The Foreign Service Journal, June 2022

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2022 77 tors with extensive U.S. and international school leadership experience. The REOs are well versed in the K–12 schools at post, the requirements for return to U.S. public schools and the pro- cess of transferring to the next interna- tional post. They give guidance on the full range of questions that parents should be posing to international schools related to the curriculum offered and their transfer- ability to the next posting. REOs can help parents understand how the courses taken in inter- national schools can be trans- ferred to U.S. public schools. It becomes more complicated in the middle and high school years, so connecting with the REO before leaving post is the best way for parents to understand what they should be asking the new school in the U.S. regarding courses and gradu- ation requirements. Contact your region’s REO. Transferring from the IB Program Recently, GCLO and OS have been advised of some special circumstances families should be aware of prior to return- ing to the U.S. public school system if their child has taken International Baccalaure- ate courses inmiddle or high school at an international school. Recently, there have been a few cases in several DMV (the D.C., Maryland and Virginia region) school districts in which the student was denied admission to the anticipated grade level. This was based on an interpretation by a district-level staff member who reviews transcripts to deter- mine the appropriate grade level. REO for Western Europe Dr. Christine Brown suggests that as early as possible before the transfer, as students return to U.S. public high schools or move between international schools, parents should work with the sending and receiving school counselors tomake sure that middle and high school courses studied, and the resultant transcripts, reflect the course titles needed to advance from grade level to grade level. “Parents should become familiar with the U.S. middle and high school require- ments before they go abroad,” Dr. Brown suggests. “Often these are posted on the website of the U.S. public school that parents might consider using when they return to the U.S.” The REOs can help parents understand the differences between the two systems and what courses might be required that the international school may not offer. It is the family’s responsibility to ask the school overseas to ensure that the course titles and descriptions in the transcripts they send match up as closely as possible to the standard courses per grade level in the U.S. school curriculum. Transferring from the British Curriculum Some FS families have faced another curriculum-related roadblock after returning from British schools having taken the General Certificate of Second- ary Education (GCSE) exams given in the 10th grade. Some districts and states in the United States consider that success- fully passing the British GCSE exam is the equivalent of receiving an American high school diploma. This can be problematic. Dr. Brown worked extensively with a Foreign Service family whose child had been told that though age 16 and having passed a 10th grade exam, they would not be permitted to be enrolled in the district high school as a junior. They were considered to have graduated from high school. Dr. Brown cautions: “If parents are choosing a British school at a post, they should investigate the conse- quences of their child passing the GSCE in the district or state to which they plan to return before high school graduation.” Contact the REO or the GCLO office for guidance. Focusing Your Search Some FS families returning to the DMV move back to their former home or neighborhood because they want their children to be in the school district they left. Other families don’t have roots fully established in a specific DMV loca- tion and thus have the choice to move anywhere. How do parents focus their search in three different states—and a dozen or so different school districts? “Choosing a School for Your Child,” published by th e United States Department of Education, is a helpful guide for parents that outlines ways for them to exercise choice in school selection. VECTORJUICE/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM