Twelfth grade
Encyclopedia
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all. Twelfth grade is typically the last and senior year of high school
.
, the twelfth grade is referred to as Year 12. In New South Wales
, students are usually 16 or 17 years old when they enter Year 12. Students in Year 12 work towards getting an ATAR
(Australian Tertiary Admission Rank), VCE
(Victorian Certificate of Education, which applies only to students in the state of Victoria), or OP
(Overall Position, which applies only to students in the state of Queensland), which will allow them access to courses at university. Students are required to satisfactorily complete at least 10 units of study in ATAR courses which must include:
Students can leave school at the age of 15 only if they have a full-time job or are doing a TAFE course.
Year 12s also usually receive a Year 12 Jersey. Schools choose the design, colours and writing which are printed or stitched onto the jersey
. Generally the last two digits of the year they are graduating are printed on the back, for example "10" for 2010 school leavers and above is a personalised nickname. The front usually shows the school emblem and students name which are generally stitched in.
Many schools conduct end of year "formals" and are held from anytime between graduation in September to November.
, the twelfth grade is referred to as Grade 12. Grade 12 is the 12th year after kindergarten. Students generally enter their Grade 12 year when they are 17, or will be turning 17 by December 31 of that year. In many Canadian high schools, students, during their year, hold a series of fundraisers, grade-class trips, and other social events. Grade 12 Canadian students attend Graduation
which usually involves an official ceremony and a dinner dance.
Ontario
previously had Grade 13, which was briefly renamed Ontario Academic Credit (OAC), before being phased out, leaving Grade 12 as the final year. Grades 12 and 13 were similar to sixth form
in England.
Quebec
is the lone province that does not have Grade 12; there students finish secondary school at the equivalent of Grade 11 and then do two years of CEGEP
. Thus, when a student is in Grade 12 in Ontario, for instance, the student in Quebec is in his first year of CEGEP.
The province of Newfoundland and Labrador
did not introduce Grade 12 until 1983.
, the twelfth grade is the 3rd G, its equivalent is the 3rd grade of secondary school, or gym
nasium. This is not compulsory, as education is only compulsory through 9th grade. Students are often 18-19 because there is a one year gap (it is optional; you can go directly to the first year of secondary school) between the 9th grade and gymnasium's 1st G were students typically go on a trip or go to some special easy going art and sport oriented schools called "afterschool". Sometimes it is also because Danish children first start school at 6 or 7.
schools that teach the French government curriculum (i.e. are part of the AEFE network) use the same system of grades as their counterparts in France. This is not compulsory, as education is only compulsory until you are 16.
, students wishing to take the Abitur
usually had to attend a thirteenth grade, but most states
are shortening the gymnasium
(the university-bound secondary school system in Germany) from nine to eight years.
, the equivalent grade is referred to as the "twelfth standard", or "plus 2" or in some regions "second year junior college" (SYJC) or PreUniversity Course (PUC). Most students who pass out of class 12 are 17–18 years old. With the introduction of separate entrance examination
s for entry into medicine
, engineering
and law courses. Entrance exams usually comprise multiple-choice-questions on physics
, chemistry
and biology
(or mathematics
) and are conducted separately on national and state levels. Additionally some highly coveted institutions hold their own entrance tests. These competitive exams are among the toughest in the world and competition is intense, for example over 450,000 students appear for the IIT-JEE exam, competing for 10,000 seats at the IITs
.The AIIMS entrance test is also one of the toughest exams for admission to undergraduate courses in medicine. Around 80,000 students compete for 50 seats. The CBSE and ICSE
boards conduct twelfth standard courses nationally, while state boards
operate at the state-level.
, it is the sixth and final year of Secondary School
(for 12-18 year olds), which students take the Leaving Certificate Examinations
.
, it is the third and final year of High School
.The students enter the class when they are 16–17 years old.
They need to pass the "Bagrut"-General final Examination.
