<p>My D has been accepted in Stanford’s EPGY but am wondering how legit is it? I read somewhere else (by a student - taken into consideration) that anyone can get in as long as you pay. So how legitimate can it be if it lets in anyone?</p>
<p>Also, are the courses really more advanced than reg school counterparts?</p>
<p>I don’t mean to sound elitist, but don’t want to pay for the fancy name just to find out the coursework is similar to Kumon and/or Sylvan learning center.</p>
<p>My D does need to be challenged. I’m finding mistakes in her schoolwork b/c she’s rushing thru it. She feels like it’s just review so it doesn’t deserve any attention.</p>
<p>I feel that I need to do more in guiding her/ recognizing her academic needs, but am unsure how to go about it. She is my oldest so this all new to me. And I feel like I’ve dropped the ball on recognizing that she needs more academically/gifted.</p>
<p>Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Ang</p>
<p>Both of my D’s have used EPGY online classes successfully. </p>
<p>It is legit.</p>
<p>It is selective, as middle school students, my D’s had to submit test results from our state’s standardized testing program. </p>
<p>The online courses that I am familiar with (grades 5-7 math, and AP Physics B) are far more challenging than their counterparts. </p>
<p>This is nothing like Kumon and Sylvan learning. </p>
<p>One of the best things was that it’s self-paced and they can do it any time so it doesn’t have to be scheduled and they don’t need rides. That was a huge plus in our house. The downside is the cost. </p>
<p>How old is your daughter? Does she feel that she needs to be further challenged? </p>
<p>What are your objectives? More challenge, acceleration, more breadth. Do you need the credit for HS?</p>
<p>CTY surely is. Your middle schooler will have to take the SAT and send her scores to Johns Hopkins. The courses are college level courses. The program is very strong.</p>
<p>My daughter did something through CTY for 7th grade, but we decided that as her school ( private) was very good and offered enough challenge, she didn’t need it.
However, depending where you are and her area of strength, I think it would be worth it.</p>
<p>My son took EPGY courses through CTY; his school wasn’t even teaching him at grade level, so his dad and I replaced his math at school with these courses. It was well worth the money. </p>
<p>He also attended CTY summer sessions; these changed his life.</p>
<p>I agree with the previous posters. S1 did CTY summer courses after 7th and 8th grades, and they were peak experiences. I believe that the SAT score requirements put the lower threshold at the top 0.5%, so this program is, truly, selective.</p>
<p>Both S1 and S2 have done EPGY self-paced math courses. S1 did the K-8 program. We provided it because he desperately needed more challenging math. He was not doing them all the time. They are fairly expensive, and the kids go through the work quickly, so that he probably did them only 1 or 2 quarters/year. His opinion at the end was that he learned the concepts in much greater depth through EPGY than at school (in the most advanced math “track,” and accelerated 2 years). S2 is younger, but he likes EPGY math much better than his school math course, because the school course goes so slowly.</p>
<p>S1 also took AP-level Physics B through EPGY, and it was very good. This year he is taking AP-level Physics C.</p>
<p>Don’t want to pull this thread off track but there was an interesting article in today’s NY Times re: gifted education that might be of some interest to some folks here. I found some of the comments by readers particularly interesting. </p>
<p>The online course over the summer allowed DS to skip ahead one year in math (between 9th and 10 grades) at a tradition bound private school that had him tracked him too low . . was a great move for him to challenge The Man though he had little true summer vacation that year <sigh></sigh></p>
<p>Our son did three one session summers with CTY, at their LA summer site at LMU. The first two summers we encouraged enrichment, so he took electrical engineering one time and probablity/game theory the second summer (he really enjoyed the latter.) His third summer, he wanted to take fast paced HS physics, so he could place into AP Physics C as a junior, so we said okay.</p>
<p>He took AP Calc BC at his HS as a sophomore and did very well. So, especially as we had logistic concerns, we opted for the CTY online programs in Linear Algebra (he took as a junior) and Multivariable Calculus (he’s currently taking these.) The on line classes are very rigorous. In fact, I finally asked my H (a math prof) to intervene at one point since the on line tests in Linear Algebra were so long they were beginning to threaten S’s ability to do well in other AP classes (like the AP Physics, no piker class) plus his SAT exams, ECs, etc. CTY said they wanted the tests to be a learning experience as well. So, it was more painful that envisioned but he did well and got an A (unfortunately, not weighted like the AP Stats class he could have been taking at the HS but that’s another story.)</p>
<p>In order to qualify for CTY summer and on line classes, he took the SAT as an 8th graders, and had to get an score equal or greater than HS seniors who were taking the exam the same year. So yes, it’s competitive entry.</p>
