The Benefits of CTY Summer Programs

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1 Center for Talented Youth The Benefits of CTY Summer Programs >>Picture<< Academic Social Personal

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3 OVERVIEW ACADEMIC BENEFITS 2 Academic rigor and challenge; quality instruction... 2 Gains in learning... 3 Acceleration... 4 Positive academic role models... 5 Skill development... 6 Heightened interest in an academic subject... 7 Increased academic confidence and setting higher academic goals... 7 College-related benefits... 8 SOCIAL AND PERSONAL BENEFITS 9 Becoming friends with other bright students... 9 Sense of belonging, social-support network, social adeptness, and confidence... 9 Increased maturity and independence More open-mindedness Life-long knowledge and self-discovery BENEFITS FOR UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS 12 Gains in learning Acceleration Increased SAT scores College-related benefits Greater impact of benefits OVERLAP AND MULTIPLICITY OF BENEFITS 15 Overlap of benefits diagram Multiplicity of benefits chart REFERENCES 18

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5 BENEFITS OF CTY SUMMER PROGRAMS Each summer, thousands of students in grades 2-12 attend CTY's Summer Programs offered at colleges and universities throughout the United States and abroad. The programs are three weeks long, and students take only one of the rigorous courses at a time. This intense immersion in a subject has proven to be both challenging and stimulating for students of high ability. In addition to their course work, students enjoy a rich experience outside the classroom that includes activities ranging from sports to arts and crafts to special events (e.g., student talent shows, dances, or socials). Courses span a range of fields in the arts and sciences, including mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, language, philosophy, history and writing. Courses also include the disciplines of engineering and computer science. All courses are challenging and taught well above grade level. Teachers emphasize active learning and encourage students to use knowledge in independent and creative ways. CTY classrooms are characterized by high expectations for student performance, low student/instructor ratios, faculty who are well versed in their fields, motivated students, active student participation, and flexible instruction. Summer Program courses are extensively evaluated, and student outcomes have been the focus of numerous research studies over the years. In a number of these studies, Summer Program participants have been compared to similar-ability students who have not participated in CTY's Summer Programs so that the added value of participation can be documented. Students and families routinely contact CTY about the benefits they have experienced as a result of program participation. In addition, an active Alumni Association provides CTY with an on-going longterm perspective on program benefits and outcomes. With the help of a grant from the U. S. Department of Education, CTY's Research Department was able to identify, collate, organize, integrate, and analyze over 30 years of research findings, evaluation data, alumni surveys, interviews, and unsolicited letters/ s from students and families regarding the benefits and outcomes of participation in CTY's Summer Programs. This document summarizes the findings that emerged. A technical report that provides extensive background for the project, statistical data, accompanied by charts and graphs, is available. At the end of this document is a list of all resources, technical reports, and published research papers that were used to inform this project. 1

6 ACADEMIC BENEFITS The CTY Summer Program experience exposes bright students to academic rigor and challenge, as well as quality instruction that may not be found at students' regular schools. Parents report opportunities for challenge as one of the major factors in having their child attend CTY. At the end of CTY's Summer Programs, all students are asked to rate their satisfaction with various aspects of the program. Year after year, students strongly agree that: the course was challenging for me, the instructor's overall effectiveness as a teacher was excellent, and the instructional assistant's overall effectiveness was excellent. In follow-up surveys, parents also express high satisfaction with the level of academic rigor and quality of instruction. When CTY alumni are asked about their experience in CTY's Summer Programs, sometimes many years later, they say that the Summer Programs exposed them to rigorous and challenging courses and quality instruction not available in their school. This is a consistent finding across studies and over time. Even the highest ability students attending CTY programs indicate the importance of academic rigor and challenge provided by CTY summer courses. I thought the instructors were dynamic. They were encouraging but also were some of the first mentors I had that really challenged me. The coursework in which I participated as a CTY student has been comparable to work I've done as a college student. 2

