Tammy-Lynne Moore
Michael F. Shaughnessy
Eastern New Mexico University
Portales , New Mexico 88130

1. First, tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?

I am 41 years old, a native of the San Francisco Bay Area. I showed up at Stanford in 1983 as an undergraduate and never left. While an undergraduate, I studied mathematics and philosophy and in doing so took computer-based courses in Logic and Set Theory, which I found most enjoyable. After graduating, while waiting a year to begin graduate work in philosophy, I had the opportunity to work with Professor Patrick Suppes on a computer-based calculus course that was patterned after the courses in logic and set theory. What started as a one or two year project before grad school quickly grew into an all consuming passion. I stuck around Stanford for graduate school in philosophy but my focus remained in the computer-based instruction of mathematics, and later in computer-based instruction in general.

2, How did you first get involved in gifted education?

When we started work on the calculus course we had in mind that it would primarily be of interest to high school seniors in rural schools, or schools where no calculus instructors were available. When we went to test the calculus course in the 1990-1 academic year, we determined that a population with similar access needs was that of gifted middle school and early high school students who had been accelerated in math, and who needed a course in calculus, but obviously this is not something generally available in middle schools. This was my entry to gifted instruction!

That year we had 1 7 th grader, 5 8 th grades, 4 9 th graders, and 3 10 th grades take the AP exam, with 6 fives, 6 fours, and 1 three (5 being the top score and 3 passing). Of particular note was the fact that the 7 th grader and 4 of the 5 8 th grades scored five. This made it clear that computer-based instruction was well suited to gifted students.

3. How do students enroll in Stanford's Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) and who is eligible to participate?

First, they must complete the application on the web site. Once admitted they may register for courses. We have had students from ages 4 to 18, from all 50 states and from almost 40 countries.

4. Which subjects are offered and at what levels (elementary, secondary, etc.)?

Mathematics K through BA, Physics from Algebra-based intro to mechanics through advanced undergrad quantum mechanics, writing courses from grades 3 through AP, computer science courses for middle and high school students, and an intro to music theory are offered.

With the Online High School , we will add many more courses in the social sciences, humanities, and the natural sciences. These will be at the high school level and beyond.

5. How does the summer program work and who is it designed for? Must students physically attend or are courses available online for the summer program as well?

The EPGY Summer Institutes are two to four week residential programs on the Stanford Campus. Students come for intensive study in a single subject. This program has proven to be a very popular, very successful part of EPGY.

EPGY also offers its full complement of computer-based courses during the summer.

6. What is the cost to enroll in EPGY? How is the cost determined? Is financial aid available?

Cost varies by course and program. The typical cost for a one quarter course is $480. Financial aid is available for students in difficult or unusual financial situations.

7. How does EPGY's Online High School (OHS) differ from the other courses offered through EPGY? Does the cost for enrolling in EPGY's OHS differ from the regular program? When will EPGY's Online High School (OHS) start taking applications?

This is a good question. The OHS has a separate, and much more involved, application procedure. Since we are admitting students to a school, rather than just admitting students for a single course, we need to make sure that the student is a good fit. This requires more than just determining if someone is ready and able to take a particular course.

The OHS courses place higher demands on students, have higher work expectations, and also focus on certain themes that are developed across the curriculum. In particular, there are systematic emphases on critical writing and mathematical content.

The OHS is taking applications and in fact the first students will be starting on September 7, 2006.

The cost of the OHS courses is about 35% higher than that of the standard EPGY courses.

8. Is the OHS a replacement or a supplement to students' regular education?

It can be a complete high school program or part of one. The courses can be integrated into the work that students do at their local schools. So for example, you might take 4 courses at your local high school and then take university level math and physics at the OHS.

9. When was the Education Program for Gifted Youth founded, and by whom?

EPGY grows out of forty plus years of research at Stanford University conducted under the direction of Professor Patrick Suppes. EPGY itself was formally created in 1992, when we came to the realization that our long-term future would depend upon a successful transition from being a grant-based program to being a tuition-based program. At that time, EPGY consisted of myself, a programmer, and a part-time secretary, under the direction of Professor Patrick Suppes.

10. How many students approximately are currently enrolled in EPGY?

All programs combined, we anticipate that we will have just under 10,000 students take courses with EPGY during the 2006-7 academic year.

