SubjectEnglish
- What your child learns
- Reading English texts, writing evidence-backed answers to questions from school subjects, and research writing
American Curriculum
Children at American-curriculum schools take LAB.CO classes in the subjects they study at school: English, math, science, and social studies.
Look over your child's course information and recent assignments with us, and decide together which subject to start with.
Curriculum and assessment
States, districts, and schools set the curriculum
The US has no national curriculum, so states, school districts, and schools decide what to teach and set admission and graduation requirements.
Standards
- Common Core: grade-by-grade standards for English (ELA) and math
- NGSS: grade-by-grade standards for science
- Adoption: varies by state
School materials
- Course catalog: the courses the school offers and the credits needed to graduate
- Syllabus: the plan and assessments for each course
- Textbooks and grading: listed in the school's materials
What to check in each subject
- Subject: English (ELA)
What students cover nowStudents read and write about fiction and nonfiction and learn grammar and vocabulary.
What to check before the next courseHow hard the assigned reading is, and how essays and presentations expect your child to write with evidence
- Subject: Math
What students cover nowStudents learn in separate courses, such as Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, and Geometry, each divided into units.
What to check before the next courseWhether your child has covered the units the next course requires and can read word problems written in English and write out solutions
- Subject: Science
What students cover nowStudents learn integrated science or biology, chemistry, and physics concepts and do lab and data analysis assignments.
What to check before the next courseWhether your child has the concepts the next course requires and has written a lab report before
- Subject: Social Studies
What students cover nowStudents read and discuss texts on history, economics, and other social studies topics their school chooses.
What to check before the next courseWhether your child has the background knowledge and can compare sources and evidence to build and write an argument
We build your child's study plan from the school's grade bands, its actual course sequence, and how far your child has gotten.
Sample social studies units
World history moves in time order, from the first civilizations and empires to ancient Greece and Rome. Your child's school course information shows which eras and regions its social studies course covers.
What to look for in grades and assignments
Record · What to check
- Course grade
- Check the course syllabus to see how much assignments, quizzes, unit tests, and projects count toward the grade.
- Essays, lab reports, and presentations
- Actual assignments show what knowledge and evidence your child has to present, and in what format.
- Teacher feedback
- Look for comments that keep coming back in any of these areas: understanding the content, answering the question asked, giving evidence, and how work is turned in.
- GPA and transcript
- GPA calculation, course weighting, and how grades appear on the transcript differ by school, so check your school's policy.
Before and after changing schools
What to check before your child enrolls or transfers
- Topic: Grade placement and admission requirements
What to check: Find out which grade the target school will place your child in and whether there's an admissions test.
- Topic: Transcript and credits
What to check: Ask the target school how it will count your child's transcript and credits so far, and which documents it needs.
- Topic: Terms and courses
What to check: Compare the term structure, timetable, and required and elective courses with the current school, and find out which unit and assessment come next after the move.
- Topic: English for school subjects
What to check: Students read and write science and social studies assignments in English too, so gauge how hard academic language is for your child.
Get your child's transcript and course syllabi from the current school before the move.
What your child practices when assignments at a new school get hard
In LAB.CO English, math, and science classes, your child works subject by subject on the parts of school assignments where students tend to get stuck.
- Practice area: Assignment questions and subject vocabulary
How your child practicesYour child reads the assignment directions and subject vocabulary, then puts in their own words what they need to explain.
What to look at firstWhether your child reads English books well but gets stuck on science and social studies assignments
- Practice area: Answers backed by evidence
How your child practicesYour child picks evidence from the sources they've read and writes a response that supports a claim with it.
What to look at firstRecent essays, teacher feedback, and the rubric for the next assignment, side by side
- Practice area: Math solutions and science reports
How your child practicesYour child writes out solutions to math word problems, science lab reports, and research writing in English.
What to look at firstWhether wrong answers come from not knowing the concept or from lacking the English to express it
LAB.CO classes and advanced study
Honors and AP courses, and preparing for research
Honors courses are advanced courses each school sets. AP courses are advanced high school courses and exams administered by the College Board, such as AP Precalculus, AP Calculus AB, and AP Biology. The school decides which courses your child takes and when.
- G7–8Intro algebra and Algebra 1Pre-Algebra · Algebra 1
- G9Algebra 2 and geometryPre-AP Algebra 2 · Geometry
- G10Precalculus and advanced statisticsAP Precalculus · StatisticsAP courses
- G11–12Calculus and statisticsAP Calculus AB/BC · AP StatisticsAP courses
What to check when choosing advanced courses
Honors and advanced courses
Check which Honors and advanced courses the school offers and what it takes to enroll.
Choosing AP courses
Check whether your child has finished the prerequisites and can handle the total workload, including other courses that semester.
Research and competitions
See whether the data analysis, argument, and problem-solving your child learned at school carry over to research or competitions. Eligibility differs by activity.