7 ACADEMIC BENEFITS Summer Program participants make substantial gains in learning challenging material during the three-week course. Achievement gains (i.e., increases in content knowledge and academic skills) are a very important and well-documented part of CTY's Summer Programs. To measure this gain, students are given an assessment at the beginning and at the end of the threeweek course. The scores from this pre- and post-assessment are compared to determine how much students learn over the length of the course. Bright students vary in interests and exposure to academic content. Therefore, pre-assessment scores may vary widely within a class and provide important diagnostic information. Armed with this diagnostic information, instructors can tailor the course to meet the needs of the range of students within their class. It took me only two weeks to complete an entire year's worth of math. I was able to learn at my own pace and subsequently was more challenged than at my high school. I still remember much of what I learned and I'm in my last year of college now. The following graph shows average pre-assessment and postassessment scores for students, by type of course. Across courses, the average pre-assessment score is about 30 percent and the average post-assessment score is about 80 percent. Parents often describe the substantial gains made by their children: Our daughter covered more in three weeks than is expected of her for [the] entire school year and the [CTY] course covered everything you would learn in a typical college course. 100 Average Pre-Assessment and Post-Assessment Scores by Course Type Percent of Items Correct Humanities Science Math Computer Science Pre-assessment Post-assessment 3

8 ACADEMIC BENEFITS After taking a CTY summer course, many CTY students report acceleration in their school's curriculum. Many students and their parents indicate that they attend CTY's Summer Programs in order to move ahead to higher-level courses in school. For students interested in accelerating, CTY recommends that students and their parents meet with school administrators (before and after taking a CTY course) to discuss possible acceleration options. Most of the students who take CTY courses that are similar to traditional high school math and science courses do advance to higher-level courses in their schools. This finding is relatively stable over 14 years. I received credit for several classes and was able to jump ahead in school (e.g., taking Calculus and AP Computer Science) in my first year of high school). Of students who received placement into a higher-level math or science course in their home school, almost all felt as well prepared, if not better prepared, for the higher-level course than their classmates. When compared to bright students who did not attend a CTY summer course, CTY students report taking more advanced-level courses in high school at an earlier time (e.g., take AB and BC Calculus th before 12 grade) and report enrolling in more college courses while attending high school. CTY students also report taking more Advanced Placement (AP) courses than equally bright students who do not attend CTY's Summer Programs. CTY research has found that as the number of CTY courses taken increases, so does the number of AP courses. Opportunities to take more advanced-level courses earlier (i.e., acceleration) is an important added value of CTY program participation. Average Number of AP Courses Average Number of AP Courses by Number of CTY Summer Courses and 2 3 and 4 5 and 6 7+ Number of CTY Summer Courses 4

9 ACADEMIC BENEFITS Most CTY students report that the summer experience provided exposure to positive academic role models. At the end of courses, the majority of CTY students agree that at least one faculty or staff person at CTY had a strong positive influence on their intellectual or personal development. The majority of CTY alumni also report this strong positive influence. The staff member most identified as a positive influence is the instructor. Teaching assistants and resident assistants are also mentioned. Positive role models also include other students. In the words of a CTY participant, CTY was singlehandedly the most influential experience in my life in terms of the people I met and how that shaped and formed my future interactions with friends and others. Another student said, I loved being around other highpotential and highly motivated students and have made friends I have kept in touch with for the past 12 years since the program. My instructors were routinely extremely capable and obviously loved knowledge. This trait was fairly inspirational to me as a child. In addition, several of my instructors boosted my confidence. [CTY] inspired me [because of the] positive role-models among staff members. 5

10 ACADEMIC BENEFITS Challenging CTY summer courses yield skill development in the areas of thinking, studying, and time management. Students indicate that the CTY summer experience improved their thinking skills, study skills, and time management skills. The importance of increased academic skills during the program was reported by even the highest ability students. CTY parents also report the development of these skills in their children and rate these skills as a highly important benefit of program participation. The writing and analytical skills that [CTY] developed in me at a young age formed the foundation for my career as a lawyer. The academic background and study habits I acquired at CTY supported me through [my] MIT degree. 6

11 ACADEMIC BENEFITS CTY summer courses further heighten students' interest in an academic subject. Consistently over the years, Summer Program participants report heightened interest in the subject at the end of their summer course. CTY courses present new concepts and real-world applications that pique students' curiosity. Many years after attending Summer Programs, some students say that their interest in a subject increased so much that they changed the direction of their academic and career plans. I think this is when my passion for the study of international relations was further shaped and developed. My participation led to the cementing of my choice to enter engineering as a profession. CTY Summer Program participants report that their experience with CTY increased their academic confidence and encouraged them to set higher academic goals. A majority of recent program participants, as well as alumni who participated many years ago, report that CTY's Summer Programs gave them more confidence in themselves. Students and their parents note that the experience in CTY programs helped students to be more confident of their academic abilities, set higher academic goals, and see more possibilities for their future. For many students, the Summer Program experience is the first time they were challenged to push themselves to their intellectual limit. As a result, students report that they were surprised and proud to learn the full extent of what they were capable of learning and understanding. Being involved with the program gave me confidence and drove me to do well in school. It convinced me that I had the ability to succeed in life. Participating in CTY has instilled me with the confidence to seek out challenges. 7

