General Information - Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth ...

OverviewCTYOnline and SchoolsMany public, private, independent, and charter schools work with CTYOnline to expand opportunities for theiracademically gifted students by bringing CTY’s challenging courses to the school setting. Schools rely on CTY’sexceptionally high standards for rigorous courses, teaching excellence, and student performance. CTYOnline schoolbasedstudents often work on their courses using the school’s computer lab or media center, communicating with theirCTYOnline instructors via email, interactive virtual classrooms, or by phone. Students may substitute a more advancedCTYOnline course for a regular course at school, or use CTYOnline courses to enrich their curriculum with moreadvanced coursework during study periods or at home. CTYOnline students also may take AP courses that may not beoffered in the student’s school. To find out more about CTYOnline and schools visit http://cty.jhu.edu/ctyonline/schools/ .To receive information about CTYOnline and Schools contact the school coordinator at ctyinschool@jhu.edu, or call410-735-6166. Special online applications for schools are also available.Placement and CreditStudents requesting placement or credit from their schoolsshould always discuss their options with school officials beforeenrolling, since schools have varying policies. In some cases,schools may require additional documentation about CTYand the course content, or the student may be asked to takethe school’s final exam. CTY is an accredited institutionand issues course completion documents to each studentwho successfully completes course work. Although credit orplacement can only be awarded by the student’s school, CTYprovides suggested guidelines. For more information, visitcty.jhu.edu/ctyonline/credit.htmlGradesUpon completion, students automatically receive a grade formost math, science, AP, world languages, and computer sciencecourses. Parents or guardians may also request grades for writing,language arts, or other courses where narrative evaluations, notgrades, are generally given.Offcial Academic RecordParents or guardians may request a CTY Official AcademicRecord through the MyCTY feature at cty.jhu.edu or bycontacting ctyreg@jhu.edu. This document, which lists a student’scomplete participation with CTY, can be sent to the student’shome, school, or a college address for a nominal fee. To orderthrough MyCTY, log in as Parent, select Student Participation,and select Order Official Academic Record.HomeschoolingHomeschooled CTY students find that CTYOnline coursesfit very well into their individually tailored curricula. Parentscombine their own instruction in some subjects with challengingCTYOnline courses guided by CTY instructors to create a richlearning environment. Online discussions in certain courses givestudents the opportunity to interact with their intellectual peersfrom around the world who share their enthusiasm for advancedlearning challenges.AccreditationThe Center for Talented Youth is accredited for grades 5through 12 by the Commission on Secondary Schools of theMiddle States Association of Colleges and Schools. CTYOnlinecourses for 9th to 12th graders may also be used in the NationalCollegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) initial eligibilitycertification process.All advanced placement courses offered by CTYOnline havebeen reviewed and approved by the College Board.“This was our first exposure to online educationand we were very pleased. The instructor wasvery accessible and responsive. I’m so glad wefound this program!”CTYOnline ParentCTYOnline 20145

IndividuallyPaced CoursesIndividually Paced Courses FAQStudents enrolled in individually paced courses may start at anytime during the year and progress at their own pace within theirenrollment period.How do we choose which course to take?We strongly urge CTY students who are qualified to enroll inmath and computer science and technology courses to register athttp://ctyjhu.org/surveys/placement/math.cfm to take a free onlinemath/computer science placement test. The test can be takenon your home computer, and CTY will be able to recommendappropriate course placement based on its results immediately.In addition, families should review the course descriptions anddetailed curricula available online. Students interested in mathcourses may also consult the chart on page 23.How quickly after registration will the course begin?Qualified students may start within two weeks after receiptof an application to give CTY sufficient time to process theregistration, assign an instructor, and send login information.How is content delivered?Courses are delivered online unless otherwise stated on the website. Students and instructors communicate via email, phone,Skype, virtual classrooms using Adobe Connect, messages intheir online classrooms, and other methods. Instructors trackstudent progress and reply to individual student needs. Somecourses require students to buy textbooks and other materials.Can students in grades PreK-1 become eligible?Many PreK-1 students take CTYOnline math courses. Visitcty.jhu.edu/ctyonline/eligibility.html for details about how toestablish eligibility.How long does it take to complete a course?Most students complete a course in three to six months. Whileit depends on the student and the particular course, studentsshould expect to spend a minimum of three to five hours perweek for lessons, problem sets, exams, instructor correspondence,and homework.What if time is up and the course is not finished?Families can pay additional tuition to re-enroll for one or moremonths online through MyCTY (see page 4), under “ManageEnrollments.” Families can pay to extend time as long as thecourse is completed within one year of the course start date.What if there is still time remaining when the courseis completed?Students who complete a course with five or more daysremaining in their enrollment are advanced to the next mostappropriate individually paced course after receiving their gradefor the previous course. Students can work on this new courseuntil their enrollment period ends, or, if they want more time towork on the new course, they can pay additional tuition and feesto re-enroll for one or more months online through MyCTY,under “Manage Enrollments.”Can students take a break from their course by postponingtheir enrollment?Students who are unable to work on an individually pacedcourse because of a vacation, illness, camp, or other reason canpostpone their enrollment for breaks of seven days or longer.Parents should log into MyCTY as Parent, select “StudentParticipation,” and then “Submit Postponement.” The course isplaced on hold, and the end date is adjusted when the studentreturns to the course. Postponements will expire after one year.How will course progress be documented?Once enrolled, students engage in regular assessments todetermine mastery of concepts. Course management systemsallow instructors to document student achievement. Certificatesand other documents, which include a grade, are sent to eachstudent who successfully completes a course.“Our son truly enjoyed the class. His teacher was fabulous and always available with answers and gave great feedback. Thumbs up!”CTYOnline ParentCTYOnline 20147