History Buff

Isabel Lyman at the Homeschooling Revolution notes the story of "a German exchange student who outscored her Hilton Head classmates on an American history test. Stephanie Mayer, 15, had been in our country only a month when she pulled off this academic feat."

Stephanie attributes her initial success to the multiple-choice format of the test, which she said is easier than what she's used to at school in Germany.

"We don't have multiple choice in Germany. Here, almost every test is multiple choice," she said. "It easier to (take) the test here."

That's not the only difference between American and German schools she's noticed. Stephanie considers many of her Hilton Head High classes easier because they cover subjects she studied a year or two ago, she said.

Her class schedule at the Hilton Head school includes the same four subjects a day every week, compared to 10 subjects a week at her native school.