the education system in the united states. vocabulary -pre-school -kindergarten elementary school...
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The Education System in the United States
Vocabulary-Pre-school
-Kindergarten
Elementary School
-Middle School (Junior High School)
-High School
-College
-Graduate school
-Teacher
-Student
-Principal
-Superintendent
-Administrator
-Custodian
-subject
-to enroll
-to apply
-to educate
-enrollment
-major
-minor
-tuition
-scholarship
-institution
-university
-public school
-private school
-charter school
School in the United States
Pre-School (Ages 4 or 5)Kindergarten (Ages 5 or 6)Elementary School – 5 Years (Ages 6 to 11)Middle School – 3 Years (Ages 11 to 13/14)High School – 4 Years (Ages 14 to 18) College – 4 Years (Typically, ages 18 to 22) Graduate School (Typically, ages 22 +)
Masters’DoctorateLaw SchoolMedical School
Pre-School and Kindergarten
In the United States, children are required to attend a year of school before the 1st grade of Elementary school. This school is called kindergarten (a word taken from the German).
Kindergarten usually consists of a half-day of school, whether in the morning (roughly 9 AM till 12 noon) or in the afternoon (12 noon to 3 PM), 5 days a week.
Pre-school is not required, but parents often choose to enroll their children for 2 years of school even before kindergarten.
Elementary School Elementary school (grades 1 – 5) is
the first time students are required to attend a full day of school, typically from 8 AM until 2:30 or 3 PM
Most elementary schools have multiple sections of each grade level, with roughly 20-30 students in each classroom Public schools tend to have more
students than private schools; private schools may have as few as 12 – 15 students in a class at a time
Parents choose to pay to send their children to private school so that they can get more individual attention
Elementary School Typically, in grades 1 – 3, the same teacher will
teach the students all of the material, e.g. Math, Language, Reading, Social Studies, Science, Handwriting
In grades 4 & 5, there may be a separate teacher for Math, Science and Reading
Students are given recess 1-2 times a day, as well as a period for lunch, and at least a couple times a week a gym (physical education) class
In addition to teachers, staff of an elementary school includes a principal and vice principal, secretaries, and custodians
Middle School Grades 6 – 8; in some regions of the United States,
the term Junior High School is used instead
Middle school teachers typically teach a single subject (in some cases two if the subject matter is related, or if the teacher has expertise in the subject)
Mathematics (Pre-algebra, algebra, geometry), Science (biology, chemistry, geology), English (grammar, writing, literature), language* (Spanish, French, German and/or Latin), History (World and United States), Computer science, religion (in private/religious school), health class (nutrition, drugs and alcohol education, sexual education)
Middle School Some students are selected to
be placed in accelerated classes, in which subject matter is covered more rigorously and more rapidly
Placement based on ability and work ethic
Private schools tend to offer greater accelerated opportunities for gifted students than do public schools
High School Similar format and subject material as middle school,
but material taught in greater detail
Even more opportunity for accelerated classes for gifted students (Honors, Advanced Placement – AP)
High schools are geared towards college preparation
SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) or ACT (similar test) required by the vast majority of American colleges and universities Test language, reading comprehension, writing reasoning,
and mathematics skills High school mathematics (geometry, trigonometry,
calculus) and language classes aim to prepare students for the SATs
High School
Name of years (in high school as well as college): 1styear – Freshman 2ndyear – Sophomore 3rdyear – Junior 4thyear – Senior
High School – extracurricular
activities High school sports are very popular in the
United States with two main levels of competition : Varsity and Junior Varsity
Popular sports: Football (boys only), basketball, soccer, baseball, lacrosse, field hockey (girls), ice hockey, track and field, volleyball
High school theater is also popular among high school students; preparation for a play or a musical often takes a few months
Other extracurricular opportunities: school band, chorus, student government, various social clubs
Teachers’ pay Teachers’ salary is a major point of
contention in the United States; many states legislatures are cutting their pay due to the fact that they do not work summers
Range: $35,000 – 60,000 Depending on state, school, whether public or
private, and tenure/experience/degrees obtained
Public school teachers make more than private schools (state funding)
School administrators typically make more; more pay for school district superintendents, etc.
American College and University System Public or private, American colleges and universities vary
greatly in size, quality, location, system, etc.
Colleges can have enrollments of anywhere from a couple hundred students to 45,000 – 50,000 (largest universities: Ohio State University, University of Texas at Austin, Penn State University)
Tuition is less expensive for students who attend a public school within their home state
Tuition range: $10,000/year - $50,000/ year
Students may receive scholarships, for their academic performance, sports, theater, etc.
Students must select a major or area of concentration to study, typically by their sophomore or second year in college
Colleges and Universities
Popular majors: Business/Economics Biology Chemistry Pre-Med (specifically for
students planning on going to medical school)
Accounting History English Language (e.g. Spanish,
French, German, Chinese, Italian, etc.)
Psychology
American Colleges and Universities
Typically, students have graduated within 4 years, but it is not uncommon for students to graduate (to obtain their B.A. or B.S.) in 4 and a half or 5 years.
B.A. / B.S. : Bachelor of the Arts/ Sciences
Classes are either 3 or 4 credits each, and students need 124 – 130 credits depending on the institution, the major, etc.
For certain graduate schools, students need even more undergraduate credits in order to gain admission
Graduate school is becoming more and more popular in the United States as students aim to differentiate themselves before entering the workforce.
Graduate School A lot of times, American people will work for a year or
more after graduating from their undergraduate institutions (college or university) and go back for a Masters’ and/or Doctorate degree
Popular Graduate degrees sought: Business (M.B.A., Law Degrees, various areas of concentration – engineering, History, Education, etc., Medical school)
First level of graduate school: M.A. /M.S. (Master of the arts/sciences)
Second level of graduate school: Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)
Separate - Law degree (J.D. – Jurist Doctorate), Medical degree (M.D. – Medical Doctor)
More on Postgraduate Education
Typically, one can expect a better salary in a chosen field the higher level of degree attained.
In order to teach and/or research a subject at the College or University level, one must attain a Ph.D. (in almost all cases)
In order to teach at the high school level (and below), a lot of times one only needs a B.A. or B.S., however some schools/systems require an M.A. or M.S.
Otherwise, teachers can expect better pay and a better chance at receiving tenure with a higher degree attained.
Questions?