Precollege Programming

Parent Perspectives

Know that your child, by virtue of his/her ACT or SAT score, is in the right program. Over 30 years of success prove it.
Expect that your child may struggle at first with the depth and amount of homework. This may be the first time they have been asked to do this much homework or homework at this level of difficulty.
This may be the first time your child feels truly engaged in a class because he/she will be actually covering material they don't already know and at a depth they have not been asked to reach before.
You are not asking your child to do too much work! Kids in the U.S. spend a lot of time, thought, and energy on sports. Let's not forget that their brain needs exercise too. Intellectually gifted children are born with a special ability that needs nurturing and training. Just as Tiger Woods played golf since he was 4 and Michael Jordan spent hours perfecting his basketball game in middle and high school, our kids will only benefit from spending extra time working on their natural intelligence!
Time management is of the utmost importance, especially if your child is in both English and math.
The "study hall" or "seminar" period in school when your child would normally have their language arts or math class will be a great help to him/her as far as getting homework done if they use it wisely.
Help your child set up their schedule and assist with their homework if they need and want it, but as the year goes on, back off and let them do it on their own as much as possible. They need to learn to do it themselves.
Make sure your child either goes to the help sessions or uses the email or phone help if they need it. In my son's and my experience, it was the difference between having a poor score on the homework (in the math portion), maybe for more than one week, and not. It was also the difference in how he felt about himself as a student. When he realized he really could do the work, he gained a great deal of confidence!
At some point your child may have a "bad" week. This is as much a part of their education for the future as "socialization" is. Realize they will get over it, continue on, and benefit from the struggle. (Step out of the room on such occasions, take a deep breath, and get a hold of yourself before re-entering!)
Realize you also will get over it, move on, and benefit! You may end up seeing a side of your child you never had before as they pull themselves out of the difficulty.
I think one of the benefits these kids will get from ATYP will be the difference between excelling in college and just going to college! Remember that college is all about time management, good study skills, and self-control.
You will, at some point, realize that the math grading scale is NOT too lenient (which I thought at first). The lower grading scale allows your child to recover from not "getting" the material one or more weeks and having a less than great score. They do eventually learn it. (You can't believe how grateful I was a few times, that the grading scale was as it was!!)
If your child is continuing to score less than you think is good for his/her overall understanding of the math, realize that your child WILL learn most of it at some point in the triple presentation of the material. My son went into the 3^rd week with an average of 61%. I thought we had made a terrible mistake in enrolling him in the program! He also had a couple of weeks when his homework score was only in the 70's. But by the end of the semester, (after he got "the hang" of asking for help), his average had risen to the "A" range and he received a top score on the final exam that proved to us the program works as advertised!
Don't hesitate to contact the teacher with your concerns. They are there to answer your questions as well as your child's.
There is always a possibility your child may not be ready for this class. That is OK! Maybe next year would work better. Do the best you can to ease him/her out of it. No point in staying in a program that is not working! And as always, something will be learned from the experience that will help you and your child grow.
Realize this may be the turning point in your child's education and ultimately, life.
Be supportive and proud of your child. They are the ones that are going to do the actual school work and learning!

Jean Talanda, 2007

Quotes from more parents:

It's been so valuable in developing our daughter’s talents and work ethic and I can't imagine how boring middle school would have been without it! - Chris Klausmeier
When our 6th grader was considering ATYP ELA, our most prominent concern was the amount of time she would spend on ATYP homework and whether that would interfere with extracurricular activities and just being a kid. Together we decided that the benefit of the accelerated coursework and academic stimulation outweighed sacrifices that she may have had to make. As a student who already enjoyed reading and writing, it was an easy transition to replace some of her pleasure reading with required ATYP reading and work. She was still able to participate in a sport and academic clubs while maintaining high academic standards in ATYP and middle school. The ATYP experience has been great for our student who was easily bored with her grade level classes. - Andrea MacKenzie
It is so great to have excellent instructors, small classes, no busy work, and for my son to be challenged instead of bored. Thanks ATYP! - Rick Nohr
ATYP has been everything we had hoped it would be. It is NOT simply throwing middle school students into a class several years ahead of grade level and pounding them with work, sink or swim. And it is NOT a year-long celebration of how bright they are (no matter how they are viewed at their home school, they will all stress out, most in a healthy way). It IS a recognition that these kids can handle a much higher level and faster pace of work than most of their peers, but also that they are still children. This has been an eye-opener for our daughter. She has learned that a class can be both demanding and enjoyable, and that being surrounded by classmates who are very bright and motivated is inspiring rather than intimidating. The expectations are far greater than in any other class she's had, but so are the support, feedback, and rewards. A solid "+"! – David Nohara