Not sure what the state rule specifically is but when we moved to CA from the Southern Hemisphere, one kid got put forward half a year and the other back half a year. The kid put back was specifically because of age - she was actually technically still too young for that grade on CA rules, and it was explicitly stated by the school that she was academically capable but they didn’t want her in a class with kids 2 years older. Maybe not a common circumstance but certainly not a “regardless of age” issue.
Well i do anyway because that’s what we did. My older kid skipped half a grade, had a math tutor for about a month and got into a t30. She did come at the beginning of high school not halfway through it, though. I don’t think specifically repeating just for the sake of getting into a college is worth it, especially given all the other caveats about UCs (can confirm from the kids at my daughter’s school too).
I will note that schools seem to like students who successfully transition across countries (or even “just” states, as mentioned by BU in their admission presentation) - it’s a good story to be part of a college application and it adds a bit of flavor to a class.
One of the bigger issues for UC admissions is that ECs are also important along with grades and course rigor. Now test scores are being de-emphasized, ECs will likely become even more important. Some of the top students in my kids’ class (top 1-2%) didn’t get into UCB/UCLA despite being NMFs because their ECs were poor.
Some students will have ECs outside of school. But it can be more difficult to have good school-based ECs, like sports captain or class president if you are only at a school for two years. That’s worth considering when you think about US college admissions, especially if you are coming from an education system where college admissions are almost entirely dependent on exam results.
There’d be no change of cohort: due to the southern hemisphere calendar, this student started 9th grade in 2019 and would start 10th grade in 2020.
This student won’t be “repeating”. She’ll be switching systems - after 4 (highly disrupted I assume) months in one system, she’ll be starting in another system that will prepare her for the system she’ll be moving to and which will allow her to move to the US without arriving “mid southern hemisphere year” (starting 10th grade in September, to start in the IB program in California in 2021/ 11th grade after finishing 10th grade in May 2021, v. Finishing Australian 10th grade in December and waiting six months till she can resume class in California in Fall 2021). In addition, being in a pre IB program would likely help her get into the US based IB program, which is often selective.
My guess is that the family just got their green card and are making the long preparation for the move. Starting pre IB before the move to a new country and before an IB program makes sense because at least they’ll decrease odds of academic disruption.
(And "skipping"half of 11th grade is the worst move in the American system, the love with the worst possible impact.)
That being said, the best shot a student has of getting into a UC other than UCM* if arriving midway through high school is attending a rural or lower performing urban high school but I doubt the IB program would be within this family’s catchment area.
If this student isn’t admitted to a UC but is admitted to a CSU or a private university or a college outside of California or goes the CC->UC route, there are worse “green card move” stories.
Academic disruption and its impact on teens who are performing well in one country and find themselves in a new system is the biggest downside of that move.
{*An IB student with average grades should more or less automatically qualify for ELC at UCM.}
@chinhnguyen
Thank you, @MYOS1634.
Now, this family may be restricted to CA (for whatever reason).
Some other states also have good public unis, pathways via CC, etc.
Finally, I want to add that the UC’s aren’t the only higher ed institutions in CA. For STEM/tech/business, if you don’t intend to pursue a PhD, CalPoly SLO is a good option and my understanding is that admissions there is heavily numbers-based.
Thank you all for your inputs, I value all your advices. I choose CA because my older D is attending a UC there. This will mean she will be a CA resident. I worked in CA before and both of our D attended schools in CA at different grades and they all love to come back and start their career in CA after graduating college. We have re-entry permits to the US so being absence for more than a year is ok. I understand there are many pathways to colleges and this is the reason I started this thread to get help from you all. As a parent I want to give my second D a best shot as her sibling ( taking AP classes in year 10 up and joining clubs as well as activities, which is not offered in Australian school system). The OZ school calendar is exactly what described by @PurpleTitan, and the international school in OZ is aligned with the CA school calendar.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the risks of not achieving her goal at the end. that is also my concern.
Just be careful- the USCIS visa is not an open-ended guarantee. CBP can decide that you have ‘voluntarily abandoned’ your green card based on how much you have been in/out of the country. Re-read the fine print on your visa carefully- and make sure that you have filed US taxes every year that you have been away, If you will have been away for 2+ years total (unless you work for an international org such as WB) start laying your groundwork now, not next year. CBP has been getting less and less pleasant to deal with.
Is your older daughter considered in-state for tuition purposes in CA?
Re-entry permit is fine for up to 2 years absence and protects against assumption of abandonment simply because of absence, OP does not need to be worried on that front. Agree that OP must ensure annual tax filing.
No she is not in state for tuition.
Are you based in CA? Will you be expected/required to return there after this foreign assignment? If you aren’t based in CA, you have at least 49 other options, many of which have solid universities for your daughter after she finishes high school.
How expensive is the US-system high school where you are living now? Would it make financial sense (COVID-19 permitting) to send her to the US ahead of the rest of the family?