Overview. The History of CTYOnline. The Center for Talented Youth. Why Take a CTYOnline Course? Overview of CTY. Accreditation.

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1 The Center for Talented Youth CTYOnline Overview of CTY The Center for Talented Youth (CTY) is a non-profit, fully accredited institute of the Johns Hopkins University. Our mission today, as it has been since 1979, is to identify students with high academic talent and provide them with rigorous and engaging academic programs and services. Programs and activities include: Annual talent search in the U.S. and abroad Summer residential and commuter programs at sites throughout the United States and in Hong Kong CTYOnline courses led by CTY faculty Diagnostic and counseling services including college counseling Family academic programs Research Teacher recognition programs Public policy initiatives Accreditation The Center for Talented Youth is accredited for K through 12 by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools. CTYOnline courses for 9th to 12th graders may also be used in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) initial eligibility certification process. All advanced placement courses offered by CTYOnline have been reviewed and approved by the College Board. The History of CTYOnline In 1983 CTY began offering distance education with assistance from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The program began with postal mail, but courses moved to the Internet in the 1990s, making online learning opportunities accessible to students and schools from around the world. Each year, thousands of students from more than 90 countries enroll in CTYOnline to join the CTY faculty and their intellectual peers in a virtual learning community. For the current list of course offerings, visit cty.jhu.edu/ctyonline/courses. Why Take a CTYOnline Course? CTYOnline students belong to a dynamic academic community built through electronic communication, online interaction, and sharing of knowledge and ideas. All CTY students have one thing in common: they are eager to learn. CTYOnline offers students in grades PreK-12 challenging academic coursework throughout the year. Some students use our courses to enrich and supplement their curriculum during the school year. Other students enroll to advance academic goals during the summer. CTYOnline courses are important components of the curriculum for many home schoolers as well. Many students arrange with their schools to take CTYOnline courses for credit, as more advanced replacements for regular classes at school. Others take courses for the love of learning, to build up confidence in a subject, or to prepare for an AP or SAT test. Before deciding to enroll in a CTYOnline course, students may find it helpful to take a short online survey Is Online Learning Right for You to discover the kinds of skills and attitudes students need to succeed in an online course, found at ctyjhu.org/surveys/selfassessment/sa.cfm. CTYOnline s growing list of courses covers many academic subjects including mathematics, science, writing, forensics, computer science and technology, critical reading, grammar, visual literacy, and Advanced Placement. Challenging courses give gifted students the flexibility they need. CTYOnline brings together the best resources for each course, which may include multimedia resources, interactive virtual classrooms, web-based classrooms, and texts. Each student works under the guidance of an instructor who provides feedback, encouragement, and evaluation. The Faculty The CTYOnline faculty is an extraordinary group of teachers with expertise both in the fields that they teach and in their understanding of the needs of academically gifted students. All hold at least a bachelor s degree, and most hold advanced degrees, including the Ph.D. Instructors are trained in the use of technology and are knowledgeable about the best practices in online learning for gifted students. Students communicate with faculty through , web-based discussion forums, real-time virtual classrooms, telephone, and Skype. Online learning that works for gifted students 1

2 Admission Process CTYOnline admits students who demonstrate outstanding academic ability. Students must establish eligibility to enroll: Students in grades 2 through 8 first enter the CTY Talent Search, which is open to students who have scored at the 95th percentile or higher on one or more areas of a nationally normed standardized test. Once entered into the Talent Search, students register to take an appropriate above-grade test. Check the CTY website for acceptable tests, qualifying scores, and other information. New students in grades PreK-1 and 9-12, (who are not eligible to participate in testing through CTY Talent Search), should visit the Eligibility page of the CTYOnline website to learn how to apply for admission. CTYOnline Eligibility Requirements Students who achieve qualifying scores on a particular subtest of the appropriate above-level test, or scores on one of the subtests of the Spatial Test Battery, become eligible to enroll in courses in certain subjects. Check course descriptions carefully for details about prerequisites and eligibility. To find out more information about the qualifying tests and eligible test scores needed to enroll in a