The difference in schools in US and Canada

[kv88]

Are they pretty much the same or different, like anything from views on education to whatever. I don't know this just came randomly in my mind.

[Kenko]

Public K-12 schools? Yeah mostly the same, though I think US teachers get paid less, and the thing is even more underfunded in the US.

[Dan82]

Originally Posted by Kenko

Public K-12 schools? Yeah mostly the same, though I think US teachers get paid less, and the thing is even more underfunded in the US.

Actually teacher pay is higher in the US.

[RainbowJay]

I dunno about Canada, but the schools in NY are experiencing some crazy budget cuts. We have to pay for things we've never had to pay for before, and the teachers are very very cranky. The school can't afford art supplies (we have a big art program) or even school trips most of the time.

I doubt this'll improve before I graduate high school :/

[joeyconnick]

In K-12, we have a lot of emphasis on French (compared to the US, I mean). We have immersion programs where you can basically do all your schooling in French (they're optional, not required). But generally you do have to do some French or at least some other language study to graduate high school.

Probably the biggest difference between public education between the US and here (and why we don't have such huge inequalities in education between rich and poor neighbourhoods) is that in the US, school funding is very much district-based, so if it's a poor district, it has poorly-funded schools. In Canada, while local property taxes are used to fund schools, the money is redistributed by the provinces so that poor areas get similar levels of funding per-student as rich areas. So public education is of a much more even quality across the country than in the US.

I know you're shocked: socialized education! The notion that people should have access to good-quality education even if they're poor or live in a poor area! What will we crazy Canucks think of next?!

[jazzrawr]

Our high schools and universities have a different way of grading I think. Universities here, at least in Ontario, look at grade averages, ex. 80% average, 85% average, that sort of thing, whereas in the US I think they use that weird points system - GPA, is it called? Where you have to have a 3.0 or a 4.0 or whatever it is to be accepted.

And we have a lot of emphasis on French, as Joey said.
And there is a LOT less standardized testing. The only standardized test we take that actually affects our grades and schooling is the Literacy Test in 10th grade, and it's idiot-proof. It's really hard to fail it, unless you can't follow directions at all, but in the US you guys have the whole SAT thing.
One more thing to love about Canada, in my opinion. I hate standardized tests.

[xCrazyInsanity]

Originally Posted by jazzrawr

GPA, is it called? Where you have to have a 3.0 or a 4.0 or whatever it is to be accepted.

GPA = Grade Point Average
It's generally based off %.
3.0 is a B average (most districts 80-90%), and most places will accept a 2.5(C) or higher
4.0 is straight As, NO where looks for that....

Also, we have standardized tests because curliculums across the country vary so much. Even in a state
What I"m doing here is FAR different than what people are doing center city philly, even if me and another kid from there had the same GPA, we haven't learnd the same stuff

[ANightDude]

Originally Posted by jazzrawr

Our high schools and universities have a different way of grading I think. Universities here, at least in Ontario, look at grade averages, ex. 80% average, 85% average, that sort of thing, whereas in the US I think they use that weird points system - GPA, is it called? Where you have to have a 3.0 or a 4.0 or whatever it is to be accepted.

And we have a lot of emphasis on French, as Joey said.
And there is a LOT less standardized testing. The only standardized test we take that actually affects our grades and schooling is the Literacy Test in 10th grade, and it's idiot-proof. It's really hard to fail it, unless you can't follow directions at all, but in the US you guys have the whole SAT thing.
One more thing to love about Canada, in my opinion. I hate standardized tests.

Another reason why Canada still continues to win.

We have to take at least two major standardized tests in Texas a year. This year, I take four, along with an AP test and, of course, benchmarks. Gahd, this state...

[Étoile]

Standardized tests are really they only way the government can see how every state's doing. The quality and content of learning here in Georgia can vastly differ from states like Kansas or New Hampshire.

Here in Georgia, we have 4 types of standardized tests:

ITBS: Taken twice during elementary school (Pre K-5th) to see how we measure up o na national level
CRCT: Taken from 3rd-8th grade to see if we learned the Georgia Perfomance Standards (a bunch of BS that teachers have to adhere to making them rush through lessons and suck the fun out of learning). You have to pass the 3rd, 5th, and 8th grade tests in order to advance to the next grade level.
EOCTs: End-Of-Course-Test in certain high school subjects but now they're making it into all subjects. Counts as 15% of your grade. Can fail it but still pass and receive credit for the class so it's not that important.
GHSGT: Our version of the graduation tests. Some states have them, some states don't. English, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies. Given during 11th grade. Very easy. Can take it over and over again if you fail.

And, of course, the national SAT and ACT. Both are optional, but most colleges require you to have a 1200 (out of 2400) to apply. And the AP tests if you count those.

[MusicIsLife]

FYI: Quebec is different from the rest of canada.

French is mandatory, there is no middle school, elementary school is K-6, high school 7-11, then you go to cegep for 2-3 years. Cegep is simply a long french acronym for College. If you go in a pre-uni program you're in cegep for 2 years then you move on to University, if you're in a professionel course, its 3 years and you go and do your stage after the 3 years.

