To Move to the USA or Not? Yr 10 dilemma.

[gingermcg]

I have a Yr10 and a Yr5. We have the opportunity to move to the USA. Considering that my 14 y.o has just started his GCSE curriculum,is there any easy way to assimilate him into the US education system without ruining his education and affecting his potential access to Uni.
My gut says stay here until the GCSE's are over but it would mean OH living over there and us over here. Expensive and a big separation.
Does anyone have any experience of this?
Views and opinions would be appreciated.

I have friends that did it the other way around & brought their chidlren back from the US when the eldest was in year 10.
The school decided it was best for her to repeat year 10 over here.
She is now Year 13 & 19. She's quite happy to be in the year below & should still get into uni without a problem.
However, she was one of the younger ones in her year group, they may feel differently if they are the oldest!

If he is in Y10 now, and you move this year, that would mean going into 9th Grade in the US system, which is the start of High School.

If you stay for the four years of High School, then he would graduate with a High School diploma. This isn't enough for university here - he would need to do a fair few Advance Placement (AP) courses, so picking the right High School is important.

If you see out GCSEs in this country, at least he will have a tangible certificate. He can then move into the last two years of High School there and do his AP courses.

We are thinking of sending DS2 to boarding school in the USA after his GCSEs.

What would be the circumstances of your move (work?) and for how long? Are any of you US citizens?

There are some schools in US which do the International Bacclaureate (including ordinary public High Schools). This is one way forward, potentially. AP courses are pretty common for high achieving pupils.
Do British Unis really not recognise the results of American college entry tests? I'd be surprised if they didn't.

Thanks for the views. We are Brits, born and bred.

The job is a permanent job in Boston. The last time we went abroad for any duration, we only had one boy and he was only 3 weeks old. It was in post coldwar Budapest (I can tell you that was an experience). At least the US will be closer to what we know.

I understand that school fee's are part of the package and I have been looking at the International School for both boys. Has anyone any experience of that institution?

What are AP's? and is he old enough to follow the IB? Is it not comparable to A levels?

Advanced Placement (AP) courses are offered in some US high schools and are the equivalent of a first year US college course. If you send your boys to a US high school you need to make sure it offers a few AP courses (although they won't normally do them until their junior or senior year). To persuade the school they qualify for AP classes they will need really good grades (or good GCSEs if you wait).

I moved to the US as soon as I finished my GCSEs. I went to a good US high school for my final two years of education. I did two AP courses and got good grades and then applied to UK universities as per normal. Some UK colleges were snotty (no London medical school would consider me) but most were fine. I got offers of places from several good institutions and an interview at Cambridge .

You will need to consider whether you might have to pay foreign fees when your DS goes to a UK university. If they don't live in the UK for 3 years prior to unviersity, regardless of your citizenship, they may have to pay foreign fees which are quite high.

The IB is a two year sixth form course. It would be much more straightforward for him to finish his GCSEs here and then transfer to an American school that offers the IB as he would then have a qualification that is definitely recognised by British universities (although there are complaints that they demand a much higher entry standard from IB students than from A level students.)

However, I can understand that you don't want the family to be split for that long! There is something called the IGCSE but I know nothing about it at all - do the International schools offer that?

A good international school leading to the IB will be much better currency for getting to a good UK or US university than rubbishy old GCSEs and A-levels. Boston is a brilliant city full of academics and businesspeople - their children will have high academic standards. You have nothing to worry about if the school is locally considered a good one. What a fabulous opportunity for your children - seize it

The IB is a full curriculum.

Look at www.ibo.org for more info.

I agree with Anna entirely. GCSEs & A levels are nothing to stay in UK for if you have this opportunity available. Find a decent school in Boston (there must be some, it's an intellectual centre), and they'll be fine.

How about this one?

I know- I'd be there in a flash, Anna!

OP - I hope you've understood that Duchesse and I (both quite informed and opiniated about education, n'est-ce pas? think this is a no-brainer

Qui, moi, opinionated? And about bilingual/ international education and the coughvaluecough of the British national curriculum? I am shocked you should think that, Anna!

My smiley is being fake innocent rather than dubious btw. And why we're on the subject of smileys, can anybody explain to me the need for a festive sad smiley?? That's a bit weird isn't it?

If you are moving permanently, GCSEs really don't matter. The US schools would not have a clue what to think of them.

As for options there, the basic high school diploma is closer to GCSE, and AP courses are closer to A-level.

Having AP credits means that you may be able to skip that particular class in first year university (if you had a good enough pass), and receive college credits for it. It can mean a much better college experience.

I'm not an expert on the IB in the US, but I would imagine that the Higher Level courses will be regarded as AP, and the Standard Level as normal diploma courses. It all depends on what the university is willing to accept. It is not as standardised as the UCAS points system here.

year 10 is grade 9. so beginning of high school. should be fine