Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Regions HEROES Academy opening in New Brunswick NJ

HEROESgifted has provided programming for exceptionally gifted students in central NJ since 2007. In September 2013, HEROESgifted will open the HEROES Academy in New Brunswick. For the 2013-2014 academic year, the HEROES Academy will offer weekend enrichment programs. In December 2013, the HEROES Academy will begin accepting applications for the 2014-2015 academic year. Our programs are designed to provide high school and college level content to gifted teens and preteens who are academically accelerated by at least 2 years.

Sounds great! Hoping all goes well with the opening. Keep us up to date as time goes on.

How does this compare with the G&T stuff offered over at Montclair?

Montclair offers programs for a wider age range and has enrollment requirements that are in line with most districts G&T programs. HEROES offers higher level academic programs geared toward students functioning at the high school or college level. Our enrollment standards only allow EG & PG students.

And 'EG/PG' is determined how, exactly?

I have yet to see a universally accepted definition...

No there isn't but its an attempt to explain that our cut-off is not where it is for most schools. If you want our qualification scores you may find them at:

http://www.heroesgifted.org/index.php?file=modules/pages/ATS/qualifying_scores.php&node=3

Am I correct to assume that you are referring to the "summa" rather than the "magna" scores for the entrance rquirements? The "magna" scores look like it might correspond to moderately gifted and perhaps highly gifted while the "summa" scores look like it corresponds to profoundly gifted and perhaps exceptionally gifted.

Interesting. We are in an adjoining state, so no chance of attending, but how did you determine equivalent MAP and SAT scores? Middle kid would qualify for summa based on MAP scores but only for magna based on SAT.

NWEA provides information to determine the percentile rank based on grade and MAP scores. The qualifying MAP scores are the 95% and 80% for a child that is two years older than the applicant.

SAT cut-offs were determined based on similar data provided by the College Board.

NWEA updates their data regularly. The College Board Data is a bit old.

The SAT is used because it is a generally accepted Talent Search instrument. Also many of our kids take classes at Rutgers which requires the SAT. However, the SAT is no longer a good proxy for IQ as it was when Stanley first used it for SMPY.

HEROES prefers the MAP as an achievement measure - it is widely available, individualized, inexpensive, covers multiple subject areas and it uses one set of raw scores for all grades rather than individual raw scores for each grade or group of grades. So a 4th grader who has a 346 MAP-Math tested at the same math ability as a 7th grader who earned the same score.

HEROES will be using the MAP test at the HEROES Academy.

For IQ - Students in NJ face a long waiting list to take an IQ test that would be acceptable for Davidsons. We have been working with Dr. Elinor Bashe, a local psychologist and HEROES/DYS parent who will be offering suitable IQ testing soon.