Yeah

[xCrazyInsanity]

Originally Posted by Étoile

And the AP tests if you count those.

Eh, AP tests are 100% optional
I'm taking it for US history next month because I need the credits, but half my class isn't, even with B/C averages

[Étoile]

Originally Posted by xCrazyInsanity

Eh, AP tests are 100% optional
I'm taking it for US history next month because I need the credits, but half my class isn't, even with B/C averages

I know, that's why I said if you count those.

I'm taking the AP Psych and AP Art History tests this year. I made a 3 on the AP Lang last year, so hopefully I do well this time around.

[xCrazyInsanity]

There's art history? Hm not offered at my school.

[Étoile]

Yup. It's kinda boring and a whole lot to learn but it's worth it.

The complete list of AP classes.

[Eccentric]

Originally Posted by ANightDude

We have to take at least two major standardized tests in Texas a year. This year, I take four, along with an AP test and, of course, benchmarks. Gahd, this state...

gotta love those TAKS tests

Originally Posted by xCrazyInsanity

Eh, AP tests are 100% optional

some places the test is mandatory if you choose to take the honors/AP level class

[RaeofLite]

Canada:
Each province has different laws regarding education...
in BC:
Generally it's K-7, then middle school, or straight to highschool gr8-12.
French is taught in grade 4 til either grade 8 or 9. It's recommended to take a second language til grade 11 at least.
There are GPAs.
We do not have SATs although we do have government tests so the education system can see how we're doing?
Grades 10-12 GPAs count towards post secondary. So you have to try to keep top marks in those classes if you want to get into a good university afterwards.
And I had to do work experience for a business or organization in my community as part of my CAPP program in grade 12.

If I think of any other differences I'll let you know.

Here's Alberta for yah,

Generally we have 3 "groups" of grades:
Elementary K-6
Jr. High 7-9
Sr. High 10-12
but that's been changing recently, some schools have more grades, some have less. There are some "middle" schools now that go from 5-8 or something i believe.

Throughout grade school we use %s for grades but for University and Colleges we use GPAs and Letter grades.

Here in Alberta we have provincial exams start at grade 3 and then reoccurring every 3 years so, grade 6, grade 9 and grade 12. The grade 12 exams are called Diploma Exams which are worth 50% of your overall mark for each class. I believe we're the only province that still have Diploma Exams.

I know that every province have different ways of "naming" courses, in Alberta we do the 10,20,30 numbering.
10 being grade 10 classes
20 being grade 11 classes
30 being grade 12 classes
so for example, English 20 would be grade 11 English.
For credit we use 5 credits for bigger/main courses and 3 credits for half/smaller courses and need a total of 100 to graduate plus other requirements.
Phys Ed is only mandatory for grade 10, grade 11 and 12 are optional.
We have to take a class called CALM in grade 11 which stands for Career and Life Management i believe.

French is definitely more emphasized in Eastern Canada, mainly Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland, than in Western Canada. I only ever had to take french once and I think that was in grade 4. We do have classes but it's optional but from what I believe they have changed it so it's mandatory in grade 7? Not too sure.

I don't know if its true, but in tv shows and movies, schools in the states post grades of everyone? So everyone would know who is at the "top of the class". Well we don't do that in Canada. A teacher might post grades with student ID numbers so it's more confidential but that's it.

[jazzrawr]

In Ontario, Elementary school is K-8 and high school is 9-12. There's no middle school.
We don't do the numbers thing for our classes - There's 3 levels for each grade, in grade 9 and 10 it's Academic (Higher), Applied (Middle) and Locally Developed (Lower), but that switches to University, College and Workplace level in grade 11 and 12.
You have to take university/academic classes to get into Uni, but any level can get you into College. (College and University here are really two different things. College is hands-on and Uni is theory and books.)

[Kenko]

Here on the east coast it's called "Primary" instead of Kindergarten, so P-6 elementary, 7-9 Junior High, and 10-12 High school.

Originally Posted by jazzrawr

Our high schools and universities have a different way of grading I think. Universities here, at least in Ontario, look at grade averages, ex. 80% average, 85% average, that sort of thing, whereas in the US I think they use that weird points system - GPA, is it called? Where you have to have a 3.0 or a 4.0 or whatever it is to be accepted.

And we have a lot of emphasis on French, as Joey said.
And there is a LOT less standardized testing. The only standardized test we take that actually affects our grades and schooling is the Literacy Test in 10th grade, and it's idiot-proof. It's really hard to fail it, unless you can't follow directions at all, but in the US you guys have the whole SAT thing.
One more thing to love about Canada, in my opinion. I hate standardized tests.

Schools here normally give out percentages. Universities here give out grade letters, where the value of a given letter can vary in different classes. The average is then calculated as a GPA:
F=0
D=1
C=2
B=3
A=4

A "+" grade adds 0.3, a "-" grade subtracts 0.3. So A+ = 4.3, C- = 1.7.

Of course that changes at different universities.

True enough about less standardized tests. Although here many grade 12 exams are "provincial" exams, Undergrad university programs look at your average grades, and not entrance exams.

Some Graduate programs require standardized entrance exams.

[kv88]

Wow thanks you guys for the info. What about prom, is it a big deal in Canada?