Do you need a High School Diploma to understand how the
US Education system works? No, not with our free helpful guide.
From nursery school to college - how American education
works
The US Education system is very different from that which us
Europeans are more used to. There is no such thing as a National
Curriculum for example and individual schools and colleges are
controlled by their boards rather than by central government. This,
perhaps, accounts for some of the confusion we face when trying to
understand the US Education system.
Children can begin their schooling informally at a nursery school when
they are aged at least 3. They may stay there for one to two years
before moving up to a kindergarten which a child will typically attend
until after their fifth birthday. The adequate provision of Nursery
School places is seen to be a key part of the US Education system.
When a child is five, compulsory US education begins with all children
attending Elementary School. This is also the beginning of the 'Grade'
or 'Year' system which will follow the student through until the end of
their compulsory education.
At the end of sixth grade (ie when the child has just turned eleven),
they leave Elementary School and move on to either an 'Intermediate'
School or a 'Junior High' where they complete their seventh, eighth and
ninth grades. After Junior High School, comes Senior High School where
the students will complete their full time education to twelfth grade,
normally by age sixteen. It may be that a grade is failed one year and
the student has to retake that year so it is quite common for students
aged up to nineteen to be retained at High School in order to graduate
(obtain their GED - also known as a 'Diploma'). This constitutes the end
of compulsory US Education.
The GED is important since it controls access to college, university and
the opportunity for promotion; particularly in technician-type jobs
where an experienced operative may be overlooked in favour of a less
suitable candidate because he or she did not get their GED. This
explains the frequent comments we see on the American media relating to
'Graduating from High School'.
Like in Europe, many students in US Education will continue to a higher
level - to college (more akin to University in Europe). Courses
typically last four years and each year has its own nomenclature for the
students which make up that year (instead of the general term
'undergraduates' for any student engaged on degree level study who has
not actually passed their finals yet). These levels are 'Freshman (First
Year), Sophomore, Junior and Senior (Fourth Year).
Obviously it is possible to continue further in education to Master's or
Doctorate level as appropriate. Ultimately, even a fast-track, no-resit
American student can easily have spent nearly twenty-five years in
full-time education by the time they complete their studies.
We hope this helps you make more sense of US Education.
|