CTYOnline course, please visit the web at ctyonline/admissions.html If your student has already been tested, find out what CTY programs for which your child is qualified by filling out the Eligibility Calculator at eligibility_ts.cfm Choosing a Course CTYOnline courses are designed to enrich and accelerate academically gifted students in the areas where they show the strongest abilities. The appropriate course depends on the student s previous educational background and not necessarily on age or grade. Students choose courses that are often well above their own grade level but appropriate for their ability. Students in grades 7 to 12 can choose advanced courses, many of which are equivalent to college-level curricula. Check course descriptions at cty.jhu.edu/ctyonline/courses for specific eligibility requirements and prerequisites. While a chart is available on page 21 to help students choose an appropriate math course, we strongly encourage students with qualifying scores interested in math, science, or computer science and technology courses to register at placement/math.cfm to take a free online placement test. Individually Paced, Session-Based, and Flexi-Paced Courses Individually paced courses: Students may enroll at any time during the year and progress at their own pace during their enrollment, guided by instructors who strive to meet individual needs. Enrollment and tuition are time based, and students may enroll in a course for three, six, or nine months. Students who complete a course with five or more days remaining in their enrollment may be advanced to the next most appropriate individually paced course after receiving their grade for the previous course. Students can work on this new course until their enrollment ends, or they can pay additional tuition and fees to re-enroll for one or more months through MyCTY. If students are not able to work on their courses because of vacations, camps, illness, or other reason, they can also postpone the course for breaks of seven days or longer, up to a year. Students who are not able to complete their course before their end-date can pay to re-enroll for additional time to complete it. (See Course Codes, Tuition, and Dates beginning on page 65 or visit the Tuition and Fees page online.) Math courses (including AP Calculus and AP Statistics), chess, computer science and technology, and science courses below the level of AP (except Introduction to Forensics and Inventions in Engineering) are individually paced. Session-based courses: These courses have specific start and end dates; students receive a schedule and must meet assignment deadlines. Tests, if any, are taken according to the course schedule. All writing, AP (except AP Calculus and AP Statistics), forensics, engineering, grammar, critical reading, visual fluency, and world languages courses are session-based. For session dates and application deadlines, see information beginning on page 67. Flexi-paced courses: Students and instructors agree on a schedule to finish the course within nine months. They can complete in just 10 weeks, or they can space the work over a maximum of nine months. Students are expected to adhere to the agreed upon schedule. This format provides considerable flexibility, but students must manage their time carefully to avoid rushing at the end of the course. The Process of Writing, Writing for an Audience, Crafting the Essay, and Writing Analysis and Persuasion are offered in the flexi-paced format. For session dates and application deadlines, see information beginning on page 67. [Note: a 10 assignments in 10 weeks schedule requires approval from a program manager before applying. Contact ctyonline@jhu.edu] 2

3 How Many Courses Can a Student Take? CTYOnline courses are demanding and require a significant commitment of time and intellectual energy. Students attending regular school and participating in extracurricular activities should not attempt more than one course at a time. Students considering higher course loads should first confer with program administrators by ing ctyonline@jhu.edu Students attending a CTY summer residential program cannot actively participate in any CTYOnline course during the same three-week period. Parents with students in individually paced courses should log into MyCTY to postpone enrollment during the three-week period and students will continue where they left off after the summer program course ends. Students in flexipaced courses should not expect to work on their courses during the same time that they participate in a CTY summer residential program. Students planning to take CTYOnline session-based courses with specific start and end dates must choose courses that do not overlap with their residential session, sleep-away camp, or vacation. Expectations of Students CTYOnline courses are designed for self-motivated, computerliterate students who love academic challenges. Students are expected to work independently and consistently, communicate frequently with their instructors, and maintain satisfactory progress. Students are also required to have an account and regular access to a computer, scanner, printer, and the Internet. Many courses list specific technical specifications to ensure students can run course software on their computer. In addition, because CTYOnline students