Index

Different Levels ...................................................................................................................... 3

Public and Private System ...................................................................................................... 4
Evaluations ............................................................................................................................. 5
Admission Test ....................................................................................................................... 7
Grading Scales ........................................................................................................................ 7
Curricular and Extracurricular Activities ............................................................................... 9
Student's life stuff (hazing, fraternities, parties, etc.) ............................................................. 9
Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 11
Different Levels

Early childhood education

Early education is a term used to talk about young children being exposed to education. Even
when your child is a baby, it is important to read to them, sing with them, and help them learn
both your first language and English. There is research that shows children who are bilingual
(speak 2 or more languages) have more advantages than children who speak only 1 language.
Early childhood education centers and daycare centers are available for infants through
children age 4 or 5.

Preschool
Preschool helps children (ages 3 and 4) develop. Some schools will start children in preschool
at 2½. Preschool helps them be ready for school at age 5 or 6. One option for preschool is
called Head Start. Preschool-aged children from low-income families can attend Head Start
programs. Head Start is a low-cost preschool run by the government. You can search for a
Head Start program near you.

Elementary school
Children usually begin elementary school with kindergarten (K) at age 5 and continue
through grade 5 or 6. They leave elementary school around age 10 or 11. Children learn
many subjects from one teacher in a single classroom.

Middle school (also called junior high school)

Middle school teaches students grades 6 through 8. They are around ages 10 to 14. Middle
school students usually switch from classroom to classroom. They may have many different
teachers in one school day. In smaller communities, children will not switch schools to go to
middle school. They will keep going to elementary school.
High school
Students attend high school between the ages of 14 and usually 17 or 18. The classes are
arranged by subjects. A student may have many teachers in one day. Some students can take
advanced classes. Some students can take classes that prepare them for work or for college.
High schools have clubs, activities, sports, work-study arrangements, and other activities.

Public and Private System

Public System
In most States, the public education system is further divided into local school districts, which
are managed by a school board, representing the local community. School districts can be
small, covering just a small town or rural county, or enormous, covering a whole large city;
according to their local policy, they are responsible for coordinating education policies,
planning for changing educational needs in the community, and often even establishing
programs and curricula. They will also delegate a varying amount of freedom or
independence to each individual school within their sector

Public schools have also relied heavily on local property taxes to meet most school expenses.
American schools have thus tended to reflect the educational values and financial capabilities
of the communities in which they are located.
Formal schooling lasts 12 years, until around age 18. Compulsory schooling, though, ends
by age 16 in most states; the remaining states require students to attend school until they are
17 or 18. All children in the United States have access to free public schools.
Private System
Private schools in the United States include parochial schools (affiliated with religious
denominations), non-profit independent schools, and for-profit private schools. Private
schools charge varying rates depending on geographic location, the school's expenses, and
the availability of funding from sources, other than tuition. For example, some churches
partially subsidize private schools for their members. Some people have argued that when
their child attends a private school, they should be able to take the funds that the public school
no longer needs and apply that money towards private school tuition in the form of vouchers.
This is the basis of the school choice movement.
Private schools have various missions: some cater to college-bound students seeking a
competitive edge in the college admissions process; others are for gifted students, students
with learning disabilities or other special needs, or students with specific religious
affiliations. Some cater to families seeking a small school, with a nurturing, supportive
environment. Unlike public school systems, private schools have no legal obligation to accept
any interested student. Admission to some private schools is often highly selective

Evaluations

The United States has the RTT (Race to the Top) program comprising several aspects around
which state governments can participate with projects subject to evaluation and competition.
Through different subprograms, the aim is to stimulate the evaluation of teachers,
administrators and students, the development of standards in mathematics, English and
science, the performance of low-income students, the improvement of infrastructure and
teaching resources in schools, among others.
Through the RTT, the government proposes four educational reform goals:
• The adoption of curricular standards and assessments that prepare students to be
successful in college, on the job, and to compete in the global economy

• The adoption of curricular standards and assessments that prepare students to be

successful in college, on the job, and to compete in the global economy

• Recruit, develop, reward, and retain effective teachers and leaders, especially where
they are needed most, and reverse the performance of lower-achieving schools

Thus, within the RTT framework, multiple teacher evaluation initiatives have been
developed, mainly in those states that lacked developed or mature systems in this area.
In turn, the criteria designed for state assessment plans are:
a) Design and implement assessment systems for teachers and principals that consider
the performance of students and that are designed and developed with the
participation of teachers and principals as the main stakeholders

b) Conduct annual evaluations of teachers and administrators and generate

disaggregated data at the school level

c) Use these evaluations to make decisions in schools

d) Define economic compensation mechanisms based on the results of the evaluations

Admission Test

Most colleges and universities in the United States require standardized testing for
undergraduate admissions. Admission requirements vary, so be sure to confirm which test(s),
if any, you need with the institutions that interest you.

• ACT: A curriculum-based multiple-choice assessment that tests reading, English,

mathematics, and science, with an optional essay section. The ACT is widely
accepted at accredited two and four-year colleges and universities in the United
States, and hundreds of institutions around the world.

• SAT: A test that measures critical reading, writing, and mathematical abilities. The
SAT Subject Tests measure knowledge in specific subject areas. The SAT is widely
accepted at accredited two and four-year colleges and universities in the United
States, and hundreds of institutions around the world.

