Secondary education in the United States

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As part of education in the United States, secondary education usually covers grades 5, 6, or 7 through twelve.

1 Teaching secondary
2 Middle school (Grades 5/6/7 through 8/9)
3 High school (Grades 9/10 through 12)
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Teaching secondary

Teachers are certified in one of two areas for secondary education: middle school or high school. These certifications can overlap. In Missouri, for example, middle school certification covers grades 5-9 and high school certification covers grades 9-12. This reflects the wide range of grade combinations of middle schools.

[edit] Middle school (Grades 5/6/7 through 8/9)

Main article: Middle school

Middle schools (less commonly called by the older names "junior high school" and "intermediate school") are schools that span grades 6 through 8. Junior high schools span grades 7 through 9. Both are between primary education/elementary education and high school.

At this time, students begin to enroll in class schedules where they take classes from several teachers in a given day, unlike in elementary school, where most classes are with the same teacher (except for usually art, music, and physical education). The classes are usually a set of four core academic classes (English or "language arts," science, mathematics, and history or "social studies") with two to four other classes, either electives or supplementary or remedial academic classes.

Some students also start taking a foreign language and some advanced math and science classes in middle school, such as Spanish, French, German, even Asian languages, Algebra I, Earth Science, and other courses for high school credit. Physical education classes (also called "PE" or by the older term, "gym") are usually mandatory for various periods.

[edit] High school (Grades 9/10 through 12)

High school usually runs from grades 9 through 12 although sometimes from 10-12. Some school districts deviate from this formula. The most widely seen difference is to include 9th grade in middle school. Some districts split off the 9th grade into their own school. Others have a three-level secondary system, such as that of Liberty, Missouri with high school as 10-12. In high school, students obtain much more control of their education, and may choose even their core classes. The control given to students varies from state to state and school to school.

At the turn of the 20th century, it was common for high schools to have entrance examinations which restricted entrance to fewer than 5 percent of the population in preparation for college. Most were expected to be ready for a job or family after junior high school. By mid-century, Comprehensive high schools became common which were designed to give a free education to any student who chose to stay in school for 12 years to get a diploma with a minimal grade point average. The goal became to minimize the number who exited at the mandatory attendance age of 14 and become considered to be drop outs, at risk of economic failure. By the 2000s, standards-based education was embraced in most states and federal education policy with the goal of raising standards. It required students to demonstrate their learning rather than sit in 12 years of instructional time. By 2006, two-thirds of students lived in states which had created new standards, and requiring passing tests to insure all graduates had achieved these standards. Many, however, would be concerned that this would roll back advances in high school graduation rates of groups at academic risk. Among American ethnic groups, Asians have the highest graduation rates, followed by white / European Americans. African Americans still lag whites, but today are not far behind at a national level. Latino / Hispanic students, many who immigrate from nations with low rates of high school education have the lowest rates of high school completion.

[edit] Basic curricular structure

Students in the United States, unlike their counterparts in other developed nations, do not begin to specialize into a narrow field of study until their sophomore year of college. At the high school level, they mostly take a broad variety of classes, without special emphasis.

A class period is the time allotted for one class session, usually in schools and colleges. A period may vary in time, but is usually 30-90 minutes long.

Typically, American high schools require that courses in the areas of English, science, social science, and mathematics be taken by the students every year.

Generally, three science courses are required. Biology, chemistry, and physics are standard options. Other science studies include geology, the environment and forensics.

High school mathematics subjects include topics such as algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. Advanced study options can include precalculus, calculus and statistics, with or without Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) accreditation.

English classes are usually required for all four years of high school.

Required social science classes often include American history, civics, and world history. Additional study options can include classes in law (constitutional, criminal or international) economics and psychology.

A year of physical education (usually referred to as "gym," "PE" or "Phys-Ed" by students) is commonly required, although some states and school districts require that all students take Physical Education every semester. Many states require a "Health" course in which students typically learn anatomy, nutrition, first aid, the basic concepts of sexuality and birth control, and how to make clear decisions concerning illegal drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol. In some places contraception is not allowed to be taught for religious reasons. In some places, the health and physical education class are combined into one class.