use the Internet frequently, they should ensure that their computers are properly protected for their safety and security. Before enrolling, check for information on cybersafety and system requirements at cty.jhu.edu/ctyonline/techrequirements.html Student Code of Conduct CTY expects the highest standards of behavior both in deportment and in dedication to academic pursuits. Students are expected to: Adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty and integrity. Strive to do the best work possible. Respect individuals of different races, cultures, religions, genders, sexual orientations, disabilities, and national origins. Be friendly, cooperative, and responsible to all people in the CTY community. Observe all rules for student conduct. Students may receive failing grades or be dismissed from the program, with no tuition refunds, for any of the following reasons: Cheating, or other acts of academic dishonesty, including failing to follow quiz or exam rules for time limits, closed book, etc. Plagiarizing, defined as the submission or presentation of work, in any form, that is not a student s own, without acknowledgment of the sources. Harassing or interfering with the work of others, whether via or any other medium. Not attending to their academic work in a satisfactory manner. CTYOnline courses challenge gifted students and are not remedial. Writing and language arts students, for example, must already be proficient in Standard Written English in order for them to profit from their CTYOnline courses and progress in their writing, critical reading, and grammar skills. 3

4 Supporting Your Child Parents or guardians are vital components to a child s success. They play a key role by both seeing that work is submitted on time and encouraging regular communication with instructors. Some general tips: Encourage your child to do his or her best work. Help your child to understand that it may require one to two weeks to get familiar with the course format. Remind your child to communicate with the instructor regularly. Oversee the timely completion of assignments. First-time students may feel unsure about taking a CTYOnline course. The nature of the program and the absence of a physical classroom may be new to students. Many initially anxious students have expressed gratitude to their parents for encouraging them to enroll. Nevertheless, no matter how enthusiastic you may be about the program, we do not recommend enrolling a strongly reluctant child. MyCTY The most efficient method of applying for any CTY program is through MyCTY because applications are prefilled with address and contact information previously submitted to CTY. Through MyCTY, you have access to all your CTY information via the web. You can: Update your child s contact information. Apply for CTYOnline courses, Summer Programs, Family Academic Programs, and Talent Search. Postpone, resume, or pay to re-enroll for more time in an individually paced course. Order your student s Official Academic Record or print out a copy of the Unofficial Academic Record. View your child s participation details. To access MyCTY, go to cty.jhu.edu, select the MyCTY link, and log in as Parent. Enter your MyCTY Login ID/ Login Name and MyCTY password. If you do not know your MyCTY login information, select the Forgot Your Password link or call the Information Office at during business hours. Is Online Learning Right for Your Child? Research shows that most gifted students of all ages take to online learning very easily, with their computer skills, motivation, and thirst for learning. But it is not a good choice for everyone. To learn more about the kinds of skills and attitudes students need to succeed in an online course, take a short survey at Students with Learning, Physical, or Medical Disabilities Open communication between CTY and parents is essential to meeting students needs. If your child has a learning, physical, mental health, or other medical need that requires accommodations, awareness, or support, contact CTY staff at or cty-disabilities@jhu.edu to discuss those needs in the context of the CTYOnline program. CTY is committed to providing reasonable, appropriate, and necessary accommodations for qualified students with disabilities and supporting students with other physical and mental healthrelated concerns. In order to ensure your child has the best chance of success in the program, please inform CTY Disability Services of your child s health, medical, or learning needs at least four weeks prior to the start of his or her CTYOnline course if at all possible. For reasonable accommodations to be provided for students with disabilities, current documentation from a qualified individual knowledgeable about the student s disability may need to be submitted to our office. Requests and documentation are due four weeks prior to the start of your child s course. Requests made outside of this timeline may adversely affect our ability to provide accommodations and in certain circumstances may prevent a child from participating in our program. You must contact our office prior to beginning any new course, even if your child received accommodations in a past CTY program or was evaluated by CTY s Diagnostic and Counseling Center. Information of this nature is privileged and is not shared between departments at CTY without your written release. For further information regarding accommodations for CTYOnline courses, please visit cty.jhu.edu/disability/ accommodations/ctyonline.html. 4