<p>My DS attended John’s Hopkins Gifted and Talented summer programs from 6th grade on (CAA prior to high school and CTY as a high school student). These programs really worked for him because he could pursue his intellectual passions and be completely engaged without worrying about the pressure of grades or the pressure from peers to “not be a nerd” that he found in school. The New Yorker article on the CTY programs coined the phrase “Nerd Camp” I believe. As a parent, I found them to be well run and organized with good staff and good supervision–appropriate for the age of the camper. My DS went on to work at CTY, first as an RA and then as a teaching assistant. Again, he found the program for staff organized and well run. When he applied and was accepted to a top ten school, his local admissions counselor, a former CTYer herself, noted his involvement in the program.</p>
<p>I don’t think the distance-learning CTY or EPGY courses (CTY offers the EPGY math courses, as well as others) are limited to the highly gifted, but from my experience they are superb, much better than what is offered in most schools. They are self-paced, and some kids will move through the material much more quickly than others. I think that EPGY considers their math courses to be suitable for the top 15% or so of kids. </p>
<p>The summer CTY programs are really for the gifted, and the threshold for qualification is very high. Like novice18, I found the programs to be very well run and supervised.</p>
<p>I should probably mention that I am a physicist, with a Ph.D. from HYP. When S1 did the EPGY math courses, I used to sit behind him and watch. They were very well done. I also thought the Physics B (non-calculus-based) course was superb. And S1 got a 5 on the AP exam without studying.</p>
<p>D did both the summer programs and the distance learning. Given the limited offerings at our local high school, they really were a blessing. We were fortunate that our local middle school paid for the CTY course for Algebra II when she was in 8th grade. D loved the summer programs; for the first time she really had a peer group to learn with.</p>
<p>Kumon and Sylvan address different needs from CTY and EPGY. Kumon and Sylvan, from what I have heard, seek to solidify understanding of math concepts through practice and to foster automaticity. If a student makes errors, it may be due to carelessness or to lack of understanding. This student might benefit from Kumon or Sylvan.
However, if a student is performing above grade level, that student would benefit from taking EPGY or CTY courses. My understanding is that for higher level math, CTY uses the EPGY curriculum but provides its own tutors. CTY courses are available online, but the real benefits of CTY are in the summer camps where students can find their nerdy kindred spirits.</p>
<p>Both my S and D did four years of summer CTY. The course work was great but the real benefit for them was the peer group. The downside was that the return to everyday public school high school was difficult.</p>
<p>which program did your D apply and get accepted to at EPGY?
EPGY has some very good summer programs - taught by grad students generally. My S has attended 3 summer sessions and got a huge amount from them. He also took their online courses while home schooled in middle school and came away with a very advanced standing, relative to his peers in public school, in the subjects he took.
They also have an online HS now as well.
In my experience, the online courses are pretty rigorous with the advantage that students can work at their own pace (not sure about <em>pace</em> in the online HS).
They are totally legit as a learning program and nothing like Sylvan. However, if you are wondering if, having attended, your daughter will get a leg up in her college apps., it won’t happen. I don’t think colleges give these programs any extra points.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the replies. I’m feeling a bit more confident in the program.</p>
<p>To answer Rocker Dad’s question, my D is 9 & in 4th grade. And I know she needs to be challenged academically. I can see her getting into a bad pattern of not having to study (she still gets A’s). That may be find for lower elementary, but a bad habit for the higher grades. </p>
<p>I didn’t mean to sound negative to Kumon or Sylvan. They are good programs for what they do. What I was trying to say (I don’t express my thoughts well), if I wanted that type of program - I would go there, instead of paying more money for a fancy name & getting the same program.</p>
<p>I want something that will challenge her more by actually learning something new & at her pace - not slow her down & “wait for the other kids to catch up,” will foster study habits & encourage her love for learning.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the wonderful advice. It gave me lots to think about - especially the peer aspect. I didn’t take that into consideration, but a good point.</p>
<p>Does your daughter’s school really give grades in 4th grade? I don’t recall my kids had any grade in elementary schools. They only got some smilies or stars on the paper. They did learn math, sciences, reading, and writing but just for the fun, not like in middle schools or high schools.</p>