The North American curriculum in Kenya
The American Curriculum offers a wide range of courses and subjects designed to produce well-rounded students. The curriculum is designed in a way that prepares students for university and beyond by promoting creativity, critical thinking, and social skills.
American schools are a popular choice among international parents. These schools are designed to provide a core curriculum that prepares students to enter schools, colleges, and universities in the United States and in a great number of countries throughout the world.
What Are the Benefits of The American Curriculum?
1. Wide range of courses and subjects designed to produce well-rounded students.
2. Focus on helping students discover the subjects where they excel and make the most of their talents.
3. Preparing students for university and beyond by promoting creativity, critical thinking, and social skills.
4. Schools Following The American Curriculum Help Students Discover Their Talents.
What are the subjects in the American curriculum?
The core subjects at each level are English language, arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. In addition, students are exposed to visual and performing arts, foreign languages, physical education, and technology
# What ages are each child in each grade?
# What is entrance testing?
Entrance testing provides a process to ensure incoming students have a high likelihood of succeeding academically
#. What is the meaning of the K-12 curriculum?
The K-12 system stands for 'from kindergarten to 12th grade'. This equates roughly to a school starting age of around five through to Grade 12 at around the age of 18. The system is broken down into three stages:
Elementary school (Grades K–5)
Middle school (Grades 6–8)
High school (Grades 9–12).
When does K-12 testing occur?
K-12 readiness testing occurs in February-March before the new school year.
Preschool readiness testing occurs in March-April before the new school year.
# What exams do American students take?
SATs and ACTs
This is why many students opt to take either the SAT (formerly known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test) or the ACT (the American College Test), both of which are nationally recognized tests taken at the high school level.
What is Advance placement AP?
Taking an AP course and scoring successfully on the related AP Exam, you can save on college expenses: most colleges and universities nationwide offer college credit, advanced placement, or both, for qualifying AP Exam scores. These credits can allow students to save college tuition, study abroad, or secure a second major. AP can transform what once seemed unattainable into something within reach.
Check out specific colleges’ guidelines on accepting AP scores for credit and placement by searching our AP Credit Policy database.
Term dates -when schools open and close and when are the holidays
The American school usually begins in August and ends in May. Schools typically schedule a 1-week break during March or April, with the peak during the final 2 weeks of March. Schools typically schedule a 10- to 11-week break beginning between May and June and ending between August and September.
Each core subject on each level... Kindergarten, primary, high school, A level.
# In addition to math and language arts, which are a major focus of kindergarten, children also learn science, social science, and usually art, music, health and safety, and physical education.
Key stage 1 and 2
Compulsory national curriculum subjects at primary school are:
English
Maths
Science
Design and technology
History
Geography
Art and design
Music
Physical education (PE), including swimming
Computing
Ancient and modern foreign languages (at key stage 2)
Schools must provide religious education (RE) but parents can ask for their children to be taken out of the whole lesson or part of it.
Schools often also teach:
Personal, social, and health education (PSHE)
Citizenship
Modern foreign languages (at key stage 1)
Tests and assessments
Year 1 phonics screening check
The check will take place in June when your child will read 40 words out loud to a teacher. You’ll find out how your child did, and their teacher will assess whether he or she needs extra help with reading. If your child does not do well enough in the check they’ll have to do it again in Year 2.
Key stage 1 tests cover:
English reading
English grammar, punctuation, and spelling
Maths
Your child will take the tests in May.
Key stage 2 tests cover:
English grammar, punctuation, and spelling
Maths
Your child will take national tests in May when they reach the end of key stage 2.
English reading
The tests last less than 4 hours. You’ll get the results in July.
Secondary Education in the US
Junior high school (or middle school)- Grade 6-8 and Senior high school- Grade 9-12 together provide secondary education to the children.
The mandatory subjects which are taught in US high schools include:
Science- biology, chemistry, and physics
Mathematics- statistics, algebra, geometry, and calculus
English- oral languages, humanities, literature, and composition
Social Sciences- history, geography, and economics.
Most of the states have made health courses mandatory so that the students learn about first-aid, nutrition, sexuality, and drug awareness. Art, foreign language, and physical education are also made compulsory by some schools in the curriculum.
The A-Level curriculum
It is a hugely popular, internationally recognized curriculum that helps you secure your place at a top university. Whether you're hoping to attend Stanford, Oxford, or Harvard, A-Levels are the high school curriculum to help get you there!
Examination centers for the American system in Kenya
Aga Khan Academy – Mombasa
Brookhouse International School – Nairobi
Eldoret Polytechnic – Eldoret
International School of Kenya – Nairobi
Oshwal Academy – Nairobi
Rift Valley Academy – Kijabe
Rosslyn Academy – Nairobi
West Nairobi School
Conclusion
In the end, although all major international curricula offer an excellent education for students, each curriculum has benefits and drawbacks that can affect whether it will be the right choice for your family and your child.
The American Curriculum Is A Fantastic Choice That Provides A Globally-Recognised Education. The American Curriculum is a fantastic, internationally-recognized workplace center sides center workplace centers-class educational framework for students. It is uniquely suited for students who plan to attend an American university or families that often move.
As one of the most popular international curricula, the American Curriculum has been tried and tested and has shown to be a successful education system. This outstanding record of success, along with a flexible system for schools and students, should provide parents with a sense of confidence that their child will be receiving one of the best educations available.