11.

What are the long-term benefits for students who participate in EPGY?

The long term benefits are the same as that of any good educational program, namely improved chances for success in future academic pursuits and in life as a whole. For many students in EPGY, being in EPGY is the difference between being academically challenged and being bored. And being bored year in and year out is not good for anyone!

12. If schools want to make EPGY available to teachers to use in their classes, what procedures do they need to follow to accomplish this?

We have extensive professional development to help teachers get the most out of using the EPGY courses with their students. What is involved will depend on the course and the level of the students.

13. Do EPGY courses count as Stanford University credits?

Students who take courses that are at the university-level, i.e. courses beyond the advanced placement level, who matriculate at Stanford are able to apply courses taken from EPGY to their undergraduate degrees. Students who go elsewhere, must transfer the credits from Stanford to the school that they wind up attending.

14.How are courses through EPGY designed to challenge gifted students?

First and foremost, by presenting students with an advanced curriculum containing concepts beyond what is often seen in regular school courses. Secondly, by allowing students to move at their own pace and to accelerate what they are doing. Thirdly, by giving students a peer group of comparable ability and instructors who will be appropriately demanding of the students. One of the biggest limiting factors for gifted students are low expectations. Many of these students can do “A-work” without really trying. You need to catch them when they are doing this and let them know that you are not interested in just seeing them do better than most people, you want to see them do the best job that they can do. To use a sports analogy, if someone has big league stuff, then lets put them in the big leagues and challenge them to perform, rather than letting them stay a star in the minors.

15. How does EPGY individualize instruction? Are Stanford instructors available to assist students? What role do the instructors play?

Instruction is individualized in a number of different ways, depending on the type of course and the level. In the case of our courses for elementary school students, we have an elaborate curriculum motion system that determines for each student what the optimal next thing to do is. So for these students, the individualization can occur on the exercise and concept level. (Here the goal is to provide each student with an optimal path through the curriculum so that it is always challenging enough to be interesting, without being so hard as to be frustrating or so easy as to be boring. This is very important when dealing with gifted students.)

For seminar style courses, in which the instructors actually lead courses in a virtual classroom, the individualization is much more in keeping with what you would traditionally see in a good classroom.

Let me add that all courses offered by EPGY, whether directed study or seminar style, are offered with full instructional support. While the computer often plays the primary instructional role, our instructors are the ones who are ultimately responsible for ensuring that students learn the course material. For many of our students, what they like about EPGY is the independence and the ability to move at their own pace. Many of these students interact with the instructors only when necessary. Others see the instructor as what makes the program enjoyable.

16. Many gifted students and/or their parents feel that they do not need to complete the regular assignments that average students do, arguing that the assignments are unchallenging and therefore a waste of gifted students' time. Can students use EPGY's courses as a complete replacement for their elementary / high school required courses?

Many students use EPGY courses as complete replacements for their elementary / high school required courses. In fact, with the launch of the EPGY online high school, students can earn a diploma through EPGY. That said, we still anticipate that most of our student will be combining the work that they do with us with work that they do at their local schools. As for replacing certain courses, we recommend that students wait and see that EPGY works for them before they consider doing something radical. But of course, if a 12 year old takes calculus with EPGY, they will be better off not having to sit with their peers in a pre-algebra course at school that year.

17. Who develops the courses for EPGY? What criteria are used to decide what content is appropriate for each course?

Courses are developed by EPGY course development staff, under the oversight of members of the Stanford faculty. In determining what content is appropriate for the courses, we balance competing goals and objectives. On the one hand, courses need to be in line with standards, whether state mandated or those of the college board. On the other, these standards often set a low target. The ultimate goal is to develop courses that will encourage our gifted students to set their aim high and go beyond what is typically expected of them.

18. Do you have a web site or an 800 number for parents to get more information?

The web site is http://epgy.stanford.edu. The phone number is 800 372 3749.

19. Do you provide counseling to parents and their children?

The OHS, as a full-service high school, will provide counseling to its students. EPGY per se does not provide counseling, but we are happy to provide basic advice to the parents of our students.

20.What question have we neglected to ask?

Call me if you want to talk. 650 387 2223. --ray