CTY Talent Search

[zaichiki]

Anyone have their kids participate in this?

When you first applied, did you use test scores to qualify?

Ds just took the ITBS/Iowa last week and will do the CoGAT next week. Both of these tests are on their list. But, I wonder if taking them "out of level" will have any impact on the results. Ds is doing the tests with his 6th grade class. I think I remember reading somewhere that the ITBS gives *two* results: one based on age and one based on grade. Is this the case or am I misunderstanding? If this is true, would I be able to choose the higher of the two reported scores (if necessary) for the CTY application?

The last time ds did standardized testing was with the 2nd grade CAT. He was first grade by age at the time, so I didn't consider the CTY talent search back then.

Then comes the SCAT, right?

Thanks!
:)

[Donna]

My oldest has done CTY (SCAT test) every other year since he was 3rd grade age. I initially used his ITBS scores from when he was K age taking a 2nd grade test. I used CTY every other year after that to let me know that he was progressing. He was supposed to take the SAT last year but I had him scheduled for the last date of testing and he ended up with a stomach virus that day...figures.


My dd is qualified for CTY until she is 7th grade age based on Woodcock Johnson scores from when I had her evaluated through John's Hopkins.

I don't use any of their programs...way too overpriced.

[galtgrl]

We started with CTY last year. Our younger dd was in 6th grade then, so yes, we sent in ITBS scores to qualify her and then she took the SCAT to qualify for courses through them ( she also got a nice certificate for high scores on the SCAT, which gave her a nice boost in her self-esteem, so I would do the talent search even if I had no intention of taking courses through them).
As far as taking the ITBS out of level, I asked the same question a few months ago. I worried that they may not make the cut-off score if we tested out of level, and someone here told me they get their out of level ITBS scored by age and by grade. I think they used Bob Jones to score it, but if you search you should be able to find the thread. We decided to stick with their age - level ITBS for qualifying for CTY and end of year reporting, and just use the ACT or SAT scores to see how they were progressing, as they've basically topped out of the ITBS for their ages.
CTY is expensive, and I wouldn't use them for courses in science (my strong suit) or math, but the writing course my dd took last year (Process of Writing) was well worth the expense. The teacher was very, very good. Our older dd is taking Crafting the Essay this year and so far it's been great and a real challenge for her.

[Catherine]

Almost all of his closest friends are kids he met at camp. He's in touch with them daily. We get half off tuition, which makes it more affordable. OTOH, he took Algebra through their distance ed and it was terrible. The tutor was useless and they just use Thinkwell, which you can buy yourself for a fraction of the cost.

[Dana]

My son took the SCAT last week and from looking on the website, he qualified (by 1 point on each test) for the CTY programs :D

Now comes the challenge of trying not to push him too hard as a result and keep everything in perspective. But I'm excited. In some ways it's a confirmation that we're doing the right thing by homeschooling since there isn't gifted pull out in our district until after 3rd grade and then unfortunately it doesn't sound like true gifted programs.

[cdgni]

The math program (which my dd takes) is only thinkwell CD's. Buy the CD's and save some money.

The English program is better.

[melmichigan]

We were discussing this on the Davidson forum the other day. I learned that CTY uses EPGY math for lower grades, then thinkwell as mentioned. The science is CyberEd, or PLATO science, which is available at the homeschoolbuyersco-op for a lot let as well. I was pleasantly surprised since we already use EPGY and PLATO. :)

[Crimson Wife]

Has anybody done their elementary level summer day program? My in-laws live fairly close to Johns Hopkins & I'm considering having my oldest try a CTY course while we visit them, assuming she qualifies (she ought to unless she somehow freezes on the SCAT).

[MariannNOVA]

Has anybody done their elementary level summer day program? My in-laws live fairly close to Johns Hopkins & I'm considering having my oldest try a CTY course while we visit them, assuming she qualifies (she ought to unless she somehow freezes on the SCAT).

I'm bumping this as I am curious as well.
Anyone?

[Crimson Wife]

We ended up deciding not to do CTY summer courses this year because nothing that my DD would be eligible to take jumped out at us as being worth the price.

[zaichiki]

We ended up deciding not to do CTY summer courses this year because nothing that my DD would be eligible to take jumped out at us as being worth the price.

We decided the same thing, though ds's test scores make him eligible. I've heard, from other parents, that a few of the courses are really worth it, but many are not (or can be easily done "on your own" with similar materials).

[kck]

My 3rd grader took the SCAT for the first time. He scored extremely well! We won't be using their camps or programming though. They seem so expensive and haven't seen the hoards of rave reviews required for us to spend that kind of money. Not to mention, many of their programs use materials available at a fraction of the price

It was his first experience with a timed, multiple choice style test and I figured even if he did horribly it would be good practice. And since he did so well, it really confirmed our decision to homeschool him (he started HS after 1st grade) and validated that he really is "out there". The test part was well worth it for us!

