Education-in-the-United-States

EducationintheUnitedStatesSchoolCollegeUniversityPrimarySchool•usuallyknownaselementaryeducation.•consistsoffiveyearsofeducation,referredtoasfirstthroughfifthgrades.•Itisthefirststageofcompulsoryeducation•precededbypre-schoolornurseryeducation•followedbysecondaryeducation.Primaryschool(continued)•Americanchildrenstartschoolattheageoffiveyears•Thefirstyearatschooliscalledkindergarten.ItisrequiredofallAmericanchildrenenrolledintheAmericaneducationsystem.•Thesecondyearatschoolisconsideredthefirstyearofprimaryschoolandisreferredtoasfirstgrade.•InAmerica,thewordgradehastwomeanings:(1)thescoreachievedonanexamorinacourse,and(2)ayearofeducationinprimaryorsecondaryschool.GoalsofPrimaryEducation•achievingbasicliteracyandnumeracyamongstallpupils•establishingfoundationsinscience,geography,historyandothersocialsciences.Therelativepriorityofvariousareas,andthemethodsusedtoteachthem,areanareaofconsiderablepoliticaldebate.•classeswithoneteacher,classcompositionchangeseveryyear.•excellentequipment,Internetaccess;•opportunitiesforforeignstudents,studentswithdisabilities,etc.SecondarySchool•juniorhighschoolandhighschool(differentlocations)•uponcompletionoffifthgrade(thelastyearofprimaryschool)•secondaryschoolmostcommonlyconsistsofatotalofsevenyears.The6ththrough8thgradesarejuniorhighandthe9ththrough12thgradesaremostcommonlyreferredtoashighschool.CurriculumIssues•intheUStherearenosuchorganizationsastheMinistryofEducationorStateCommitteeofEducationthatdevelopstandardcurriculaforschoolsanduniversities(aswellasadmissionsrequirements)•curriculumvariesfromschooltoschool•Studentsarerequiredtochooseclasses•AmericanSchoolCounselorsAssociation•self-reliance,noparentmeetings,bi-monthlyparentreportTypesofhighschools•collegepreparatoryhighschool(academicfocus),•vocationalhighschools(technicaleducation),•specialhighschools(forstudentswithdisabilities),•onlineschools•homeschoolingSchoolExams•Uponcompletionoftwelfthgrade,Americanstudentsareawardedhighschooldiploma(requiredtobeadmittedintocollegeoruniversity).Pre-requisiteGraduationTests•TheSATReasoningTest(formerlyScholasticAptitudeTestandScholasticAssessmentTest)isastandardizedtestforcollegeadmissionsintheUnitedStates.TheSATisowned,published,anddevelopedbytheCollegeBoard,anon-profitorganizationintheUnitedStates,andwasoncedeveloped,published,andscoredbytheEducationalTestingService(ETS)•TheCollegeBoardclaimsthattheSATcandeterminewhetherornotapersonisreadyforcollege.•ThecurrentSATReasoningTesttakesthreehoursandforty-fiveminutesandcosts$45($71International)–In2005,thetestwasrenamedtotheSATReasoningTestwithpossiblescoresfrom600to2400combiningtestresultsfromthree800-pointsections(math,criticalreading,andwriting),alongwithothersubsectionsscoredseparatelySpecialprograms•Inadditiontobilingualandbiculturalprogramsmanyschoolshavespecialprogramsforgiftedstudentsorforstudentswithlearningandreadingdifficulties,aswellasfreeschooleducationandprofessionaltrainingforpeoplewithdisabilities.•AlltheeducationsystemofUSAhavealwaysstressedtheimportanceofcharacterorsocialskillsthroughextracurricularactivities,includingorganizedsports.Thereisusuallyaverybroadrangeofsuchactivitiesavailable.•Givepupilsachancetobetogetheroutsidenormalclasses,helptodevelopafeelingofschoolspirit.•Schoolathletics.Collegescholarshipsforathletes.UndergraduateSchool•Studentswhohavecompletedhighschoolandwouldliketoattendcollegeoruniversitymustattendwhatisreferredtoasanundergraduateschool:•atwo-yeardegree(calledanassociatedegree)ora•four-yeardegree(calledabachelorsdegree–BachelorofArts(BA)orBachelorofScience(BA)inaspecificcourseofstudy.Thatcourseofstudyiscalledthemajor(istobeselectedbytheendofthesecondyearatschool).•Studentswhocompleteanassociatedegreecancontinuetheireducationatafour-yearschoolandeventuallycompleteabachelordegree.GraduateSchool•Twotypesofdegrees:–amaster’sdegree(MasterofArts-MA,MasterofScience–MS)usuallyatwo-yeardegreethatishighlyspecializedinaspecificfield).Studentsaresometimesadmittedtoamaster’sdegreeprogramonlyiftheyhaveabachelor’sdegreeinacloselyrelatedfield.However,therearemanyexceptionstothis,suchaswithstudentswhowanttopursueaMaster’sinBusinessAdministration(MBA)degree.–adoctoratedegree,alsocalledaPhD(DoctorofPhilosophy).APhDdegreecantakebetweenthreeandsixyearstocomplete+averyintensiveresearchpaperthatmustbecompletedpriortoearningthedegree.–aresearchpaper(thesisordissertations)isrequiredofstudentspursuingaPhD,andmaysometimesberequiredofstudentspursuingamaster’sdegree(dependingontheschool).•CorrelationofRussianandUSdegrees.–CertaincoursesofstudyinUSareonlyavailableatthegraduateschoollevelinAmerica.Themostnotableofthesearelaw,dentistry,andmedicine.Studentswhowanttopursueadegreeinoneofthesefieldsmustfirstobtainabachelor’sdegree.Financialsupporttouniversitystudents•Studentloans•Statescholarships•Universityscholarships•TeachingandResearchassistantship•Grants–Need-based–Merit-based