What courses do American high schools take?

Yingsheng observation answers for you:

The United States is a popular choice for China students to study abroad, and American high schools are becoming more and more popular. Many parents will be careful that their children studying in American high schools can't keep up with the teaching progress of high schools. Today, we will look at what they learn in American high schools.

Course classification

Divided into compulsory courses and elective courses;

Compulsory courses help students master necessary and reasonable subject knowledge to meet the basic requirements of society. Most of the courses are year-round courses, but there are also many short-term courses. According to the system of different schools, the credits of short-term courses are generally one-third of the annual courses.

Elective courses fully satisfy students' interests and ambitions and promote the development of personal specialties.

Course assignment and graduation methods

Compulsory courses in American high schools generally include English, mathematics, science, sociology and foreign languages. Although these courses are called compulsory courses, they are actually just a macro framework. Under each compulsory subject, courses with different names are offered at different levels, and different levels of teaching materials are used.

American high schools require students to complete the required credits during high school. With the increase of grade, the academic performance of each semester (that is, the number of courses) increases. Generally speaking, students should take at least 5 to 6 courses each semester.

If foreign students go to the United States to study in grade 9, they can accumulate credits from scratch (because American high schools generally have a four-year system, from grade 9 to grade 12), but if they study in grade 10 or grade 1 1, they must convert the courses they have studied in China into credits for the corresponding subjects according to the standards of American high schools, and then choose not to study. General test 18~23 credits can get the American high school diploma.

Compulsory courses and elective courses

Generally speaking, the main courses for students from grade 9 to grade 12 are as follows:

The main courses of American high school curriculum are:

English: English writing, American literature, English literature, etc.

Mathematics: geometry, algebra, trigonometric functions, etc.

Natural science: biology, chemistry, physics, geography, environmental science, astronomy, etc.

Social science: world history, American history, European history, American government, economics, etc.

Foreign languages: French, German, Spanish, Latin, etc.

Art: music, dance, drama, etc.

American high school elective courses are:

Visual arts (painting, sculpture, oil painting, photography)

Performing arts (chorus, drama, dance, film, band, orchestra)

Vocational courses (carpentry, metalworking, auto repair)

Computer/business courses (word processing, programming, image design, computer club, web design)

Sports (American football, baseball, basketball, tennis, track and field, swimming, water polo)

News/publishing (school newspaper, calendar, TV production)

Foreign languages (usually French, German, Spanish)

Family and consumer science, health (family economics, nutrition, early childhood development)

Each course offered by the school is divided into basic, honorary and advanced levels according to its depth and difficulty, and numbered separately for students of different grades and degrees to choose from. For students in China, mathematics is our advantage, so most students in China will choose mathematics in order to complete credits as soon as possible. However, students can also choose their own courses under the guidance of full-time consultants according to the credit requirements and their academic performance, ability, ambition and hobbies. On the premise of energy permitting, you can also take several AP courses to prepare for entering the university in the future.