[abbeyej]

We used out-of-level tests for TIP, because they were still high enough to qualify. That said, it means that ds qualified as the grade for which he had taken the test, so he took the Explore test and will continue to take the SAT next year *further* out-of-level than most of the TIP kids. If we had qualified him with a test based on his birthdate, and he were waiting to take Explore next year (rather than this year and the year before), I'm sure his scores would have been even higher. Was it a mistake to let him move ahead with TIP? Would it somehow have been better to wait and get higher scores? I don't know. I think I did the right thing, but who knows? ;)

ITBS gives you scores based on the grade-level test taken. CogAT gives scores based on grade *and* age. My frustration with CogAT has been that if you take it *with* the ITBS (which can be nice because it compares performance on both tests), you don't get to select the CogAT level. I would have preferred to move up an additional level on CogAT this year...

I do wonder if letting ds move ahead with regard to TIP may limit the courses he'd have been eligible to take with them in the future. Explore test scores don't matter much, but next year he'll take the SAT with them, and you qualify for different tiers of camps and activities based on scores. If his scores aren't as high as they would have been if we'd waited another year or two (and done TIP strictly according to our state's grade cut-offs), have I limited his opportunities? Or, lol, are the prices just so high (and *gosh* are they high!) for those things that we probably wouldn't have done them anyway??

BTW, if you decide to do CTY according to your son's *age*grade*, you could probably still do that just using the CogAT results and ignoring the 6th grade ITBS.

[abbeyej]

... I've heard, from other parents, that a few of the courses are really worth it, but many are not (or can be easily done "on your own" with similar materials).

This is what I've heard over and over about our local (GSU) Saturday program for "gifted" kids. Perhaps it was worth doing if your child was getting little or no stimulation at school and little exposure to other gifted kids. But the classes themselves weren't (for the most part) all that wonderfully stimulating.

That said, I'll still consider some of the residential programs at Duke and elsewhere, as my kids are old enough for them...

[cshell]

Has anyone had their child take the SAT in 7th or 8th grade???
My kiddo is going to this summer & report it to CTY.

Let me know if you have & have any pointers for us!
Thanks!!:001_smile:

[angela in ohio]

Anyone have their kids participate in this?

When you first applied, did you use test scores to qualify?

Ds just took the ITBS/Iowa last week and will do the CoGAT next week. Both of these tests are on their list. But, I wonder if taking them "out of level" will have any impact on the results. Ds is doing the tests with his 6th grade class. I think I remember reading somewhere that the ITBS gives *two* results: one based on age and one based on grade. Is this the case or am I misunderstanding? If this is true, would I be able to choose the higher of the two reported scores (if necessary) for the CTY application?

The last time ds did standardized testing was with the 2nd grade CAT. He was first grade by age at the time, so I didn't consider the CTY talent search back then.

Then comes the SCAT, right?

Thanks!
:)

If he is accelerated enough to qualify, he should score highly on a test that is one grade level accelerated. I have found little difference in scores when my dc tested only one grade level up, which is why we chose to use a talent search program.

[cshell]

Asking again...:001_smile::001_smile::001_smile:

Has anyone had their child take the SAT in 7th or 8th grade???
My kiddo is going to take it this summer & report it to CTY.

Let me know if you have & have any pointers for us!
Thanks!!

[cshell]

:001_smile:

[Bostonian]

I took the SAT in 6th grade about 30 years ago as part of the CTY talent search. After getting good scores I took algebra I over the summer after 6th in a course designed for talent search qualifiers and took Algebra II along with the 9th graders in 7th grade, taking calculus in 10th grade.

Your child's math course may not have covered all the topics on the math SAT, so I suggest he/she take some practice tests and read an SAT prep book. I think taking a prep course, as many 11th and 12th graders do, would be overkill.

[Halcyon]

can someone explain cty to me? I am not understanding, based on their website, what it is, exactly.

Thanks.

[higginszoo]

My children did RMTS a couple of years ago, this year, the did TIP ... up until now, they have both taken the EXPLORE (pre ACT). Ds maxed out on some of it this year, he'll be doing SAT and/or ACT next year when he's 7th grade age.

So far, none of the day programs have worked out for my dc -- there weren't many to choose from in Salt Lake. If we were still covered by RMTS, we'd consider the DU residential programs this summer, as the children have an aunt and uncle near the campus.
I haven't seen what's available for the kids going through Duke yet, but NC is quite a hike from TX.
My own experience with talent search summer camps as a teen was excellent. It was SO nice to be around other kids that I could truly relate to, and there were lasting friendships formed there. (I went to UVA's program.)
Another advantage I found to the talent search testing was that taking the SAT in eighth grade made me much more confident going into it in 10th or 11th or whenever I took it again. It wasn't so much of an unknown, and knowing that I'd already scored a 'good enough' score for many colleges let me relax and just compete with myself to get a higher score than I did last time, but knowing that it didn't matter THAT much.

[transientChris]

My dd took the ACT as a seventh grader for the CTY talent search. SHe qualified under both options (Math/science and the humanities). Right now we are waiting to see if she is in at the Naval Academy STEM program. IF so, she will do that, If not, we will see. It is a lot of money but I desperately need something to get her fired up about engineering or science. Currently she seems much more interested in dopey tv shows and dopey books.