atmosphere is democratic, although it cannot be said that there is no discipline at all. I remember how surprised I was when I went to the school cafeteria with my class for the first time. The class is lined up in two lines, with the teacher leading the procession. In front of the stairs he commands like a general: “Stop!” - and everyone stops. Then he says: “Forward!” - and everyone goes smoothly. And in Moscow, as soon as the bell rang for recess, we ran to the dining room like crazy, in a crowd.
And of course, students in America are never rude to teachers. And if the teacher leaves the class during a test, no one even thinks about cheating!
There are things that are strictly prohibited. Recently, two sixth-graders were expelled from our school because they were standing outside the school and smoking weed. And two more 11th grade students who came to class stoned. Now they will not receive a diploma - and this is a tragedy. But almost all the kids there smoke cigarettes - starting from the age of 12. It’s even strange: children in America smoke, but adults don’t. I don't smoke out of principle.
My friends and I (I have four of them - a Ukrainian, a Belarusian and two Americans) have fun in a different way. We go to visit each other, sometimes we go to Manhattan. Our parents let us go - they know that we won’t go to a dangerous place.
We often go to the movies: cinemas in America are better than in Russia, but the ticket is more expensive - $8. We have dinner in restaurants, go to discos. From there we get home by taxi. On public transport I don't like traveling, especially the subway - it's terrible in New York.
There are almost no events held at school that would bring everyone together. But boys are still friends with girls. And in our school I noticed a strange phenomenon - 12th grade boys often court girls from the 9th grade. Everyone condemns this: it’s clear what the big boy wants from the little girl.
Although in the USA, as in Russia, boys lag behind girls in development. American boys are also less courageous than Russians, and even lack initiative. They wait for the girls to start showing them signs of attention. And they do. It's not customary to write love notes, but you can always show a person that you like him...
As for me, I have no time for my personal life now: this fall I am going to the twelfth grade. And at the beginning of the last school year, American schoolchildren take a general exam - mathematics and English, and its results can be sent to universities (according to the rules, a student has the right to send them to 7 universities of his choice). You can also take tests in other subjects. I'll see which subjects I have the best results in and send them to universities.
Along with the test results, you need to submit an essay on a topic given by the university. For example: “If you could meet one of three people - from the past, present or future - who would you choose and what would you talk to them about?” Or: "What do you think about the upcoming presidential election?"
I don’t want to go to Harvard - I was there on an excursion, and I didn’t really like the students. Too smart and ambitious. But just in case, I’ll submit documents there - I want to work in Russia, so it’s better to graduate from a university that people in Russia have heard about.
At first I wanted to become a doctor. But then I realized that I was more interested in working with the people themselves, and not with their insides. My dream is to work as a psychiatrist in prison, to help people who have been abandoned by everyone.
Actually, I can change my mind a hundred times: at US universities you choose a specialization only in the third year. Or, in general, I can study mathematics for all 4 years at the university, and then take it and go to medical school.
I'm still only seventeen years old. Let's see how life turns out.
Alexandra ZUEVA
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 American schools? How many classes are there in American schools?
Children go to school in America for only 13 years (from 5 to 18 years old).
School in America is divided into 3 different schools:
Elementary school: from 0 to 4 grades (5 years)
Middle school: from 5th to 8th grade (4 years)
Senior classes (High School): from grades 9 to 12 (4 years).
All three schools are located in different buildings. My youngest son This year I went to 3rd grade at Elementary school, and the eldest went to 10th grade at High School.
2) In Russia you can study 9th or 11th grade, is there something similar in the USA?
Yes, there is something similar. After grades 8, 9, 10 or 11, a teenager can go to study at a technical school, where at the same time general education can obtain any useful specialty, for example:
Engineer,
Electromechanic,
Teacher at a preschool institution,
Landscape designer,
Telecommunications specialist
Marketing Specialist,
and others.
3) What subjects are there in American schools that are not taught in Russia?
My eldest son is in 10th grade. Here are the subjects he is taking this year (5 compulsory and one optional).
