Come all English, Americans, Australians etc...

This has been bugging me for some time when u Americans talk about, kindergarten, SATs etc and u Australians talk about HSC\'s etc etc etc and im sure you all get annoyed when the small minority of us brits talk about Highers and A - levels etc so im asking for one American, Australian, Dutch and whatever other nationalties we have on these bords to just take two minutes to post what the kind of schools u have in your
country, in this format:

SCOTLAND

Nursery
AGE RANGE:

• Age 3 to 5 (i think)

Primary school
AGE RANGE:

• Age 5 to around 12

STAGES:

• The stages are called "Primary one" - where u are for one year, "Primary two" - where u are for one year (2 years in total) etc up to Primary 7 (completing 7 years of primary education)

EXAMS:

• -We got things called "National tests" but they dont count for anything

Secondary School
AGE RANGE:

• Age 12 to around 17

STAGES:

• "S1"(where you are for your first year),"S2"(where you are for your next year) and so on up to the end of S5 when you can choose to go onto S6 or go straight to university (or a gap year - doing nothing for a year =], Actually some people do do useful things lke commuinity service etc)

EXAMS:

• -You spend S3 and S4 studying for your "Standard Grades" these arent worth a lot if you go to uni but are still useful.

• In S5 you study for your "Highers" these are the most important exams in you acedmeic life as they determine if you get into uni or not.   

• In S6 you can do more/re-take Highers. Or you can do "Advanced Highers" and in my school you can do "A-Levels" - which is an english thing so i\'ll let Kurt Angle explain them =], you cant do "A-levels" in all Scottish schools, mostly its just Advanced Highers

University/College:
AGE RANGE:

• Age 16 to whatever age

STAGES:

• Most courses last 4 years (a BSc(the Sc part is for Science, this can be change to "a" for art etc) Honours degree last 4 years), then you can do a masters (another year) and they you can do your Phd (another 2 years i think), assuming you subject has all four levels of degree obviously. I think there is a type of degree that lasts 3 years i think its called a Bachelors and the 4 year one is a Bachelors Hounours degee

EXAMS:

• -You get exams all the way through uni/college.

Right thats it. Please reply =]

Pre-school: 4 yr old (optional)

Elementry: 5-10 yr old

Jr. High: 11-12

High: 13-17

That\'s how it works here in Texas. But in New York we had Intermediate school for 3rd-5th graders

Ah, you have Junior high, i get it now =]

It varies state to state but usually follows what ViVi posted, with certain grades mixed in.

In my 3rd grade class, it was grades 1,2 and 3 integraded into one huge classroom. It was a study of some sort to see the interaction, and how the olders students could help the young\'ns etc. so the teachers had do do less. It sucked

United States of America

Pre-school-
Optional

Grammar/Elementary School-
Kindergarten-5th grade
Ages: 5 - 10
(Some places have Kindergarten I and II)

Middle School/Junior High-
6th - 8th grade
Ages: 11 - 13

High School-
9th - 12th grade
Ages: 14 - 17

College/University-
After High School
Ages: 18+

Classes usually last one semester which is generally 3.5 months.

Grad/Med/Law School-
Anytime after recieving a college degree
Ages: Any

Testing-
For college it is usually the SATs or the ACTs

The SATs test math and english and go up to a score of 1600.

The ACTs test general educational and cover english, math, reading, and science. It goes up to a score of 36(?).

{EDIT} I should start refreshing the page before I post.

Something exclusive to NY students in Junior High and High School are Regents Exams...

They test the 4 major subjects and a foreign language...

They\'re not required to graduate but if you pass a certain amount (I think its 10-12), you receive a Regents-endorsed diploma...

In my school system we never had anything called "Junior High."  I went to a school that handled 5th through 8th grade, but it was just called an Elementary school; no one ever used the word "High" with it at all.

Whenever I hear "Junior High," it sounds like something from a television script.  Completely foreign to me.

Originally posted by Ashford
Something exclusive to NY students in Junior High and High School are Regents Exams...

Thanks for the reminder.

In Massachusetts they have the MCAS. It is a test that you HAVE to pass in order to graduate from High School.

Originally posted by ViVi
Pre-school: 4 yr old (optional)

Elementry: 5-10 yr old

Jr. High: 11-12

High: 13-17

That\'s how it works here in Texas. But in New York we had Intermediate school for 3rd-5th graders

Not everwhere in Texas it is Pre-k 4 Elementary 5-10 Middle School 11-13  and 14-17is highschool

your point....?

Aussies are the same as scotland,but if you want uni you got to do a entrance exam.

[Jumpman]

In Canada we don\'t go to school in the typical sense. The number of dumb Canadians who just cut down trees, fight the animals,  and fish is too great. We are taught in our igloo like dome education centers and attempt to fend off the moose population from invading Toronto.

Originally posted by Jumpman
In Canada we don\'t go to school in the typical sense. The number of dumb Canadians who just cut down trees, fight the animals,  and fish is too great. We are taught in our igloo like dome education centers and attempt to fend off the moose population from invading Toronto.

I hear you guys have a big beaver population...I take it you learn from an early age how to deal with them?

[Jumpman]

Originally posted by Ginko
I hear you guys have a big beaver population...I take it you learn from an early age how to deal with them?

We live in harmony with the beavers unlike the moose and wild rhinosaurus\' in northen Newfoundland. They build our dams and we supply them with beer and beaver size hockey sticks.

Originally posted by Jumpman
We live in harmony with the beavers unlike the moose and wild rhinosaurus\' in northen Newfoundland. They build our dams and we supply them with beer and beaver size hockey sticks.

Canada sounds like fun!  

Wouldn\'t want to play a game of hockey against beavers though, probably use their teeth in the fights.