Brian D Agnew - Types of high schools

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Types of high schools
Brian D Agnew New Jersey
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Primary School

• usually known as elementary education.
• consists of five years of education, referred to
  as first through fifth grades.
• It is the first stage of compulsory education
• preceded by pre-school or nursery education
• followed by secondary education.

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Primary school (continued)

• American children start school at the age of five
  years
• The first year at school is called kindergarten.
  It is required of all American children enrolled
  in the American education system.
• The second year at school is considered the first
  year of primary school and is referred to as
  first grade.
• In America, the word grade has two meanings
• (1) the score achieved on an exam or in a
  course, and
• (2) a year of education in primary or secondary
  school.

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Goals of Primary Education

• achieving basic literacy and numeracy amongst all
  pupils
• establishing foundations in science, geography,
  history and other social sciences. The relative
  priority of various areas, and the methods used
  to teach them, are an area of considerable
  political debate.
• classes with one teacher, class composition
  changes every year.
• excellent equipment, Internet access
• opportunities for foreign students, students with
  disabilities, etc.

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Secondary School

• junior high school and high school (different
  locations)
• upon completion of fifth grade (the last year of
  primary school)
• secondary school most commonly consists of a
  total of seven years. The 6th through 8th grades
  are junior high and the 9th through 12th grades
  are most commonly referred to as high school.

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Curriculum Issues

• in the US there are no such organizations as the
  Ministry of Education or State Committee of
  Education that develop standard curricula for
  schools and universities (as well as admissions
  requirements)
• curriculum varies from school to school
• Students are required to choose classes
• American School Counselors Association
• self-reliance, no parent meetings, bi-monthly
  parent report

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Types of high schools

• college preparatory high school (academic focus),
  
• vocational high schools (technical education),
• special high schools (for students with
  disabilities),
• online schools
• home schooling
•  

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School Exams

• Upon completion of twelfth grade, American
  students are awarded high school diploma
  (required to be admitted into college or
  university). Pre-requisite Graduation Tests
• The SAT Reasoning Test (formerly Scholastic
  Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test) is
  a standardized test for college admissions in the
  United States. The SAT is owned, published, and
  developed by the College Board, a non-profit
  organization in the United States, and was once
  developed, published, and scored by the
  Educational Testing Service (ETS)
• The College Board claims that the SAT can
  determine whether or not a person is ready for
  college.
• The current SAT Reasoning Test takes three hours
  and forty-five minutes and costs 45 (71
  International)
• In 2005, the test was renamed to the "SAT
  Reasoning Test" with possible scores from 600 to
  2400 combining test results from three 800-point
  sections (math, critical reading, and writing),
  along with other subsections scored separately
•  

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Special programs

• In addition to bilingual and bicultural programs
  many schools have special programs for gifted
  students or for students with learning and
  reading difficulties, as well as free school
  education and professional training for people
  with disabilities.
• All the education system of USA have always
  stressed the importance of "character" or "social
  skills" through extracurricular activities,
  including organized sports. There is usually a
  very broad range of such activities available.
• Give pupils a chance to be together outside
  normal classes, help to develop a feeling of
  "school spirit".
• School athletics. College scholarships for
  athletes.

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Undergraduate School

• Students who have completed high school and would
  like to attend college or university must attend
  what is referred to as an undergraduate school
• a two-year degree (called an associate degree) or
  a
• four-year degree (called a bachelors degree
  Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BA)
  in a specific course of study. That course of
  study is called the major (is to be selected by
  the end of the second year at school).
• Students who complete an associate degree can
  continue their education at a four-year school
  and eventually complete a bachelor degree.

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Graduate School

• Two types of degrees
• a masters degree (Master of Arts - MA, Master of
  Science MS) usually a two-year degree that is
  highly specialized in a specific field). Students
  are sometimes admitted to a masters degree
  program only if they have a bachelors degree in
  a closely related field. However, there are many
  exceptions to this, such as with students who
  want to pursue a Masters in Business
  Administration (MBA) degree.
• a doctorate degree, also called a PhD (Doctor of
  Philosophy). A PhD degree can take between three
  and six years to complete a very intensive
  research paper that must be completed prior to
  earning the degree.
• a research paper (thesis or dissertations) is
  required of students pursuing a PhD, and may
  sometimes be required of students pursuing a
  masters degree (depending on the school).
• Correlation of Russian and US degrees.
• Certain courses of study in US are only available
  at the graduate school level in America. The most
  notable of these are law, dentistry, and
  medicine. Students who want to pursue a degree in
  one of these fields must first obtain a
  bachelors degree.

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Financial support to university students

• Student loans
• State scholarships
• University scholarships
• Teaching and Research assistantship
• Grants
• Need-based
• Merit-based

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