12 ACADEMIC BENEFITS The CTY summer experience yields college-related benefits, such as increased motivation to attend college and preparation for college. The majority of CTY students report that their summer experience gave them a taste of the college experience. Many students report that living on a college campus helped them to prepare for college. CTY alumni report that their CTY experience increased their motivation to attend college and helped them prepare a stronger college application (e.g., evidence of taking rigorous coursework, improved writing skills to write college essays), thus increasing their chances of acceptance. The classes were informative and helped me to be prepared and know what colleges were looking for. [CTY] opened many doors for acceptances to college. When CTY program participants (who had completed high school) were compared to equally able non-participants, a higher percentage of CTY program participants attended colleges classified as Most Competitive, the highest rating given by Barron's Profile of American Colleges. This finding was most striking for students from groups that are typically underrepresented in gifted programs. College-related benefits appear to be an added value related to CTY Summer Program participation. 8

13 SOCIAL AND PERSONAL BENEFITS Becoming friends with other bright students is an important benefit for the majority of CTY program participants. CTY provides students with a well-rounded experience focused on both academics and positive social interaction. Students routinely report that the friendships they make at CTY are close and longlasting. Students tell us that despite long distances, they have remained very close with the friends they made at CTY, sometimes for many years after their summer experience. Consistently over the years, most CTY students say that meeting and making friends with other students who have similar interests and intellectual abilities is as important as the academic benefits of CTY participation. While I know I grew academically, it was the social growth that mattered more to me. Several of my friends that I met at CTY are still close friends. Through CTY, I developed a network of talented, highly motivated friends. Students often report that at CTY, they felt a sense of belonging, found a socialsupport network, and became more socially adept and confident. Over the years, many students have reported that CTY was the first place they felt a sense of belonging and support from peers. Finding others like themselves made being bright and different feel normal. For some of these students (particularly students from groups that are typically underrepresented in programs for the gifted), the social-support network they experienced at CTY resulted in enhanced pride in their academic abilities and achievements. With the support of other students like themselves, they realized that it was acceptable, indeed desirable, to be a bright, highachieving student. Students and their parents report that the students' opportunity to be with intellectual peers was an important, if not a deciding, factor in their decision to attend CTY programs. Students describe the Summer Programs as a place for them to grow socially and to interact with peers without fear of judgment. Students tell us that at CTY they felt truly accepted. This sense of belonging and acceptance, in conjunction with increased self-confidence, allowed them to branch out socially. CTY was my home away from home - a place where I felt comfortable and welcome and looked forward to going to each summer. I was not stigmatized for being smart and I felt I could 'be myself' in a way that I didn't feel in high school. It gave me a lot of hope for college and future years-- that I wouldn't always feel like a misfit. I am a strong and independent thinker with an outgoing personality and I feel that CTY helped to give me the confidence I needed to become that kind of person. 9

14 SOCIAL AND PERSONAL BENEFITS Increased maturity and independence are reported by many CTY program participants. A large majority of CTY participants and their parents report that the CTY summer experience helped students gain maturity and independence. For many students, their summer at CTY is often their first experience living away from home for a significant amount of time. Even though they are well supervised, the three-week course may be their first chance to practice independence and autonomy. Many years after their CTY summer, alumni report that maturity and independence were important benefits of their Summer Program participation. I have a sense of independence brought about [by] an increase in personal responsibility that has lasted since I attended. Although my CTY experience was only three weeks, I gained so much both academically and socially. Also, it really initiated a lot of personal growth in terms of my maturity. Students report that their experience with CTY's Summer Programs helped them become more open-minded because of the diversity of intellectual peers and ideas, as well as intellectual challenge they experienced. According to students (and their parents), Summer Programs helped to broaden their minds. Many reported their increased open-mindedness was a product of the diversity of the individuals they met during their three weeks, noting that this prepared them for the social environment they would encounter in college. Others reported that their perspective was broadened by the teachers and ideas they encountered, as well as the intellectual challenge of the courses. I believe that it helped me to become more outspoken and encouraged me to make connections outside of my high school area and hometown. It gave me more of an enlarged mindset about the size of the world I participate in. It's broadened my perspective in the sense that it introduced me to new and different sorts of people. 10