, the twelfth grade is the second and final year of college (the first being the eleventh grade) and is equivalently called the "second year." Students who graduate from the second year are normally between seventeen to eighteen years old. For entrance into universities and postgraduate education, students undergo standardised academic exams conducted by the National Testing Service
.
, Grade 12 is the final year of high school. It is more commonly referred to as matric, which is itself short for matriculation. (See Matriculation in South Africa
).
At the end of Grade 12, students are said to be matriculated. This also refers to the minimum requirement for progressing to University. On average, Grade 12 students are between the ages of 17 and 18.
Students graduate the same year they'll turn 19, depending on if you are born early or late in the year you are either 19 or 18 at the day of your graduation.
, where students are normally aged 17–18. As in Mexico the education is divided in "primaria" (6 years), "secundaria" (3 years) and "preparatoria" or "bachillerato" (3 years), the twelfth grade is usually called "tercero de preparatoria" (third grade of preparatoria) o "Quinto y Sexto Semestre" (Fifth and Sixth Semester)
and Wales
, "Year 12" (or "Lower Sixth
") is the first year of A-Level certifications, which are completed at the end of "Year 13" (or "Upper Sixth") Students are usually 16-17 in Year 12 and 17-18 in Year 13. In Northern Ireland this takes place in Years 13 and 14. In both cases, these two years are entirely optional, but generally required for entry into higher education
. In Scotland
, this is 6th year. Sufficiently good marks in 5th year may be adequate for entry into higher education (Highers are the entry qualifications to university, of which can be sat in S5, S6 and college, with Advanced highers being the equivalent to year one of university which can be sat following higher exams). There exist specific sixth form college
s dedicated to these years of education, sometimes known as "further education
" to distinguish it from both secondary education
, which is compulsory, and higher education
, which implies university
studies.
. It is also the last year of compulsory secondary education
, or "high school
". Students often enter the grade as 17-year-olds and graduate as 18-year-olds.
Many students consider the twelfth grade a year to relax and prepare for transition out of their old lives into college or the workplace. The class work for some is generally not as difficult as in the eleventh grade because the eleventh grade is generally the year where the important examinations take place such as SAT and ACT. Others take advantage of the opportunity to complete additional higher level courses, such as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate, to earn credits for college.
Mathematics
courses focus normally on trigonometry, College Prep Math, Advanced Placement Calculus, Advanced Placement Statistics, Probability and Statistics and/or SUPA Calculus.
Science
courses involve Advanced Placement Chemistry, Advanced Placement Biology, Advanced Placement Environmental Science, Astronomy/Meteorology, CSI Forensic Science, Marine Biology
and/or Advanced Placement Physics B, Advanced Placement Physics C: Mechanics or Advanced Placement Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism.
Social Studies
courses focus on Government Law, Economics, Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics, Advanced Placement Comparative Government and Politics, Advanced Placement Psychology, Advanced Placement European History, Advanced Placement Microeconomics and/or Advanced Placement Macroeconomics.
English
classes tend to focus on Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition, Film and Lit, Sports and Lit, and/or Contemporary Lit. Popular works include 'Beowulf
, The Canterbury Tales
, Pygmalion: A Romance in Five Acts, The Handmaids Tale,Frankenstein
,Othello
, Inferno
, Goethe's Faust
, Brave New World
and works of Romantic and Non Romantic Poets such as Edgar Allan Poe
, Emily Dickinson
, John Keats
, William Wordsworth
.
Art
classes tend to focus on Advanced Placement Art History, Advanced Placement Studio Art, Advanced Placement Music Theory Applied art in Theatre, Music Theory For Garage Band Musicians, IB Musical Analysis, IB Theatre Arts, Advanced Technical Theatre, Advanced Photography, Advanced Cyramics, Fashion Design and Illustration, Theatre Dance, Jazz Dance, IB Dance Studies Madrigal Singers, Jazz
Singers, and/or Wind Ensemble.
Technology
classes focus on Advanced Placement Computer Science
,Java, Advanced Web Design, C++
Programing.
Business
classes focus on College Marketing, College Entrepreneurship, Sports and Entertainment Marketing, College Preparatory Interview Classes, Advanced Fundamentals in Business.
