Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Programs Other than JHU-CTY

My Second grade son goes to a GT program at school . He got qualified in the SCAT test but I feel the JHU - CTY online courses are expensive. Are there any other tests / summer programs that are affordable .

That they are!
I haven't found anything comparable for cheaper .
If you can get more than one course out of the 3 month math session then it does feel more worth it.
This year my DS8 only did 3 months of math but did get 2 courses out of it.
He did one reading/writing course in the fall and soon will take another.
So for for about $1500 he got 4 courses and will have learned way more from them than he has all year in his regular school.
Looking at it like that I think it is worth it.
As the math gets harder I need that teacher help.
It is sad how we have to find other solutions to help our kids.
It can break the bank !!

Did he take the online course?

This year my DS8 only did 3 months of math but did get 2 courses out of it.

How do kids get 2 courses - is there a certain percentage that they need to get on a test or how does it work?

The math classes cost 600 something for 3 months. So if they complete one course they automatically move on to the next.
They take 1 final at the end of the course which is done at home and then you fax or mail it to them. I believe they have to score 85% or higher to continue.
What happened was I made him repeat the accelerated 3rd grade course, and then he moved onto the 4th grade course.
He needed to repeat that 3rd grade one and then he flew through the 4th grade one.
But he did work hard, he did about 40 for 5 days each week.
So it was a lot. Now he will take a long long break from math.
He had to call the teacher twice for help.
It does get hard, esp that geometry.

The one thing missing from the online courses is written practice.
Doing it online is one thing but doing it on paper is another.
So I let him fly through the online courses, I am aware what he is learning etc.
Then after he is done, I have him practice stuff on written paper.
He needs to do that because it is diff when you are clicking away etc. So in-between the classes I do that with him.

The reading classes are very different because they are in a virtual classroom w/other kids and they all have to follow the work at the same pace. There is much more teacher involvement.
And it is nice to have that student involvement as well.
They are cheaper also.

I agree that if your kid has time to do it, CTY is more affordable. Unfortunately for my overscheduled kid, she had maybe 15 minutes a week to log on, so it too 5 months to get through grade 2 -- we also had technical problems with their graphics, so we got a month of credit. If she spent even 30 minutes a week, steadily, it doesn't take so long to get through a math course. And we should have done the test right away. We wasted over a month due to scheduling and holidays.

Ren

If you don't have a lot of free time then it is hard to squeeze in.
And, as the classes get harder they take longer to complete.


Wren that was nice they gave you a month of credit.

The school our DS is in is so horrible CTY is a life saver.
It is something at least.

Thank you for all the information . I am planning for the summer online course . Since he stays at home during summer may be he can squeeze in two courses . But we will get to know the difficult/easy part only once he starts the program .

Good Luck vennela!