15 SOCIAL AND PERSONAL BENEFITS CTY participants report personal benefits pertaining to life-long knowledge and selfdiscovery. When describing the benefits of Summer Programs, former CTY students refer to long-term knowledge ranging from content knowledge to self-knowledge. For example, many former students refer to learning something that changed their thinking or view of the world. They also describe a self-awareness that occurred as a result of being in an intellectually challenging environment with other bright students. It helped me to find my personality at an age when it is very difficult to be different from others. CTY encouraged the lifelong pursuit of knowledge. 11

16 BENEFITS FOR UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS Each year, CTY provides Summer Programs scholarships to hundreds of low-income students who are members of typically underrepresented groups in programs for gifted and talented students. CTY is particularly interested in the social experience and academic performance of these students in its Summer Programs. Moreover, CTY has been committed to studying the effect of the Summer Program experience when these students return to their home schools and over time. Underrepresented students who attend CTY's Summer Programs make similar gains in learning as other CTY students. To measure learning in courses, Summer Program instructors administer an assessment at the beginning and end of the three-week course. A consistent finding over the years is that students from underrepresented populations show comparable achievement gains to the larger group of CTY students. In fact, the majority of underrepresented students make achievement gains that are equal to or greater than their classmates. Postassessment scores document that underrepresented students leave the summer courses having mastered a comparable percentage of material relative to their classmates. It was amazing that in almost a year at school I learned about the same amount as I would in 3 weeks at CTY. I gained knowledge not available at my own school. 12

17 BENEFITS FOR UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS Compared to equally bright peers, underrepresented students report the added value of Summer Program participation in terms of acceleration, increased SAT scores, and college-related benefits. Each year since 2000, CTY has selected a group of students from underrepresented populations who attend Summer Programs to follow from middle school through the end of high school. A comparable group of equally bright peers who are program eligible and who do not attend Summer Programs are also followed. Across years and groups (cohorts), a number of differences have consistently emerged between Summer Program participants and non-participants. Specifically, Summer Program participants are more likely to be accelerated in their home schools and/or to participate in supplemental academic coursework, take more honors and Advanced Placement courses in their home schools, show a greater increase in their SAT scores from middle to high school, and are more likely to attend highly competitive colleges and universities in greater numbers. 13

18 BENEFITS FOR UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS Some benefits appear to have a greater impact on underrepresented CTY program participants than on CTY program participants as a whole. Like CTY students in general, students from underrepresented populations report a wide range of academic, social, and personal benefits of CTY's Summer Programs. However, the impact of some of these benefits appear to be more pervasive (i.e., reported by more students and parents) for underrepresented students than for the larger group of CTY participants. As the graph shows, the specific benefits more widely endorsed by students from underrepresented populations include openmindedness, exposure to other students from diverse backgrounds, setting higher academic goals, and preparation for college, with the difference increasing from left to right on the corresponding graph. Every year I go away, I meet new people from diverse backgrounds that help me gain a sense of support because we're all on the same journey for higher education and to better ourselves. It's made me much more open-minded as far as career opportunities in the future. Percent Indicating Very True or Mostly True Percent Open-mind Diversity Goal Setting College Preparation Underrepresented Students CTY Students as a Whole Open-Mind = Helped me to become more open-minded Diversity = Exposed me to others from diverse backgrounds Goal Setting = Helped me set higher academic goals College Prep = Helped me to prepare for college 14

19 OVERLAP AND MULTIPLICITY OF BENEFITS Students and their parents report benefits that often overlap across the academic, social, and personal domains. Within each domain, multiple benefits are reported. Recent students, alumni (over many years), and parents report program participation benefits that fall into three major domains: academic, social, and personal. As shown in the diagram, the largest percentage of CTY students (68%) report academic benefits (whether in isolation or in combination with other types of benefits). About one-half of CTY students report social benefits and a slightly lower percentage report personal benefits. A striking and important finding is that most students (52%) report more than one benefit, that is, an overlap of benefits. Overlap of Benefits I met some of the most interesting people at CTY and have fond lifelong memories. It was also an intellectually rigorous experience and I really respected and appreciated my instructors. It has made me more socially adjusted. It was nice to feel normal and accepted for a summer, since I felt so awkward in middle school. The classes I took at CTY were some of the most challenging classes I took for my age. Overlap of Benefits Academic 24% 68% 13% 15% 16% 46% 10% Personal 8% 15% Social 54% 15

