Twelfth grade is the North American name for the
final year of secondary school in most countries after which
students usually 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.
Canada
In
Canada
, 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 turning
17 by December 31, of that year. In many Canadian high schools
students, during their year hold a series of fund raisers,
grad-class trips, and other social events. Twelfth grade Canadian
students attend
Prom. Grad rings, grade pranks,
are also very common. Québec is the lone province that doesn't have
12 grade. So, when a student is in 12 grade in Ontario (ex.), the
student in Québec is in his firstyear of CÉGEP.
France
The equivalent grade in this country is the best see what happens
in france is that the french is the main subject
Terminale, upon completion of
which students write a test, the
Baccalaureate.
French-language 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.
Germany
In
Germany, 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.
India
In
India
, the equivalent grade is referred to as the
"twelfth standard", or "plus 2" or (in some regions "second year
junior college" (SYJC). Most students who pass out of class
12 are 17–18 years old. With the introduction of separate
entrance examinations 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 300,000
students appear for the
IIT-JEE exam,
competing for 5,500 seats at the
IITs. The
CBSE and
ICSE boards
conduct twelfth standard courses nationally, while
state boards operate
at the state-level.
Ireland
In
Ireland
, it is the fourth year of Secondary School (for 15-17 year
olds). It is the first of a minimum of two years in the
Leaving Certificate cycle (an optional transition year extends that
to 3 years). The State exam, the
Leaving Certificate, is taken at the end
of
sixth year. The grades achieved in this exam
are converted to points for entry into Universities and Institutes
of Technology.
Nepal
In Nepal completion of 18 years of education is called twelfth
grade, which is also known as MA in Nepal. After the first 10 years
of study, students can choose major subject as their future study
target like Science, Management etc.
South Africa
In
South Africa, 12th grade 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 12th grade, students are said to be matriculated.
This also refers to the minimum requirement for progressing to
University.
Mexico
In Mexico, the twelfth grade is the last year of
high school, where students are normally aged
17-18.
United Kingdom
In
England and
Wales, "
Year 13"
(or "Upper
Sixth") is the second and last
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 colleges
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.
United States
The twelfth grade is the twelfth school year after
kindergarten. It is also the last year of
compulsory
secondary education,
or "
high school" in the U.S. often,
students enter the grade as 17-years-old and graduate as
18-years-old.
Many students consider senior year a year to take life easy and
prepare to 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 . While others take advantage of the opportunity to complete
additional higher level courses, such as Advanced Placement, and
earn credits for college.
Traditions associated with the senior year
Nearing the end of the school year, there is a
graduation 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
often in full color and 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 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.
Latin America
In Latin America except in Chile, El Salvador, Panama, Uruguay and
some Mexican regions, there is no grade 12; secondary education
terminates with 11th grade. In Chile the 12th grade is called "4to
(Cuarto) Medio", meaning "Fourth secondary". In Argentina is called
"quinto año" or "tercero polimodal". In Brazil, the 12th grade is
called "Terceiro Ano", is the third grade of the Secondary
Education.
In
Venezuela
is called "QUINTO AÑO" and is the last year of high
school
See also
References
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search