cial aid is available.
The Center for Distance and Independent Study at the University of Missouri-Columbia is mostly for high school students, but there are a few options - courses such as medieval life, applying the math challenge and creative writing - available for middle school students, too. This is a self-directed program where students can sign up at anytime for the course, and receive print materials (a study guide and text) and take up to nine months to complete the course. Each course for middle school students costs $130, plus varying fees for the print materials, depending on the course selected. Students write papers, do projects and take two proctored exams. (Generally they find someone in their community or school to act as an authorized proctor.)
The Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) at Stanford University provides individualized, online instruction for gifted students of all ages, from kindergarten through university level. Students take courses and receive instructional support via telephone, email and a virtual classroom. To qualify for EPGY, students must provide evidence of their intellectual ability, generally a recognized standardized test such as the SAT. Courses range in cost from $495 to $740 and financial aid is available. Students may begin most courses on the first of any month.
Academically oriented summer programs offer middle-schoolers who need more challenges the opportunity to stretch their minds while being in the company of like-minded students. Many local schools and communities offer GATE programs, and some colleges offer residential programs. Summer institutes engage students specifically interested in science or literature.
The Great Books Summer Program offers students in grades 6-12 the opportunity to read and discuss selections from classic and contemporary literature in one- or two-week residential programs with college professors and top faculty at Amherst College and Stanford University. College and graduate students serve as counselors. There is ample time for recreation, too, and students have access to the college pool and other facilities during their stay.
The Acadia Institute of Oceanography, located in Seal Harbor, Maine, offers students with a keen interest in science and studying the ocean a chance to study marine biology through a hands-on curriculum in a residential setting. The introductory program is geared to 10 to 12-year-olds. Students come from all over the country to attend this program. The staff of classroom teachers, practicing scientists and researchers work with students in small groups.
The National Association for Gifted Children has a directory of summer programs for the gifted on their Web site.
The Summer Institute for the Gifted (SIG), in existence since 1984, offers 11 residential sessions in seven states (for grades 4 through 11) and four day programs (up to grade 6 only). Their mission is to provide the highest quality educational and social opportunities for academically gifted and talented students through programs designed to meet their abilities and needs. The program provides students the opportunity to engage with other students who have similar abilities and interests in small classes and also to have individualized learning programs. Residential programs are held at several universities across the country including Amherst College, University of California at Berkeley, Emory University and Vassar College.
The Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth offers summer residential and day programs on the east and west coasts for qualified students who have completed grades 5-6. Day site locations (which also include classes for students who have completed grades 2-4) are in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area, as well as in West Los Angeles and Pasadena, California. Eligibility for the program is based on what grade the student has completed, as well as his score on the CTY-administered SCAT test. CTY also offers two residential programs for qualified students who have completed grades 7 and above.
Center for Talent Development