20 OVERLAP AND MULTIPLICITY OF BENEFITS Within each domain, academic, social, and personal, there are multiple benefits reported. When describing the benefits of Summer Programs, students often list several benefits within any one domain. The following chart graphically presents the wide array of benefits discussed in the earlier sections of this report. This is not an exhaustive list, but rather a list of the benefits frequently reported across studies and groups of people. Overlap of Benefits Because of my participation in CTY, I have been better prepared for classes during high school and in college and have been able to understand music on a more detailed level than some of my peers I was introduced to [a] myriad [of] new things which has enhanced both my academic and social life since that summer. These programs gave me a sense of confidence at a young age that helped my personal and academic independence and the knowledge that I could tackle any challenge sent my way. Multiplicity of Benefits The writing classes that I took the first two summers definitely improved my writing skills. Throughout the program I gained confidence about my intelligence and [this new-found confidence] helped [me] figure out what I wanted some of my life goals to be. Socially CTY launched me into high school with a great deal more confidence. I was far more successful at making friends there I became in my own way 'popular' in high school. That wouldn't have been possible without what CTY taught me. 16

21 Benefits of CTY Summer Programs Academic Benefits Social Benefits Academic rigor and challenge Quality instruction Gains in learning Acceleration Positive academic role models Skill development Heightened students' interest Academic confidence Setting higher academic goals College-related benefits Friends with other bright students Sense of belonging Social-support network Social adeptness and confidence Personal Benefits Maturity and independence More open-mindedness Life-long knowledge and self-discovery Findings are based on 30 years of data from research studies, program evaluations, surveys (parent, student, and alumni), student interviews, and unsolicited letters/ s. ( Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth

22 REFERENCES *Ablard, K.E. ( ). Achievement Gains in Summer Programs: Pre- and Post-Assessment Project Summary Report (Internal Evaluation Reports Nos. 10, 11, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth. 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. 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. (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. Ablard, K., Mills, C., & Corazza, L. (1992). Credit and Placement: Math & Science (Technical Report No. 7). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth. Ablard, K., Mills, C., & Duvall, R. (1994). Acceleration of CTY Math and Science Students (Technical Report No. 10). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth. Barnett, L. (1991a). CTY advocacy and intervention in New Jersey: Observations and comments regarding the development of academic talent. (Tech. Rep. 103A). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth. Barnett, L. & Durden, W. (1993). Education patterns of academically talented youth. Gifted Child Quarterly, 37(4), *Brody, L. & Muratori, M. (2007). Davidson/Stanley Merit Scholarship (DSMS) Program 2007 Activities Report. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth. Kasahara, E. (2008). CTY Summer Program Satisfaction Survey. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth. Kolitch, E. R. & Brody, L.E. (1992). Mathematics acceleration of highly talented students: An evaluation. Gifted Child Quarterly, 36(2), Lohrfink, K. (2007). Goldman Sachs Scholars Program evidence of success. Baltimore, MD: JHU, CTY. Lohrfink, K. (2008). The Next Generation Venture Fund (NGVF) evaluation report. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth. Lynch, S. (1990). Credit and placement issues for the academically talented following summer studies in science and mathematics. Gifted Child Quarterly, 34(1), *Mickenberg, K. & Wood, J. (2008). Achievement Gains in Summer Programs: Pre- and Post-Assessment Project Summary Report (Internal Evaluation Report No. 25). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth. Mickenberg, K. & Wood, J. (2009). Alumni Program Satisfaction and Benefits of CTY Summer Programs (Technical Report No. 29). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth. 18

23 REFERENCES Mickenberg, K. & Wood, J. (2009). Short-Term Benefits of CTY Summer Programs (Technical Report No. 30). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth. Mills, C. & Ablard, K. (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), Mills, C., Ablard, K. & Lynch, S. (1992). Academically talented students' preparation for advanced-level coursework after an individually-paced precalculus class. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 16, *Mills, C. & Hoffmann, J. Student Perceptions Study (Internal Report No. 13). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth. *Student Program Evaluation (Internal Reports ). *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. *Internal Evaluation documents are not for public distribution.

24 The Research Department Smith Ave., JHU CTY McAuley Hall Suite 400 Baltimore, MD Information Office