Grading Scales

Academic grading in the United States commonly takes on the form of five, six or seven
letter grades. Traditionally, the grades are A+, A, A−; B+, B, B−; C+, C, C−; D+, D, D−; F;
with A+ being the highest and F being lowest. Numeric to letter grade conversions generally
vary from system to system and between disciplines and status. In some cases, grades can
also be numerical.
The typical grades awarded for participation in a course are (from highest to lowest) A, B,
C, D and F. Variations on the traditional five-grade system allow for awarding A+, A, & A−;
B+, B, & B−; C+, C, & C−; D+, D, & D−, and F (E). In primary and secondary schools, a D
is usually the lowest passing grade. However, there are some schools that consider a C the
lowest passing grade, so the general standard is that anything below a 60 or 70 is failing,
depending on the grading scale. In college and universities, a D is an unsatisfactory passing
grade. Students will usually still earn credit for the class if they get a D, but sometimes a C
or better is required to count some major classes toward a degree, and sometimes a C or better
is required to satisfy a prerequisite requirement for a class.
 • A+ 97–100%
• A 93–96%
• A− 90–92%
• B+ 87–89%
• B 83–86%
• B− 80–82%
• C+ 77–79%
• C 73–76%
• C- 70–72%
• D+ 67–69%
• D 63–66%
• D- 60–62%
• F 0–59%

The 100-point scale is a percentage-based grading system. In a percentage-based system,

each assignment regardless of size, type, or complexity, is given a percentage score: four
correct answers out of five is a score of 80%. The overall grade for the class is then typically
weighted so that the final grade represents a stated proportion of different types of work. For
example, daily homework may be counted as 50% of the final grade, chapter quizzes may
count for 20%, the comprehensive final exam may count for 20%, and a major project may
count for the remaining 10%. Each are created to evaluate the students' understanding of the
material and of their complex understanding of the course material.
In elementary school, grades may represent rewards from teachers "for being friendly,
prepared, compliant, a good school citizen, well-organized and hard-working" rather than
mastering the subject material. Schools in the United States have been accused of using
academic grades to penalize students for being bored, uncooperative or for talking out of
turn. Usually, this behavior leads to poor or non-existent studying habits which most likely
are to blame for their grades. Some teachers use self and peer assessment to evaluate some
of a student's progress and how behind they are compared to their peers.
Curricular and Extracurricular Activities

An extracurricular activity can be almost anything that isn't required for high school credit
or paid employment that you do while you're in high school. These activities will become
very important later, such as when you are applying to colleges, because they help you
develop your talents, interests, and passions. They can also teach you practical skills like time
management

Curricular Activities
• Model United Nations
• United States Academic Decathlon
• UNICEF clubs
• World Scholar´s Cup

Extracurricular Activities
• Sports
• Reading
• English society
• Yearbook
• Robotics
• Student government
• Band
• Debate
• Fan clubs

Student's life stuff (hazing, fraternities, parties, etc.)

Fraternities
Fraternities are social organizations for university students. When we speak of fraternity, we
generally refer to university fraternities. The reason for this is that it is in the campus of
higher education where the existence of this type of organization led by the students
themselves is more common.
In the USA, many people go to universities far away from home and what better way to meet
people and sow the future than becoming a member of a frat. There are both male and female
fraternities (also called sororities). Some of them are very extensive and can have hundreds
of members distributed in different locations. These associations do not have a maximum
number of members, but they are usually composed of a minimum of ten people. Many of
them are known as Greek and take their name from the letters of the alphabet of that language.
Each fraternity is characterized by its own traditions.

Parties
Many college towns have a lively nightlife, with bars and clubs that you can enjoy. Unlike
most countries, the drinking age in the United States is 21 years of age, so even though you
may be able to drink when in your home country, you cannot in the United States unless you
are 21. This may limit your involvement in the night life, but there are plenty of other
activities to enjoy.

Campus Jobs
Coming from a very highly populated country like Indonesia, where finding a job even as a
highly skilled person is very tough, I was not expecting to have the opportunity to work on
campus.
Working on campus, especially at something that really interests you or is related to your
academic field, is a great way to get to know other people – and at the same time, get paid
for it. A lot of universities have teaching assistantships as well as research opportunities, and
they are worth checking out.
Bibliography

• Access Denied. (2014, September 9). College Experience.

https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/international-student
counsel/2014/09/09/what-to-know-about-the-us-college-experience-before-applying

• Magazine, R. (n.d.). Comparing the US and UK education systems | Editorial |

Relocate magazine. Education Systems. Retrieved November 4, 2020, from
https://www.relocatemagazine.com/articles/reeditor-09-d3-2015-7523-comparing-
the-us-and-uk-education-
systems#:%7E:text=The%20US%20system%20is%20typically,and%20Grade%208
%2C%20for%20example.

• Prepare For U.S. Standardized Tests, Undergraduate. (2020, March 20).

EducationUSA. https://educationusa.state.gov/your-5-steps-us-study/research-your-
options/undergraduate/prepare-us-standardized
tests#:%7E:text=In%20the%20United%20States%2C%20there,party%20standardiz
ed%20test%20they%20accept.

• What are the levels in the US education system? (2020, September 25). USAHello.
https://usahello.org/education/children/grade-levels/

• What is Credential Evaluation | Study in the USA. (n.d.). International Student.

Retrieved November 3, 2020, from
https://www.internationalstudent.com/study_usa/application-process/credential-
evaluators/index/