Secondary Education in the USA
By Brain Agnew
HIGHER EDUCATION
Postgraduate studies
26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18
Graduate studies Technical Institute
SECONDARY EDUCATION
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION
17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
age
Private Career School
4 – YEAR HIGH SCHOOL
Junior College
Undergraduate studies
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
ELEMENTARY
Doctor’s Degree (e.g. Ph.D) Master’s Degree (e.g. M.A., M.S.) Bachelor’s Degree (e.g. B.A., B.S.)
SCHOOL
12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA
KINDERGARTEN NURSERY SCHOOL
(Grade =School Year)
There are: State public schools Private schools
Private schools are fee-paying A small minority of private schools are prestigious non-religious institutions, but the vast majority of them are operated by religious organizations.
Seward School
State public schools are free Each state has its own system of public schools.
General public school education High school (from 9th up to 12th grades )
Middle school (junior high school/intermediate school) (from 5th up to 9th grade )
Primary education/elementary school (to 6th grade)
Elementary education Begins at the age of six or seven, when a child goes to the first grade (form).
The programme includes:
English Arithmetic Geography History of the USA
Natural sciences Physical Training Singing Drawing wood or metal work etc. Sometimes they learn a foreign language and general history.
Middle school • students begin to enroll in class schedules where they take classes from several teachers in a given day;
• typically offer only elective courses for physical education, organized group sports, and for music education
High school • usually runs either from grades 9-12 or from grades 10-12
• students obtain much more control of their education, and may choose even their core classes (electives)
Basic curricular structure Required subjects in the United States: • Science (normally biology, chemistry and physics); • Mathematics (normally including algebra, geometry, algebra II); • English (including literature, humanities, etc); • Social Science (including various history, economics courses); • Physical education Many states require a "health" course (anatomy, nutrition, first aid, sexuality, and birth control ) and anti-drug use programs. Many high schools offer a wide variety of Elective courses
Electives Common types of electives include: Visual arts (drawing, sculpture, painting, photography) Performing arts (choir, orchestra, dance, film acting) Vocational education (woodworking, automobile repair) Computer science/business education Journalism/publishing (school newspaper, yearbook) Foreign languages Family and consumer science/health ("home economics“) Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps Some American high schools offer drivers' education.
By the end of Grade 10, students decid whether they will follow: • a primarily academic program leading to further education at the college level, • a vocational training program leading to employment or specialized post-secondary training, or
• a general program combining elements of both the academic and the vocational program.
Sources www.langues.ru www.en.wikipedia.com www.wes.org www.znanie.ru
THE END