Rrob

Hi,

We are in the process of moving to US, and my son just finished Y11. By the time we move, he’ll be in 11th grade in Jan 23. He’s done pretty well with his GCSEs but high schools over there are not familiar with GCSE. How can we convert his grades to high school unit credits. I’m not sure how he can choose his subjects for 11th and 12th grade to not to fall behind. Any tips would be greatly received.

Many thanks in advance

Scratchy907

Hi,

You will bring his GCSE grades to the school where they will convert them into a GPA. (Grade Point Average). Students are awarded a 4.0 for straight A's and given extra points for studying honors level or higher classes. At the moment, if he has passed all of his GCSE's, then he may have already completed all the requirements for the high school diploma however, that will vary from school to school depending on what their individual graduation requirements are. To be competitive for college admission though, he would be looking at studying some AP (Advanced Placement exams) and taking the SAT or ACT. AP's are the US equivalent of A levels and are studied alongside regular high school classes (not afterwards like the UK) and can be used in the UK for university admission and are helpful in the admissions process over here and if passed at a certain level, can provide some credit towards the degree.

He will be entering mid-way through his junior year (US high schools are Freshman (year 9), Sophomore (year 10), Junior, (year 11) and Senior (year 12). You may find you want to look for some catch-up classes after school or independently if he is behind in the AP classes.

The website Athleticademix has a good article on the academic system in the USA.

Scratchy907

I should also add that you should get in touch with the high school he is looking to transfer in to, and ask them which AP classes they offer if you are going down that route. That way he can choose similar classes in the UK so hopefully the transition mid way through the year isn't too difficult. You can also ask to see a list of requirements for graduation, which should tell you what classes and how many years of those classes are required for graduation (for example 3 years of a foreign language, 4 years of English, 4 of Mathmatics etc)..

You can opt to pay for a credential evaluation service that specialize in transferring international qualifications into US qualifications, or speak directly with the school as they may not require it - they may choose to look at his GCSE's or whatever courses he has studied in the UK and covert it themselves.

Rrob

Thanks for your response

jjmb

Personally, I would try to find a way to keep him at school in the UK for the reminding time he has in secondary school. The school systems are just not compatible, full stop, especially so late in the process! Also, where does he want to go to University?

Rrob

His preference is US unis, that’s why we’re trying to get him to schools over there. I was told it’s easier to get admission to uni if they go through their system. Have you had any similar experience? Thanks

jjmb

The person to seek out re university and how to negotiate the system is petitefrancaise whose eldest daughter started US school in her junior year. There are others I am sure. You are probably best DMing her.

My own experience is over 20 yrs ago and my daughter entered her Sophomore year in the Fall semester. Her experience of being a freshman was 6 weeks and most of that time was taken up by the state tests which she was not eligible to take and generally not much else. It took a good 3 months before credits were given to her from her Scottish school and those credits were not weighted so her GPA was not as high as it could have been. AP classes were relatively new then but she did a couple plus some college courses at the local community college which helped her college application. She wouldn't have been able to get into the top universities at the time despite having a 4.0 GPA as several of the important credits were at 0, such as some mathematics which is a subject that is subdivided, into trigonometry, algebra, etc, unlike the UK where Maths is one subject. Likewise for French and English. They tested her for some of these subjects and gave her the credit without the GPA. My understanding is that SAT scores aren't so important these days but at the time, they were the most vital scores to have. It didn't help that she had a bad car accident just the weekend before her SAT test. Her memory was shot to pieces as she suffered a bad concussion.
To be honest, we were woefully unprepared for how different the school curriculum was compared to the Scottish system so it's great you are doing the preparation now. The one thing we didn't appreciate at the time, was the choice of the school district is very important. So check out the grading of the schools in the area you planning to move to. Our school district is middling to poor.
Good luck but if we had our choice over, we would have given into her request to go to the local private school in Scotland until she finished her secondary school education.

Rrob

jjmb Thank you very much for your comprehensive response. It’s a lot to go through before making a decision! Wish is good luck 🍀

Rrob

Hi petitefrancaise, I wonder if you can help with my query please? Has the US high school your daughter went to accepted her GCSEs?

Many thanks

jjmb

Her daughter graduated several years ago. Plus she came from the French school system which is even harder to translate into the US system. I hadn't realised you had so few posts, so you can't directly DM her yet, not sure how many posts you need to do that. However, she is one of the best members to contact regarding school and university as she now works with people moving over to the States, so she has own considerable knowledge and other people's experiences. Search for GCSE on this board, to find other people's replies. Mine was a poor experience, but others have had a very successful outcome.

petitefrancaise

I've been mulling this one over.
presumably your son is doing "A" levels now? Where?
If you're moving January 2023 then I think it's too late to start high school and get ready for college/USA university. Doesn't matter about the credits because you can work with the universities on that. The issue is going to be getting AP exams sufficient for college entry. From what I've read here, my advice would be for your son to complete his "A" levels where he is if possible and apply for University with those.
We moved at the beginning of 11th grade and my daughter completed the 2 year IB diploma. Your son doesn't have this option.

PetrifiedExPat

Without dragging up arguments for or against, have you considered him staying to finish A-levels? Even college?