Just got an email from them. They're planning to upgrade their interface and adaptability 'over the next few months'. Thought that might be useful for anyone trying to decide what to do.

I got the same email. They say a new version will "[offer] a variety of approaches to a lesson based on the student’s learning style". The research I've seen by Daniel Willingham has found that tailoring lessons based on students' "learning styles" is ineffective.

We now have a touch screen Windows 8.1 PC, and the children sometimes like to use EPGY by touching the screen instead of using the keyboard and mouse.

This is good news, but it may be a while before the enhancements are available. The email is a little vague, bit I think they are going to be doing additional research and develop a plan by February. I am assuming the implementation of that plan would take many months longer.

EPGY-like software by Suppes and collaborators was being used in the 1960s. In a 1966 paper "The uses of computers in education" there is a picture of a student using the software on a terminal http://suppes-corpus.stanford.edu/article.html?id=67 . The set theory problem on the screen looks like ones my children have done. So EPGY may evolve slowly .

I assume that many other people responded to their survey as I did, telling them that Khan is 100x better - better interface, more fun, WAY more adaptable. So they panicked and wanted to tell people they heard them and will change.

That makes sense. It is my understanding that EPGY is the same as CTY-online for some of the math sequences (i.e., pre-algebra and algebra) and frankly my DS wasn't interested in the CTY-online pre-algebra course when it was under consideration. There are just so much competition out there with fancier technology and more flexibility.

My children like both EPGY and Khan Academy. I like EPGY's minimalism, since fancy graphics can be a distraction. Textbooks bought by schools tend to be fancier, loaded with color pictures, than the ones homeschoolers buy for themselves. My children have used a text-only arithmetic program I wrote that runs from the Windows command line (looks like MS-DOS). The middle one likes it and has gone on 500-question binges. Maybe aesthetic preferences are also heritable .

I'd really like EPGY to allow Open Enrollment for courses beyond beginning algebra. The $495 price point for 3 months http://epgy.stanford.edu/for-parents/epgy-courses/courses will be hard to defend.

+1.
+1.

The confounding bit with Willingham's point of view is he delineates ability and style: "Ability is that you can do something. Style is how you do it." Which is a fine sort of thing for a high school debate, but isn't super-helpful when other professionals aren't following the same definitions. Ability is even trickier, because what you see is that most of the discussion in education is focused on direct topical ability rather than metacognitive ability.

So, one question with EPGY's change is whether it means they have pacing, presentation, or explanation/content changes depending on what defintion of style they are using. If it means they have video, audio, and interactives available, then that can still be useful because variations can cover weaknesses in an explanation in a different mode, and even without a sensory mode effect, preference for a mode can still empower motivation.

Bostonian, minimalism was the problem with all resources for us. My kids were typical five year olds. They wanted pictures and animations and fun. And before Beast academy, nothing offered that past second grade.

I am a child of print but graphics do draw me in. I kind of assumed that DS/DD's generation, having been inundated with electronics would prefer the belts and whistles rather than straight text or straight lecture. It just goes to show you that it all depends on the child and perhaps the parent?

Their email update from March 25 -- bolding as in the original.
The cited study "Using Stanford University’s Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) to Support and Advance Student Achievement" is at http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/scmsAdmin/media/users/ra977/EPGY_Report.pdf .

Dear XXX,
As promised, we wanted to provide an update on the evolution of EPGY and our progress on the next generation of the program.
One of the most critical elements of a child’s education is the vision and dedication of the parents. Your support, feedback and continued involvement in the program have been instrumental to our success.
Since December, the EPGY and Stanford teams have heard from many of you about how we can make EPGY even better. In our last communication, we outlined three specific focus areas:
Evolving the educational technology
Incorporating additional instructional strategies
Opening the lines of communication with you and your kids
To begin addressing those issues, we convened some of the foremost thinkers and experts at the intersection of education and technology. Our collective efforts are leading to changes that are already taking place. You and your student may have noticed the updated EPGY website, for example, which is just the first step in upgrades to the site design, content and functionality.
You may have already seen upgrades to the EPGY program technology as well. The first set of upgrades will be rolling out over the next few months – we’re particularly excited to move the K-7 Mathematics, Language Arts & Writing, and Beginning Algebra courses to a modern HTML5 platform, which will enable tablet and mobile accessibility.
Over the next few months, we will continue to work with our new partners to develop and implement specific plans for the next generation of the EPGY program – aimed at maintaining its efficacy while modernizing its technology. You may see invitations to participate in the process by providing feedback on your experience with EPGY via surveys and focus groups. Your input remains critical to our program’s success.
Finally, we are excited to share the results of a recent independent evaluation of EPGY’s effectiveness by New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. In reviewing and analyzing more than 10 years of student performance data, this study concludes that “access to a tool like EPGY will significantly enhance the ability of parents and educators to meet the learning needs of a broad range of students.”
We look forward to hearing from you and sharing more in the coming months. Until then, please don’t hesitate to reply to this email with any questions, concerns or additional feedback.
Sincerely,
The EPGY Team, Stanford University

Wow. What has it been? Like 15-20 years?

I have to wonder if Alcumus (9000 maths problems) and AoPS aren't giving EPGY a run for their money. I think for the same $500 to EPGY you could buy the whole AoPS books grade 6 - 12 with solutions guides. And Alcumus is currently free. And they have Beast Academy for younger kids. Just saying.

http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Store/curriculum.php
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/liz/Alcumus/index.php

That's great to hear that it sounds like they are adding iPad accessibility. It has been very irksome not to have that.

I see where the EPGY School Program is making some changes starting in the Fall of 2014. Do you think these changes will happen with the open enrollment also?

http://epgy.stanford.edu/for-schools/case-studies

"Stanford University has selected Redbird Advanced Learning to help develop and offer the next generation of EPGY's School Programs. Grounded in foundational and ongoing research by Stanford University, Redbird Advanced Learning is uniquely positioned at the intersection of learning science and advanced technology. Click here to learn more about how Redbird Advanced Learning is working with Stanford to build upon the distinguished legacy of EPGY."