Wellness
classes include Physical Education
, Health
(if not yet taken), Weightlifting
, Advanced Training in First Aid.
event, more formally referred to as commencement, where the Seniors formally graduate from High School and receive their diplomas.
In many schools, seniors sit for formal senior portraits
at the beginning of the school year or the summer prior to senior year. These portraits are used in the upcoming graduating class's yearbook
. The senior portraits in the yearbook are either in full color or black and white, but bigger than the smaller black and white pictures typically used for lower grades. Some may even have a caption or a quote from the student.
Customarily there is a formal dance for this year's students, called senior prom
. Some schools hold a combined prom for juniors and seniors, while others segregate the two grades into separate dances.
Senior skip day
(also known as senior ditch day) is a day during which the seniors do not attend school and cut all their classes. This event/tradition is often not recognized by school administrations and teachers. In some areas it is countered with an officially recognized senior day off, or by allowing graduating seniors to skip their final examinations ("finals"). This official senior day can also be used to sponsor a "senior field trip" where the graduating class would, for example, go to a theme park or some other vacation-type activity.
In some schools, Seniors receive a class ring
at the beginning of their senior year. A "senior prank" is another common tradition in which the class may contribute towards a practical joke
on the school or administration.
In Chile the 12th grade is called 4to (cuarto) medio, meaning "fourth secondary".
In Guatemala is called "quinto bachillerato".
In Argentina it is called quinto año or tercero polimodal.
In Ecuador it is the final year of high school and it is called Tercero de Bachillerato (formerly, Sexto Curso) because secondary education consists of three years of Educación Basica (basic education) and three years of Bachillerato (baccalaureate). This follows the Escuela Primaria (primary school) which consists of 7 years of basic education, beginning from Primero de Educación Básica (First) until Séptimo (Seventh).
In Brazil, the 12th grade is called terceiro ano and is the third grade of the secondary education.
In Colombia
there is no 12th grade so the eleventh grade is called "senior year" and in Spanish it is called "segundo de bachillerato" (bachillerato means "baccalaureate").
In Venezuela
it is called "Quinto Año" (5th grade). The last year of high school after six years of "Básica" (basic, elementary school) plus Pre-K and Kindergarten
.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
.
Australia
In AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the twelfth grade is referred to as Year 12. In New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, students are usually 16 or 17 years old when they enter Year 12. Students in Year 12 work towards getting an ATAR
Australian Tertiary Admission Rank
The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank is the primary criterion for entry into most undergraduate-entry university programs in Australia, it was gradually introduced during 2009 and 2010 to replace the Universities Admission Index, Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank and Tertiary Entrance...
(Australian Tertiary Admission Rank), VCE
Victorian Certificate of Education
The Victorian Certificate of Education or VCE is the credential awarded to secondary school students who successfully complete high school level studies in the state of Victoria, Australia. Study for the VCE is usually completed over two years, but it can be spread over a longer period in some cases...
(Victorian Certificate of Education, which applies only to students in the state of Victoria), or OP
Overall Position
The Overall Position is a tertiary entrance rank used in the Australian state of Queensland for selection into universities. Like similar systems used throughout the rest of Australia, the OP shows how well a student has performed in their senior secondary studies compared to all other OP-eligible...
(Overall Position, which applies only to students in the state of Queensland), which will allow them access to courses at university. Students are required to satisfactorily complete at least 10 units of study in ATAR courses which must include:
- eight units from Category A courses
- two units of English
- three Board Developed courses of two units or greater
- four subjects
Students can leave school at the age of 15 only if they have a full-time job or are doing a TAFE course.
Year 12s also usually receive a Year 12 Jersey. Schools choose the design, colours and writing which are printed or stitched onto the jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
. Generally the last two digits of the year they are graduating are printed on the back, for example "10" for 2010 school leavers and above is a personalised nickname. The front usually shows the school emblem and students name which are generally stitched in.
