How are your grades?

[Willow]

No I don't think the American and English systems look much alike at all, in fact the English and Netherlands systems seem much more comparable 😉

The test you talk about after elemntary school seems something very similar to what we take after "primary" school, what used to be called the eleven plus. You take the test when you are 10/11 years old, and although it isn't used much now, in certain areas, children take an entrance test to grammar school. Grammar schools are selective, and mine took the top 5% of those tested. You then study for 5 years to take the GCSE, a further year for the AS, and another after that for the A Level. After A Level you can go on to university. You can study at a college to do AS and A Levels, or at your school, it really all depends on the rules of the locality, or the Local Education Authority.

It seems that if you're to make points of comparison then the MVBO is similar to GCSEs, HAVO to the AS Level, and the VBO to the A Level. Obviously all systems are different, for example at GCSE you study 11 subjects, whereas at A Level you study on average 3 subjects much more indepth than you would have done at GCSE. However, I would assume that the A Level and VBO are equivalent as to the skills you acquire and the depth to which you study, as usually you can complete qualifications in one country, and go on to attend university in another country, so there has to be some sort of genera consistency between the various qualifications each country gives

 

[Allycat]

I guess you're right, because if I wanted to (and if i could affort it) I could go to a British univeristy with a VWO diploma, that is off course if I make it this year!

 

[Willow]

Originally posted by Allycat
VWO

lol I realised this when i was doing some research aferwards; I wanted to make sure I was saying the right thing, and one particular university website said you needed VWO or other Western Europe equivalent. So really when you talk about there being only one level, in England, it's not, it's simply that we can progress as opposed to choosing one scheme, and the grades you're achieving at presenti n your senior year are roughly equivalent to what you would achieve were you studying the A Level this year, as Charlie Angel and others are this year, and I did last year (and boy am I glad I'm at university now!!!)

 

[Queen of Buffdom]

Ok, wow. I didn't understand half of the things you guys were just talking about. The education system in the Netherlands seems excellent, and in England, too.

Allycat, our education system is a lot different from England's. England has a much better system than we do, which explains why so many Americans are just plain stupid. 😉 (That doesn't include me.) In the US we don't have the levels that you talk about. We have different level classes (such as Honors classes and AP or advanced placement which is college level). Some parts of our education system are rather embarrassing in my opinion.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've realized that one can't compare the grades in different countries because the systems are so different. If I got an A in one class here, I might get the equivalent of a C in the Netherlands, for example. 🙂

 

[Willow]

I think that's the primary difference between America, and European schooling. If I wished to, I could study at an American university instead of an English one, but the systems are so different it would place me at a disadvantage, for example one girl gained a top A grade in Maths A Level, studied at Yale I think, and was put in the lowest, almost remedial, group, because of the differences. In Europe, due to the EU, I think the systems are a lot closer. There are obvious differences and discrepencies between grades, but each country usually talks of their system level, or other Western European equivalent. my old form tutor was also my French teacher, and we spent a lot of time talking about the various systems such as the Baccalaureate system in France, the differences between the french and english systems and so on, but they all have some sort of consistency ultimately

 

[Allycat]

Well am I glad I live in the Netherlands! ... the EU isn't half bad, but aren't you jealous you don't have the Euro? ... back to topic: Half of the people in this country are stupid too, maybe even more, there was this program on TV once and they interviewed people on the streets, they had a map of the world and the asked the people where Italy was. It was hilarious, according to them, we share our border with it, some of you Yanks live in Italy too, and Japan is also a part of Italy and so on and on and on! very funny!

 

[Willow]

To be fair, I have trouble placing the Netherlands, even having spent a year indirectly studying it last year as part of studying Calvinism and it's spread to France and the Netherlands. I will never figure out the whole difference between the 21st century Netherlands, and the 16th century area that was continually conflicting. Gets too confusing when you've only ever thought of it in terms of 5 centuries ago and war torn....

 

[Allycat]

Shame on you, we're practically neighbours! ... If you are willing to forget the Northsea! ... We're a very steady country, only from time to time, we stole belgium, just so we could get rid of them a century of what later. The only big change is the inpoldering (do you have this word) of Flevoland. We kinda turned a big sea into a new province ... lol!

 

[Willow]

I don't think we have the word inpoldering, I've certainly never heard of it; building land on sea basically? And believe me, the time I was studying was anything but steady, then again I'm sure things could have settled down a little since then..... 😀

Anyway, we need to get back on track, this is about education, not our homelands!!