Education Levels by Country

[dwa]

1)  Just how good is a 'basic' education elsewhere, compared to here?

2)  What exactly does a college education mean elsewhere? 

3)  What drives these numbers anyway?

Do the Lurkers have any thoughts to add or light to shed here?

Pete: "There was a test that was available at least to the US military that tested the grade level equivalence of one's knowledge. The test was in multiple parts, each with a fairly long time allotment. It was strictly "fact based", with no aptitude portion. If I'm vague, it is because all this is from my memories from '65.

Anyway, I had some free time and I took that test. My background, then, was one incomplete quarter at GA Tech. The result of the test was second year master's student. I'd say the yardstick for educational levels was pretty short even back then."
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1. I'd say that it's as good as the student cares to make it. If kids are graduating illiterates then it's because they spent more time figuring out how to get out of reading then they did reading.

2. Not much IMO, it will definitely get you into some interviews. But it's no guaratee of financial success. There are lots of college grads working at Starbucks, and there are HS Grads that found something they're good at who make $75,000 or more. Go figure?

3. I have no idea!

Pete: Back when I was in 3rd grade we started taking standardized tests designed to measure our basic skills on a scale of K - HS Grad. The categories were English Comp, Writing, Vocabulary, Math, etc.. From grades 3 - 6 we took the test twice a year and each time I scored HS Grad in every single category except Math. If a 3rd grader can virtually test out of HS then the bar isn't set low, it's laying on the ground!

That sounds familiar to a test I also took up through the 6th grade. However, it was not designed as "what a student of x grade should know" but "what the average student of that level would know". I.e.-if you scored high school senior/early college student (like I did the last two times I took the test), that just meant you were as "smart" as the average high school senior/college freshman. Which is probably cause for some alarm, but not for the standards of the test.