5 CTYOnline as Enrichment: The Audit Option Many CTYOnline students enroll in courses to explore a new subject, expand their knowledge of a favorite topic, prepare for an AP test, or otherwise supplement their school curriculum. They may not intend to complete all the assignments or earn a grade, but they participate in the parts that benefit them the most. Students who wish to take a course with this kind of enrichment as the goal should let their instructors know at the beginning of the course, so the instructor can provide the kind of guidance and support that fits each student s intent. Uncompleted courses do not appear on the official academic record (OAR), but students will enjoy a challenging learning experience that matches their needs. Placement and Credit Students requesting placement or credit from their schools should always discuss their options with school officials before enrolling, since schools have varying policies. In some cases, schools may require additional documentation about CTY and the course content, or the student may be asked to take the school s final exam. CTY is an accredited institution and issues course completion documents to each student who successfully completes course work. Although credit or placement can only be awarded by the student s school, CTY provides suggested guidelines. For more information, visit cty.jhu.edu/ctyonline/ credit.html Official Academic Record Parents or guardians may request a CTY Official Academic Record (OAR) through the MyCTY feature at cty.jhu.edu or by contacting ctyreg@jhu.edu. This document, which lists a student s complete participation with CTY, can be sent to the student s home, school, or a college address for a nominal fee. To order through MyCTY, log in as Parent and select Academic Record. Research and Evaluation An important part of CTY s mission involves research. Parents and students will be asked to complete online course evaluations which will provide us with useful feedback about our program. Students in our programs may also be asked to participate voluntarily in research projects, so we can both investigate the long-term needs of gifted students and evaluate how various programs work for them. Our goal is to better understand the academically gifted student and to develop programs tailored to individual needs. Grades Upon the completion of a course, students automatically receive a grade for most math, science, AP, world languages, and computer science courses. Parents or guardians may also request grades for writing, language arts, or other courses where narrative evaluations, not grades, are generally given. Homeschooling Homeschooled CTY students find that CTYOnline courses fit very well into their individually tailored curricula. Parents combine their own instruction in some subjects with challenging CTYOnline courses guided by CTY instructors to create a rich learning environment. Online discussions in certain courses give students the opportunity to interact with their intellectual peers from around the world who share their enthusiasm for advanced learning challenges. I learned so much along the way... I learned to trust myself, ask questions, and strive for excellence at a whole new level. CTYOnline Student 5

6 CTYOnline in Schools and Financial Aid CTYOnline and Schools Many public, private, independent, and charter schools work with CTYOnline to expand opportunities for their academically gifted students by bringing CTY s challenging courses to the school setting. Schools rely on CTY s exceptionally high standards for rigorous courses, teaching excellence, and student performance. CTYOnline schoolbased students often work on their courses using the school s computer lab or media center, communicating with their CTYOnline instructors via , interactive virtual classrooms, or by phone. Students may substitute a more advanced CTYOnline course for a regular course at school, or use CTYOnline courses to enrich their curriculum with more advanced coursework during study periods or at home. CTYOnline students also may take AP courses that may not be offered in the student s school. To find out more about CTYOnline and schools visit To receive information about CTYOnline and Schools contact the school coordinator at ctyinschool@jhu.edu, or call Special online applications for schools are also available. Financial Aid Families may apply online or download the CTYOnline Program and Financial Aid applications at or if you already have a CTY student ID and password, you can apply through MyCTY. Apply at least 30 days before the course start date. Submit the following income documentation with blacked out or deleted Social Security numbers*: A copy of parent(s) signed 2014 (or 2013*) federal income tax return with Schedules A, C, D, E, F and/ or Form 4562; All 2014 W-2/1099 forms; Documentation of all 2014 nontaxable income such as Social Security income, unemployment compensation, child support, etc. To receive CTYOnline financial aid, a student may apply for only one session-based, flexi-paced or individuallypaced course per fiscal year, which starts July 1. Receiving aid for