Many schools conduct end of year "formals" and are held from anytime between graduation in September to November.
Canada
In CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the twelfth grade is referred to as Grade 12. Grade 12 is the 12th year after kindergarten. Students generally enter their Grade 12 year when they are 17, or will be turning 17 by December 31 of that year. In many Canadian high schools, students, during their year, hold a series of fundraisers, grade-class trips, and other social events. Grade 12 Canadian students attend Graduation
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
which usually involves an official ceremony and a dinner dance.
Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
previously had Grade 13, which was briefly renamed Ontario Academic Credit (OAC), before being phased out, leaving Grade 12 as the final year. Grades 12 and 13 were similar to sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
in England.
Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
is the lone province that does not have Grade 12; there students finish secondary school at the equivalent of Grade 11 and then do two years of CEGEP
Cégep
CEGEP is an acronym for , which is literally translated as "College of General and Vocational Education" but commonly called "General and Vocational College" in circles not influenced by Quebec English. It refers to the public post-secondary education collegiate institutions exclusive to the...
. Thus, when a student is in Grade 12 in Ontario, for instance, the student in Quebec is in his first year of CEGEP.
The province of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
did not introduce Grade 12 until 1983.
Denmark
In DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, the twelfth grade is the 3rd G, its equivalent is the 3rd grade of secondary school, or gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium. This is not compulsory, as education is only compulsory through 9th grade. Students are often 18-19 because there is a one year gap (it is optional; you can go directly to the first year of secondary school) between the 9th grade and gymnasium's 1st G were students typically go on a trip or go to some special easy going art and sport oriented schools called "afterschool". Sometimes it is also because Danish children first start school at 6 or 7.
France
The equivalent grade in this country is Terminale, it is the third year of lycée which is equivalent to gymnasium, upon completion of which students sit for a test, the Baccalaureat. French-languageFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
schools that teach the French government curriculum (i.e. are part of the AEFE network) use the same system of grades as their counterparts in France. This is not compulsory, as education is only compulsory until you are 16.
Germany
In GermanyEducation in Germany
The responsibility for the German education system lies primarily with the states while the federal government plays only a minor role. Optional Kindergarten education is provided for all children between three and six years of age, after which school attendance is compulsory, in most cases for...
, students wishing to take the Abitur
Abitur
Abitur is a designation used in Germany, Finland and Estonia for final exams that pupils take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling, see also for Germany Abitur after twelve years.The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as...
usually had to attend a thirteenth grade, but most states
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
are shortening the gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
(the university-bound secondary school system in Germany) from nine to eight years.
India
In IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the equivalent grade is referred to as the "twelfth standard", or "plus 2" or in some regions "second year junior college" (SYJC) or PreUniversity Course (PUC). Most students who pass out of class 12 are 17–18 years old. With the introduction of separate entrance examination
Entrance examination
An entrance examination is an examination that many educational institutions use to select students for admission. These exams may be administered at any level of education, from primary to higher education, although they are more common at higher levels....
s for entry into medicine
MBBS
MBBS was a popular BBS system in the Nordic countries during the mid-1990s. It was created by a team of Oslo-based enthusiasts, led by Mike Robertson. As many BBS systems of that era, it was only available for the DOS platform. Since one process could only handle one node, multitaskers such as...
, engineering
BE
BE, B.E., Be or be may refer to:*The verb to be *Bachelor of Engineering, undergraduate academic degree*Buddhist Era of the Thai solar calendar*Bahá'í Era, the date notation of the Bahá'í calendar...
and law courses. Entrance exams usually comprise multiple-choice-questions on physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
(or mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
) and are conducted separately on national and state levels. Additionally some highly coveted institutions hold their own entrance tests. These competitive exams are among the toughest in the world and competition is intense, for example over 450,000 students appear for the IIT-JEE exam, competing for 10,000 seats at the IITs
Indian Institutes of Technology
The Indian Institutes of Technology are a group of autonomous engineering and technology-oriented institutes of higher education. The IITs are governed by the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 which has declared them as “institutions of national importance”, and lays down their powers, duties,...
