I have a middle school son and daughter and when Transformative Tutoring opened up, I started taking them to see Kennon immediately. My 7th grade son was preparing for the SAT to qualify for the Duke and Johns Hopkins programs… Kennon did a great job… Because I stayed for many of the sessions, I got to see first hand how much he cared about their success. He is very patient and often funny. My children appreciated that… My son scored over 600 on his SAT math test and he is extremely well prepared to take Algebra 1 next year. We are very glad that we had the weekly sessions with Kennon because they have really set our kids up for success in the years to come.
S. G., July 2019
Duke University’s Talent Identification Program (TIP) and Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth (CTY) are among the most acclaimed programs for gifted students. Those who score highly on 6th grade standardized tests (e.g. Florida’s FSA tests) are invited by Duke to take the SAT or ACT. Unfortunately, this invitation usually arrives with very short notice, which offers the 7th grader little or no time to prepare for the same SAT/ACT being administered to 12th grade students. In order to succeed at this daunting task, we highly recommend that students prepare during the summer between 6th and 7th grade. Since the SAT and ACT are primarily Algebra 1 and Geometry tests, students should have completed at least Honors Pre-Algebra to have a realistic chance of receiving a score that is high enough for admission into these programs.
By default, SAT or ACT scores for tests taken at this early age are deleted at the end of the calendar year so a less than amazing score in 7th grade will not jeopardize college admissions later on.
Although Duke suggests that students take a test in October, the testing deadline can be as late as the following March, and these few months can prove to be invaluable. However, taking the test at a later date may also result in the student being ineligible for certain awards ceremonies, so waiting can come at a price.
Students can qualify by scoring well in math, English, or both. Students who score well in math can take math-related courses, and students who score well in English can take English-related courses. Therefore, students are not required to prepare for both portions of the exam; scoring well on one half is enough for eligibility. Admissions requirements vary by year and program, so please review their respective websites: Duke TIP and Johns Hopkins CTY.
The primary benefit of these programs is the opportunity to stay on a college campus and explore advanced topics (Duke TIP, Johns Hopkins CTY) for three weeks during summers, from 7th to 10th grade. The cost of each camp is several thousand dollars, but scholarships are available for those who qualify (Duke’s score table is here).
Scoring high enough for admission into these programs means that your child will be invited to an awards ceremony in Florida. Extraordinarily high scores are accompanied by an invitation to Duke University’s Grand Ceremony in Cameron Indoor Stadium, where Duke students graduate (and scream for their basketball team). As we have experienced, college scholarship opportunities may even become available.
We would be happy to discuss these programs further, in person, if you have any questions.