In some private schools, such as Catholic schools, theology is required before a student graduates.

[edit] Electives

High schools offer a wide variety of elective courses, although the availability of such courses depends upon each particular school's financial situation. Some schools and states require students to earn a few credits of classes considered electives, most commonly foreign language and physical education.

Common types of electives include:

Visual arts (drawing, sculpture, painting, photography)
Performing arts (choir, drama, band, orchestra, dance, film)
Vocational education (woodworking, metalworking, automobile repair)
Computer science/business education (word processing, programming, graphic design, computer club, Web design)
Physical education (American football, weight training, baseball, basketball, tennis, track and field, swimming, gymnastics, water polo, soccer)
Journalism/publishing (school newspaper, yearbook, television production)
Foreign languages: (French, German, and Spanish are common; Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Greek, Latin, and American Sign Language are less common, though the latter two are gaining increased popularity)
Family and consumer science/health ("home economics"; nutrition, child development)

Some American high schools offer drivers' education. At some schools, a student can take it during school as a regular course for a credit. At some, however, drivers education courses are only available after school.

[edit] Additional options for gifted/high performing students

Main article: Gifted education

Not all high schools contain the same rigorous coursework as others. Most high and middle schools have classes known as "honors" classes for motivated and gifted students, where the quality of education is usually higher and much tougher.

Some states and cities offer special high school with examinations to admit only the highest performing students, such as Boston Latin School, or San Francisco's Lowell High School. Other high schools cater to the arts. Some schools have been set up for students who do not succeed with normal academic standards. Some have even been created for special social groups such as LGBT students who have been said to have special needs.

If funds are available, a high school may provide Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses, which are special forms of honors classes. AP or IB courses are usually taken during the second, third, or fourth years of high school, either as a replacement for a typical third-year course (e.g. taking AP U.S. History as a replacement for standard U.S. History), a refresher of an earlier course (e.g. taking AP Biology in the fourth year after taking Biology as a freshman), or simply as a way to study something interesting during senior year (e.g. AP Comparative Government).

Most postsecondary institutions take AP or IB exam results into consideration in the admissions process. Because AP and IB courses are supposed to be the equivalent of freshman year college courses, postsecondary institutions may grant unit credit which enables students to graduate early. Both public schools and private schools in wealthy neighborhoods are able to provide many more AP and IB course options than impoverished inner-city high schools, and this difference is seen as a major cause of the differing outcomes for their graduates.

Also, in states with well-developed community college systems, there are often mechanisms by which gifted students may seek permission from their school district to attend community college courses full-time during the summer, and during weekends and evenings during the school year. The units earned this way can often be transferred to one's university, and can facilitate early graduation.

[edit] Graduation examinations

Main article: High school graduation examination

Under the education reform movement started in the early 1990s by many state legislatures and the federal government, about two-thirds of the nation's public high school students are required to pass a rigorous graduation exam, usually at the 10th grade level, though no new states had adopted a new requirement in 2006, according to the Center on Education Policy^[1]. This requirement has been an object of controversy when states have started to withhold diplomas, and the right to attend commencement exercises if a student does not meet the standards set by the state. This movement was inspired by examinations in other nations, however a key difference is that most other nations use tests to sort students between academic and vocational schools at different levels. Most American high schools are comprehensive high schools which enroll all students in a local area, regardless of ability or vocational/college track.

The Business Roundtable has supported the goal of standards-based education to ensure that all students meet one single world-class standard that will insure success in all careers and college. However, education progressives such as Gary Orfield of Harvard University and Fairtest, along with advocates of traditional education question whether such a goal is practical or realistic given the wide range of student ability. The fairness of penalizing disadvantaged students who typically fail at rates 2 to 4 times the rates of the best performing groups has been called into question by many in the education community.