CTYOnline does not affect financial aid eligibility for other CTY Programs. A family with an outstanding account balance will not be eligible for financial aid until the account is paid in full. A student must be a U.S. citizen or an eligible permanent U.S. resident (with a green card) to qualify for financial aid. For more information, please visit financial/apply/ financial aid application may automatically decrease the tuition deposit based on income information provided, which will be verified. *If parents are not able to file their 2014 tax return before submitting the financial aid application, we will accept: A copy of the completed 2013 federal tax return with all applicable forms and schedules (if applicable schedules A, C, D, E, F, and/or form 4562); AND A copy of the 2014 W-2 /1099 forms or a copy of parents last pay stub(s) of 2014 showing a YTD income; if parents are self-employed, an estimated 2014 profit/loss statement is acceptable. I am so grateful for CTY addressing the needs of gifted kids. CTYOnline Parent Families experiencing hardships with the fees should contact the Financial Aid Office ( ) before submitting their paper application forms to discuss a reduced deposit. Failure to do so could delay the application process. However, the online 6

7 Tuition and Overview Fees Tuition and Fees Individually Paced Courses: Tuition for a course is based on the amount of time selected. Students who complete a course with five or more days left in their enrollment may use the remaining time to begin another individually paced course. Students who have not completed their course when their enrollment time ends may pay to re-enroll for more time. Each enrollment or re-enrollment requires payment of tuition and the non-refundable application fee. (The application fee is waived for students who extend their enrollment time to complete an individually paced course, as long as the extension is submitted online through MyCTY before the current enrollment ends.) 3 months tuition $ months tuition $ 1,430 9 months tuition $ 2,040 Session-Based Courses: Tuition varies by course. See the tables beginning on page 67. Flexi-Paced Courses: Tuition varies by course. See the table on page 67. Full payment of tuition and fees must accompany the application. Students may enroll only after all past due balances are paid (including balances from other CTY programs). Payments are applied to oldest balances first and then to current application requirements. Applications cannot be processed without payment and will be returned. The tuition rates in this catalog are in effect for course start dates from 1/1/15 12/31/15. Fees $15 non-refundable Application Fee is required for all applicants. $15 International Fee is required for all students living outside the United States [If the cost of shipping materials outside of the United States is above this amount, the excess cost will be charged directly to the student s account]. $25 Late Application Fee applies to session-based courses only. $25 Course Change Fee Course changes are generally not possible except when CTY determines that the student should be placed at a different level, in which case the fee is waived. If a course change is requested for another reason, and the change is approved by CTY, the course may be changed, but a $25 change fee will be applied. [Qualified CTY students are encouraged to register at to take free math, science, and computer science and technology placement tests to help determine appropriate course placement. Contact ctyonline@jhu.edu to request placement test if uncertain about which CTYOnline world languages course would be the most appropriate place to begin.] Refund Policies and Procedures Parents and/or guardians can receive an 80% tuition refund by submitting a written withdrawal request that is received by CTY no later than two weeks after the course start date, provided that software and course materials (if provided by CTY) are returned in satisfactory condition. Students who withdraw from a course prior to the start date will receive a 100% refund of tuition paid. Application fees will not be refunded. Refunds take approximately four to six weeks to process, pending receipt of the courseware. Send withdrawal requests to ctyonline@jhu.edu Students who withdraw or fail to participate after the two-week withdrawal period has passed do not receive refunds. Students who violate the Student Code of Conduct may be withdrawn from the program without refund. Notice of Nondiscriminatory Policy The Johns Hopkins University admits students of any race, color, sex, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or veteran status to all of the rights, privileges, programs, benefits, and activities, generally accorded or made available to students at the university. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or veteran status in any program or activity, including the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other university-administered programs or in employment. Accordingly, The Johns Hopkins University does not take into consideration personal factors that are irrelevant to its program. Questions regarding access to programs following Title VI, Title IX, and Section 504, should be referred to the university s Affirmative Action Officer, Garland Hall, Room 205,