Many students enrolled in CTYOnline distance education courses receive credit or placement for the course from their schools. Schools may approve a student to substitute a CTYOnline course for the regular course to ensure that the gifted student receives the appropriate level of challenge in a subject area.  Some students work on the CTYOnline course at home, while others work on a computer at school during the period in which they would have otherwise attended the regular class. Schools have become much more familiar with distance education options as a means to provide appropriate coursework to students at different levels.  Although some school districts still stress "seat time" as the metric for determining credit, more schools recognize distance education as a valuable option for students -- particularly for special populations such as gifted students.

Students who intend to request placement and/or credit for their CTYOnline courses should always discuss their options with school officials before enrolling in CTY, since schools' policies vary.  Although CTY is an accredited institution*, CTY does not award degrees or diplomas. Credit or placement can only be awarded by the student's school. 

Students interested in obtaining placement and/or credit for their CTYOnline courses should show school officials the information available online for all CTYOnline courses by clicking on the course title found on the Courses and Schedules web page. This links to the course description, prerequisites, detailed course information, system requirements, and other useful information. Writing and language arts students who are interested in obtaining placement and/or credit should be sure to request a grade from CTYOnline since these courses ordinarily provide detailed final evaluations rather than grades. More helpful advice can be found in the Parent's Guide to Negotiating with Schools and the Guidelines for Credit and Placement.

During the course, the school may request interim grade reports. Contact ctyinschool@jhu.edu to obtain interim grade reports if needed.

At the end of every completed course, the student will receive course completion documents from CTYOnline. Parents can also request a CTY Official Academic Record that will show all of the student's participation in CTY academic courses as well as other activities with CTY. There is a $5.00 fee per record sent. If parents do not need an Official Academic Record, they can print out the student's unofficial academic record by logging into MyCTY as a Parent, selecting Student Participation, and then clicking on the button on the right that reads "unofficial academic record."

Some schools may require the student to take a final exam after completing a distance education course to confirm mastery of content. If this is the case, the student should take the examination as soon as possible after completing the CTYOnline course.

* The Center for Talented Youth is accredited for grades 5 through 12 by the Commission on Secondary Schools of the Middle States Association of College and Schools.