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[ SECRET POST #6045 ]

⌈ Secret Post #6045 ⌋

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In highschool, are certain subjects chosen optionally by the student from the beginning or is it more of a choice by the latter half of the year group? I assume things like maths and literature are mandatory, but do American students get to pick something like a specific language class or a type of science class - or is it randomly given out to a student? Or is it just different depending on the state?

It actually varies based on the school. The state dictates the bare minimum that must be taught (and that does vary by state, but it generally is the same), but schools can offer what they like above those requirements (so long as they don't violate the law).

You can get to pick if the school is big enough to provide multiple options, but it can be constrained by scheduling. For instance, my high school offered four language classes, but because of my freshman year schedule I could only take either Spanish or Latin. And I could change my language course the next year if I didn't like the one I chose, but it was the default to assume that I would be continuing on in the same language course for next year's scheduling.

It all depends on how big the school is, how many teachers they can hire, etc etc.

This is based just on my personal experience - freshman year, you got to pick a language. Everything else was just a standard set of subjects, and the only difference was what level you started at, IE, some kids would be in honors math or honors English or honors science, and some kids wouldn't.

Later on, there was more flexibility for different classes you could take - for instance, everyone had to take Bio, Chem and Physics for their first three years of science, then for the fourth year there were a few different options you could take. And there were also, like, PE requirements and stuff like that you had to work out a way to take, and also different AP courses you could take if you met the requirements.

I imagine it's *mostly* pretty similar in most places. But the US education system does vary considerably, because so much of it is administered and funded at the local level.

When I was in high school, which has been a hot minute, you had mandatory requirements by the state, like say: four English credits, three math credits, three science credits, four history credits, X elective credits, etc. So you'd end up taking English every year, but might not have math or science one year if you got it all out of the way before senior year. Of course, you could also be taking AP classes, which would let you take a test at the end to get college credit for as well. So there were mandatory requirements but you still mostly had options on how you filled those requirements.

My high school was small, graduating class of about 100. So you didn't have many options for your credits. I managed to get out of taking chemistry by taking [whatever the general freshman 101 class was], Biology, and then Physiology. Same on math. We had Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Pre-calc, and Calculus. I had Algebra 1 in middle school, and then took Algebra 2, Geometry, Pre-calc, and noped out of Calculs. So there weren't a lot of options. Most everyone ended up taking some very similar type of classes. For electives, I think you had to have one or two foreign language credits, but we only had the options of French or Spanish. There was also things like Humanities or Drivers' Ed you could take, whatever they called shop class, and then of course Band, Choir, Physical Education (thankfully not required--I said goodbye to terrible gym things in middle school), and various sports, which would start the last period and practice into the afternoon (I think. sportsball is not my thing). Juniors and Seniors could also be teacher's aides for an hour if they were on track to having all their credits, and could also take last period free.

Now, in huge high schools, you're going to have soooooo many more electives and options for even required areas like science and math. I don't know how it works with demand like that. At my school, if you chose a class, you were pretty much guaranteed to get to take it, assuming of course that the two classes weren't at the same time. Because in a small school, they would only be offered one period a year.

SA
What I mean about one period a year, is that, there might be 5 different timeslots slots for Algebra 1 on the schedule, but only one Calculus or Physiology class, because only one teacher taught that, and there were only enough students taking it to make up one class.

I went to an absolutely huge fuck-off school, graduating class 1,001. I always had an option, even for required subjects.

Math: Algebra 1 & 2; Geometry; Pre-Calc; Stats (2 types); Calculus (three types); Trig
Social studies: US Government; Euro history; US history Pre-colonial -WW1 1st year followed by WW1 -Regan 2nd year
English: English (including ESL); English & Lit; Composition; Honors English & lit; AP E&L
Science: Earth Science; Chemistry; Physics; Astronomy; Biology; Psychology
Gym was required, but it could be filled by: Weight lifting; Team sports (including baseball; doubles tennis; football); Or, strangely, band (we had 4 bands)/choir.
Etc, etc, etc.

We had a course planning guide back then. They offer even more options now.

AS others have said, how much leeway a student has is very dependent on state/district.

However, it is typical in most of the country to have some elective classes. You may be required to take foreign language classes, but you have several languages to choose from (at minimum, French or Spanish. Other frequently offered languages (depending on school district) include German and Latin. There may be music and art electives (pottery, band, jazz ensemble, that sort of thing), and various college prep courses that are basically slightly more advanced versions of standard classes and are optional.

It really depends on the school. In my school, there were certain classes that everyone was required to take (like, for example, Geometry and Chemistry), and then for the rest of the requirements in that particular subject you could pick from a variety of different classes. I picked a computer programming class to satisfy one of my math requirements, for example.

Once you'd done the required number of credits in a particular subject you didn't have to take any more classes in that subject if you didn't want to, so you had a pretty decent amount of control over what you took and when outside of the mandatory classes.

The way it worked for me was that you had your required credits set by the state to graduate - like 4 English, 4 math, 3 science, 2 language, 3 social studies, 1 physical education, 1 health, etc. We had seven class periods a day, so your schedule would have your required subject classes, plus electives to fill it out. 1/2 credit was a semester, 1 credit was a year (2 semesters). A lot of required credit classes were two semesters, and a lot of electives were just one, but not always. Within each general subject, there were different specialty subjects that you could choose from (science - Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Anatomy, Geology). Some had prerequisites, a previous class (you had to take Algebra I to be able to take Algebra II), certain grades or placement test scores (advanced or college prep classes), or teacher permission. Electives might be things like Art, Band, Computer Science, Home Economics, Drama, Woodshop, Driver's Education, etc. You had to have an overall number of credits to graduate, I want to say 24. Our school didn't let students have free periods, but there was Study Hall, which had no credits attached.

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[ SECRET POST #6045 ]

Re: Explain American things to a non American thread.

Re: Explain American things to a non American thread.

Re: Explain American things to a non American thread.

Re: Explain American things to a non American thread.

Re: Explain American things to a non American thread.

Re: Explain American things to a non American thread.

Re: Explain American things to a non American thread.

Re: Explain American things to a non American thread.

Re: Explain American things to a non American thread.