Required subjects in 10th grade:
2. Algebra
3. Chemistry
5. American Studies. They have this instead of history (history ancient world and other states were 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 classic photography, not digital, where photographs are processed according to all the rules: developer, fixer, clothespins, etc.). His works are very creative, especially black and white.
Compulsory subjects in 9th grade were:
1. English (as native language)
2. Social science(Social Studies) includes World History 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 grade 9, teenagers are asked to choose their level of study in each subject. The teenager and his parents, together with teachers, choose the level of study that best suits the teenager's interests and abilities in a given area.
Each subject has 3 levels, and each teacher has 3 groups of students:
Level 1 (the easiest): College Preparation class - Preparation class for college (university)
Level 2 (more difficult): Honors class - Excellent class
Level 3 (the most difficult): Advanced Placement class - Class of increased difficulty
All children have different interests and different abilities. So someone might take English or algebra in a Tier 3 class and chemistry or physics in a Tier 1 class.
Level 2 and 3 classes cover the same material as Level 1 classes, but in more depth and their curriculum focuses on developing independent thinking and creative ideas. The class size is slightly smaller than a 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 (this is something like the Russian EG).
The test is the same for everyone, and in order to pass it, you need to know the compulsory syllabus, so a student who did well in Level 1 can pass this test with flying colors. And those who studied in Levels 2 and 3 classes, if they pass the test well, will receive in addition the note “graduated with Honors” (“graduated the course with honors”), and this is a big plus upon admission! And the more of these “differences” in each subject, the better.
IN elementary school training is organized more easily. 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. During the day they have many short breaks, as well as two long breaks, one of which is for lunch.
Lunch can be purchased at school or brought with you.
5) Chow many lessons per day?
Lessons consist of modules (blocks) of 25 minutes each.
Because all high school students attend classes at different levels, each teen has a different schedule than other students.
Here is a typical day for my tenth grade son:
Algebra: 3 modules of 25 min.
Studying America: 2 modules of 25 min.
Break: 3 modules of 25 min.
Photography: 2 modules of 25 min.
Break: 1 module of 25 minutes.
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 primary schools, the school day lasts from 8.40 to 14.40.
In secondary school - from 8.00 to 14.40.
In high school - from 7.30 to 14.40
Many children travel to and from school by school bus, the route of which takes into account the children's residence in a given town.
Many parents bring their children to school and pick them up by car. If parents cannot pick up a child after school, he can, for an additional fee, attend an extended day group at school, where teachers will work with him, play educational games, do crafts and help him with his homework.
Every morning, when children go to school, traffic controllers in yellow vests stand at several intersections located near each school, stopping vehicles to allow children to cross the road safely. Traffic controllers are not police officers, they work at the school.
When children arrive at school and when they go home, police are stationed outside the school to monitor the safety of children and to prevent undesirable individuals from approaching schools who may pose a threat to children.
I apologize for the quality of the photos. Teachers don't like people taking pictures at school (you need to get special permission to do this), so I had to secretly take pictures with my mobile phone.
According to many studies, they are recognized as one of the most adapted to real life. By the time they complete secondary education, most students, in addition to a good base of theoretical knowledge, also have practical skills necessary in life.
How do they study in American schools?
It is worth noting that secondary education in the United States differs slightly from state to state, however general scheme remains unchanged and consists of the following stages:
Primary education(Elementary school) - the first stage of education begins at the age of 5-6 and lasts from zero to fourth grade inclusive. Here children are taught writing, arithmetic, and reading. Also, all subjects at this stage, except physical education, fine arts and music, are usually taught by one teacher. Having reached the age of 10-11 years, the student moves on;
Secondary education (Middle school) - the second stage of education begins in the 5th grade and ends in the 8th grade. Once in the middle classes, the child can already study not only basic subjects - mathematics, English, natural sciences, social studies, arts - but also additional ones of his own choice. For example, theatrical art, journalism, rhetoric.
