The large majority of CTY students rate the intellectual challenge of the CTY courses as demanding and report that their CTY instructors were excellent or outstanding. Many students feel that CTY exposes them to better quality instruction and teachers than what is available at their home schools. Like students, parents express their satisfaction with CTY courses for the academic rigor that they provide. When parents are asked about the major factor in deciding to have their child attend CTY summer programs, the most frequently reported factor involves academic challenge and opportunities for academic advancement. Taylor, C., & Ablard, K. (1999). Student Evaluations of Academic Programs: CTY/OS and CAA (Internal Report No. 4B). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth. Mills, C., & Hoffmann, J. Student Perceptions Study (Internal Report No. 13). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth. Kasahara, E. (2006). Student Program Satisfaction Survey. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth. Ablard Mickenberg, K.E. (2007). Why Do Students Elect to Attend or to Not Attend CTY Summer Programs? (Technical Report No. 36). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth. top
Students are not systematically graded in CTY courses, but students do receive written evaluations from their instructors. Instructors express significant student learning for the large majority of the students. In recent years, instructors have been asked to develop or adopt an existing assessment that reflects the specific topics that they will teach in the course. Instructors administer this assessment at the beginning and at the end of the three-week course. Although students may vary in knowledge and skills when entering the course, most demonstrate considerable gains in achievement over the short period of three weeks. Ablard Mickenberg, K.E. (2006). The Value of Pre-Post Assessment for Improving Instruction and Learning: Five Years of Research (Technical Report No. 35). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth. Ablard Mickenberg, K.E. (2006). Achievement Gains in Summer Programs: Pre- and Post-Assessment Project Summary Report (Internal Evaluation Report No. 21). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth. top
CTY strongly recommends, as written in the application and course description materials, that students meet with their schools’ principal or guidance counselor to discuss courses of interest. Students are told that this is a chance to explore whether or not the school might recognize the CTY course work, and whether the student would be allowed to take more advanced courses based on what is learned in the summer course. Certain courses are very similar to traditional high school math and science courses and lend themselves more easily to receipt of credit or placement. More specifically, the majority of students taking one of the CTY Fast-Paced Science courses (i.e., Biology, Chemistry, Physics) or the Individually-Paced Mathematics Sequence (i.e., Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II and so on) receive credit or placement (course skipping) in their home schools. Of students who receive placement into a higher-level course, many feel that the CTY course provided better preparation for the higher course than what their classmates got in school. Moreover, the large majority of placement students report positive effects such as opportunities to be with intellectual peers and heightened interest in a field of study. Mills, C.J., & Ablard, K.E. (1993). Credit and placement for academically talented students following special summer courses in math and science. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 17(1), 4-25. Ablard, K.E. (2005). Credit and Placement for CTY Math and Science Courses: Trends Over Time (Technical Report No. 32). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth. top
. The large majority of CTY students indicate that one of the most positive aspects of the CTY experience is making friends with other students with abilities and interests that are similar to their own. Many CTY alumni report that at least one CTY student had a strong positive influence on their intellectual or personal development and report long-lasting friendships with CTY attendees. Parents endorse this benefit of intellectual peer relations. Social benefits of the CTY experience need to be considered in relation to academic benefits. It is important to keep in mind that many students say that the social benefits of participation in CTY summer programs are at least equivalent to the academic benefits. Mills, C., & Hoffmann, J. Student Perceptions Study (Internal Report No. 13). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth. Kasahara, E. (2006). Student Program Satisfaction Survey. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth. top Last updated 8/8/2008 | 
