<p>One note on Starbright’s comments. We lived in Canada for a few years and HS there did have all the kids taking English and math, etc all 4 years. And everyone takes the same provincial final exam in grade 12, so that means the classes are the same? Nope, not at the school my kids attended.</p>
<p>They tracked the math, science, and English classes. If you were in the top track you did much much more strenuous challenging work all year, then took the same final as every one else. This final ended up being pretty easy and counted for around half your grade for the year. Most top tracked kids were earning Azs or Bs. Bottom tracked kids did vastly easier work all year, building up some nice points, but the final was very tough for them and they would squeak through with a C or D (some of them, and this is all anecdotal). So it pushed and challenged the brightest kids whilst supporting the struggling kids. I was extremely impressed with the way the system worked there.</p>