.The AIIMS entrance test is also one of the toughest exams for admission to undergraduate courses in medicine. Around 80,000 students compete for 50 seats. The CBSE and ICSE
Indian Certificate of Secondary Education
The Indian Certificate of Secondary Education or ICSE examination is an examination conducted by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, a private, non-governmental board of school education in India, for class 10, i.e., grade 10...
boards conduct twelfth standard courses nationally, while state boards
Higher Secondary (School) Certificate
The Higher Secondary Certificate, also known as HSC, is a public examination taken by students in Bangladesh, Pakistan and in the states of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra and Goa in India after successfully completing at least twelve years of schooling, that is two years...
operate at the state-level.
Ireland
In IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, it is the sixth and final year of Secondary School
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
(for 12-18 year olds), which students take the Leaving Certificate Examinations
Leaving Certificate
The Leaving Certificate Examinations , commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert is the final examination in the Irish secondary school system. It takes a minimum of two years preparation, but an optional Transition Year means that for those students it takes place three years after the Junior...
.
Israel
In IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, it is the third and final year of High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
.The students enter the class when they are 16–17 years old.
They need to pass the "Bagrut"-General final Examination.
Pakistan
In PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, the twelfth grade is the second and final year of college (the first being the eleventh grade) and is equivalently called the "second year." Students who graduate from the second year are normally between seventeen to eighteen years old. For entrance into universities and postgraduate education, students undergo standardised academic exams conducted by the National Testing Service
National Testing Service
National Testing Service is an Organization in Pakistan that conducts academic performance evaluation tests. It is similar to Educational Testing Service in the US. NTS offers two main types of tests, the National Admission Test and the Graduate Assessment Test . NAT is aimed at students seeking...
.
South Africa
In South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Grade 12 is the final year of high school. It is more commonly referred to as matric, which is itself short for matriculation. (See Matriculation in South Africa
Matriculation in South Africa
In South Africa, matriculation is a term commonly used to refer to the final year of high school and the qualification received on graduating from high school, although strictly speaking, it refers to the minimum university entrance requirements. The first formal examination was conducted in...
).
At the end of Grade 12, students are said to be matriculated. This also refers to the minimum requirement for progressing to University. On average, Grade 12 students are between the ages of 17 and 18.
Sweden
In Sweden, the twelfth grade is not officially existent, but it's equivalent is the 3rd grade of secondary school, or gymnasium. This is not compulsory, as education is only compulsory until 9th grade.Students graduate the same year they'll turn 19, depending on if you are born early or late in the year you are either 19 or 18 at the day of your graduation.
Mexico
In Mexico, the twelfth grade is the last year of high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, where students are normally aged 17–18. As in Mexico the education is divided in "primaria" (6 years), "secundaria" (3 years) and "preparatoria" or "bachillerato" (3 years), the twelfth grade is usually called "tercero de preparatoria" (third grade of preparatoria) o "Quinto y Sexto Semestre" (Fifth and Sixth Semester)
New Zealand
In New Zealand, 12th grade is known as Year 13. Students entering Year 13 are usually 17–18 years old. This is the last year of high school. In Year 13, students complete NCEA Level 3,which involved getting a certain number of 'credits' from different exams and other assessments.United Kingdom
In EnglandEducation in England
Education in England is overseen by the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Local authorities take responsibility for implementing policy for public education and state schools at a regional level....
and Wales
Education in Wales
Education in Wales differs in certain respects from education elsewhere in the United Kingdom. For example, a significant number of students all over Wales are educated either wholly or largely through the medium of Welsh: in 2008/09, 22 per cent of classes in maintained primary schools used Welsh...
, "Year 12" (or "Lower Sixth
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
") is the first year of A-Level certifications, which are completed at the end of "Year 13" (or "Upper Sixth") Students are usually 16-17 in Year 12 and 17-18 in Year 13. In Northern Ireland this takes place in Years 13 and 14. In both cases, these two years are entirely optional, but generally required for entry into higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
. In Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, this is 6th year. Sufficiently good marks in 5th year may be adequate for entry into higher education (Highers are the entry qualifications to university, of which can be sat in S5, S6 and college, with Advanced highers being the equivalent to year one of university which can be sat following higher exams). There exist specific sixth form college
Sixth form college
A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Belize, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 18 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels, or school-level qualifications such as GCSEs. In Singapore and India, this is...
s dedicated to these years of education, sometimes known as "further education
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
" to distinguish it from both secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
, which is compulsory, and higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
, which implies university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
studies.
United States
The twelfth grade is the twelfth school year after kindergartenKindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
. It is also the last year of compulsory secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
, or "high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
". Students often enter the grade as 17-year-olds and graduate as 18-year-olds.
Many students consider the twelfth grade a year to relax and prepare for transition out of their old lives into college or the workplace. The class work for some is generally not as difficult as in the eleventh grade because the eleventh grade is generally the year where the important examinations take place such as SAT and ACT. Others take advantage of the opportunity to complete additional higher level courses, such as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate, to earn credits for college.
Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
courses focus normally on trigonometry, College Prep Math, Advanced Placement Calculus, Advanced Placement Statistics, Probability and Statistics and/or SUPA Calculus.
Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
courses involve Advanced Placement Chemistry, Advanced Placement Biology, Advanced Placement Environmental Science, Astronomy/Meteorology, CSI Forensic Science, Marine Biology
Marine biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather...
and/or Advanced Placement Physics B, Advanced Placement Physics C: Mechanics or Advanced Placement Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism.
Social Studies
Social studies
Social studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...
courses focus on Government Law, Economics, Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics, Advanced Placement Comparative Government and Politics, Advanced Placement Psychology, Advanced Placement European History, Advanced Placement Microeconomics and/or Advanced Placement Macroeconomics.
English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
classes tend to focus on Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition, Film and Lit, Sports and Lit, and/or Contemporary Lit. Popular works include 'Beowulf
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
, The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century. The tales are told as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at...
, Pygmalion: A Romance in Five Acts, The Handmaids Tale,Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
,Othello
Othello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
, Inferno
Inferno
Inferno means "Hell" in both Italian and Portuguese, so this word may refer to:*Hell*Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire.-Literature:* Inferno , the first part of Dante's Divine Comedy...
, Goethe's Faust
Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend; a highly successful scholar, but also dissatisfied with his life, and so makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Faust's tale is the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical...
, Brave New World
Brave New World
Brave New World is Aldous Huxley's fifth novel, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Set in London of AD 2540 , the novel anticipates developments in reproductive technology and sleep-learning that combine to change society. The future society is an embodiment of the ideals that form the basis of...
and works of Romantic and Non Romantic Poets such as Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
, Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life...
, John Keats
John Keats
John Keats was an English Romantic poet. Along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, he was one of the key figures in the second generation of the Romantic movement, despite the fact that his work had been in publication for only four years before his death.Although his poems were not...
, William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
.
Art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
classes tend to focus on Advanced Placement Art History, Advanced Placement Studio Art, Advanced Placement Music Theory Applied art in Theatre, Music Theory For Garage Band Musicians, IB Musical Analysis, IB Theatre Arts, Advanced Technical Theatre, Advanced Photography, Advanced Cyramics, Fashion Design and Illustration, Theatre Dance, Jazz Dance, IB Dance Studies Madrigal Singers, Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
Singers, and/or Wind Ensemble.
Technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
classes focus on Advanced Placement Computer Science
Advanced Placement Computer Science
Advanced Placement Computer Science is the name of two distinct Advanced Placement courses and examinations offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn college credit for a college-level computer science course...
,Java, Advanced Web Design, C++
C++
C++ is a statically typed, free-form, multi-paradigm, compiled, general-purpose programming language. It is regarded as an intermediate-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell...
Programing.
Business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
classes focus on College Marketing, College Entrepreneurship, Sports and Entertainment Marketing, College Preparatory Interview Classes, Advanced Fundamentals in Business.
