Understanding the U.S. Curriculum
Overview
The U.S. curriculum offers students a varied and flexible educational pathway throughout their middle and high school years. On account of the size of the United States, and the number of institutions both within and outside of its borders, the U.S. school system does not have a set curriculum mandated by the federal government. Instead, the American Common Core State Standards set academic benchmarks that all candidates are required to meet, and each school shapes their individual curriculum around these benchmarks. Simply put, the content covered in the U.S. curriculum may vary from one school to another. Many institutions offering the U.S. curriculum require learners to study a certain number of credits across specific subject categories. These subject categories are most often English, math, science, social studies, languages, arts, and physical education, however, the number of credits required in each category may vary by school. Any remaining credits can be completed at the students’ discretion.
How Do Regular, Honors, and AP Courses Differ?
The U.S. curriculum offers three levels of classes that learners can enroll onto: regular courses, honors courses, and advanced placement (AP) courses.
Regular courses are the foundational building blocks that are required in order to earn a high school diploma. These courses are offered throughout high school, and, in many cases, act as prerequisites to honors and AP courses.
Honors courses are more in depth, faster paced courses that require the completion of advanced high school work. In return, they offer more weighting towards a student’s GPA (grade point average). This increased GPA weighting gives learners the opportunity to bolster their college applications. Honors courses are teacher-designed and vary by institution. Some schools do not offer honors classes at all.
Conversely, AP courses are regulated, and they follow the College Board Curriculum. These courses are designed to mirror college-standard content and assessments and are, therefore, more demanding. In return, they provided the greatest weighting to a student’s GPA.
How Are Students Graded in the U.S. Curriculum?
The U.S. curriculum grades through a GPA (Grade Point Average) system. The grade that a student achieves for each class is translated onto the grade point average scale and contributes towards a student’s overall GPA.
Regular classes are most often graded on an A-F basis, with each letter grade corresponding to a numerical equivalent (A is equivalent to 4.0, B to 3.5, C to 3 etc.). This number is then added to the student’s GPA. Honors courses are similarly graded on a A-F basis, but the numerical weighting of each grade is slightly higher (an A may be worth 4.5 for example).
APs are weighted even more heavily. Scoring highly on APs helps bolster a learner’s GPA, as achieving a top grade on an AP contributes a 5.0 instead of a 4.0. This allows students to achieve an overall GPA above a 4.0, and shows universities that they have achieved highly in advanced courses. APs are graded on a 1-5 scale, and scoring a 3 or above in an AP final exam can also contribute college credits to various majors (courses) at certain American colleges.
What Classes in the U.S. Curriculum Require Prerequisites?
It is important for those studying within the U.S. curriculum to look ahead to the subjects on offer in Grades 11 and 12 of their program. This is because many AP classes require certain prerequisites to have been completed prior to enrollment onto the course. To enrol onto AP U.S. History, for example, students must have completed the regular U.S. History course first. In the case of AP Calculus, students need to have studied Algebra I, Algebra II, and have taken Pre-Calculus. Often, students also need to have achieved a certain standard in these prerequisite classes (earning at least a grade C, for example) in order to proceed onto the AP.
Prerequisites within the U.S. curriculum make it imperative that U.S. curriculum students regularly plan ahead, so that they can make informed decisions on the classes they take, and ensure that they are ‘qualified’ to take APs that will support their college applications.
Hong Kong Schools Offering the U.S. Curriculum
There are a variety of schools in Hong Kong that offer the traditional U.S. curriculum:
Hong Kong International School
Hong Kong Adventist Academy
The Harbour School
American International School
Concordia International School
Hong Kong International Christian School
Alongside these institutions, there is also the opportunity in Hong Kong to study the U.S. curriculum until Grade 10, and then for Grade 11 and Grade 12 enrol onto the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). This pathway is available at:
American School Hong Kong
Stamford American School Hong Kong
U.S. College Applications
When choosing to pursue the U.S. curriculum, many do so on account of their aims to attend a U.S. college or university. The U.S. university application process places a great emphasis on candidates’ personal growth and holistic development, alongside their academic achievement.
U.S. colleges normally require candidates to submit their:
GPA
SAT/ACT scores
Personal essays
Recommendation letters
Information on their extracurricular activities and volunteering work
These documents are submitted to U.S. college application platforms, normally Common App or Scoir. Alongside these 2 platforms, for University of California colleges, there is a separate U.C. application platform.
Another unique element of the U.S. college application process is the option to apply for early decision entry. This involves students making an early application to their first choice college, in order to recieve an earlier acceptance or rejection. Choosing to apply for early decision entry has the advantage of indicating to a college that they are the candidates’ first choice, as well as allowing students to compete against a smaller pool of applicants. However, early decision entry enters learners into an agreement: if they are accepted into their early decision college, they must attend.
How BartyED Supports U.S. Curriculum Students
The U.S. curriculum presents students with a wealth of opportunities, but also requires many well thought out decisions. Here at BartyED, our expert tutors are able to support clients with their academic achievement and academic management.
Our subject specialist tutors help learners in all aspects of their course. Students are supported in their comprehension of content, their exam technique, and their coursework submissions.
Our academic management team supports students with their subject selection and university planning. BartyED’s course selection guidance ensures that learners’ profiles are tailored to their higher education aspirations, whilst our admissions consultants have a wealth of experience supporting candidates through the U.S. college application process. Our admissions consultants have helped numerous students secure their place at Harvard, Yale, UPenn, and other Ivy League institutions.
Enquire today to access BartyED’s U.S. curriculum experts and our specialist admissions consultants. Tel: +852 2882 1017 or Email: enquiries@bartyed.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
The U.S. curriculum is an elementary, middle, and high school program based on the American Common Core Standards. Learners pursue diverse classes across English, math, science, social studies, arts and languages.
-
The U.S. system grades using a Grade Point Average (GPA) system. Students achieve a letter grade (A-F) or a percentage (0-100%) for each class they take. This grade is then translated onto the GPA scale which is out of 4.0 for regular classes, and 5.0 for AP classes.
-
AP stands for Advanced Placement. These classes are college level classes that high school students can enrol onto. AP exams are standardized and offer the opportunity to earn college credits. APs are graded out of 5, and achieving a high grade in an AP can bolster one’s GPA. BartyED tutors have a wealth of experience supporting students across all APs, with clients consistently achieving top grades of 4 and 5.
-
A number of schools in Hong Kong offer the U.S. curriculum, including Hong Kong International School, Hong Kong Adventist Academy, The Harbour School, American International School, Concordia International School, and Hong Kong International Christian School.