Wellness
Wellness
Wellness may mean:* Wellness * Wellness - The scientific meaning: health, freedom from disease.* Wellness dog and cat food, a brand used by the company WellPet* Well-being * Workplace wellness...
classes include Physical Education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
, Health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
(if not yet taken), Weightlifting
Weightlifting
Olympic Weightlifting, also called Olympic-style weightlifting, or weightlifting, is an athletic discipline in the modern Olympic programme in which participants attempt a maximum-weight single lift of a barbell loaded with weight plates....
, Advanced Training in First Aid.
Traditions associated with the senior year
Nearing the end of the school year, there is a graduationGraduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
event, more formally referred to as commencement, where the Seniors formally graduate from High School and receive their diplomas.
In many schools, seniors sit for formal senior portraits
Senior portraits
In North America, senior portraits are formal portraits taken of students at the beginning of their senior year of high school.-Traditional:Formal senior portraits, in and of themselves, date back at least to the 1920s...
at the beginning of the school year or the summer prior to senior year. These portraits are used in the upcoming graduating class's yearbook
Yearbook
A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a book to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school or a book published annually. Virtually all American, Australian and Canadian high schools, most colleges and many elementary and middle schools publish yearbooks...
. The senior portraits in the yearbook are either in full color or black and white, but bigger than the smaller black and white pictures typically used for lower grades. Some may even have a caption or a quote from the student.
Customarily there is a formal dance for this year's students, called senior prom
Senior Prom
Senior Prom is a still-classified United States Air Force program to develop a stealth unmanned aerial vehicle for reconnaissance purposes , designed to be launched from a Lockheed DC-130, B-52 Stratofortress, or B-1 Lancer.-Origin and development:The program began in the late 1970s after the...
. Some schools hold a combined prom for juniors and seniors, while others segregate the two grades into separate dances.
Senior skip day
Senior Skip Day
International Ditch Day is a tradition in most American and Canadian high schools and junior high schools where most of the senior class skip school on a pre-determined day, typically the 111th day of school...
(also known as senior ditch day) is a day during which the seniors do not attend school and cut all their classes. This event/tradition is often not recognized by school administrations and teachers. In some areas it is countered with an officially recognized senior day off, or by allowing graduating seniors to skip their final examinations ("finals"). This official senior day can also be used to sponsor a "senior field trip" where the graduating class would, for example, go to a theme park or some other vacation-type activity.
In some schools, Seniors receive a class ring
Class ring
A class ring is a ring worn by students and alumni in the United States and Canada to commemorate their graduation, generally for a high school, college, or university.-History:...
at the beginning of their senior year. A "senior prank" is another common tradition in which the class may contribute towards a practical joke
Practical joke
A practical joke is a mischievous trick played on someone, typically causing the victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort. Practical jokes differ from confidence tricks in that the victim finds out, or is let in on the joke, rather than being fooled into handing over money or...
on the school or administration.
Latin America
In Latin America—except in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay, Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Panama—there is no grade 12; secondary education terminates with the 11th grade.In Chile the 12th grade is called 4to (cuarto) medio, meaning "fourth secondary".
In Guatemala is called "quinto bachillerato".
In Argentina it is called quinto año or tercero polimodal.
In Ecuador it is the final year of high school and it is called Tercero de Bachillerato (formerly, Sexto Curso) because secondary education consists of three years of Educación Basica (basic education) and three years of Bachillerato (baccalaureate). This follows the Escuela Primaria (primary school) which consists of 7 years of basic education, beginning from Primero de Educación Básica (First) until Séptimo (Seventh).
In Brazil, the 12th grade is called terceiro ano and is the third grade of the secondary education.
In Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
there is no 12th grade so the eleventh grade is called "senior year" and in Spanish it is called "segundo de bachillerato" (bachillerato means "baccalaureate").
In Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
it is called "Quinto Año" (5th grade). The last year of high school after six years of "Básica" (basic, elementary school) plus Pre-K and Kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
.