Carnegie Mellon Institute for Talented Elementary and Secondary Students (C-MITES)

Overview of C-MITES Activities Educational programs Weekend Workshops Summer Program Steppingstones Elementary Student Talent Search Publications Teacher training Parent workshops Research

Fun Classes for Bright Kids

Educational Programs Purpose: Provide fun, challenging educational opportunities to academically talented students Financial aid Awarded to 10% of students Over $40,000 awarded each year

Educational Programs Hands-on Higher-level thinking Small group, whole class, and individual activities Problem-solving strategies Investigative approach, not just teaching algorithms

Weekend Workshops Saturdays and Sundays during academic year Locations: Carnegie Mellon University Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA Glenside Elem School, Glenside, PA Approximately 3,200 students per year (first come, first served)

Weekend Workshops Kindergarten – 10th grade Instructors are local teachers, CMU professors & graduate students, and experts in their fields $85 per workshop ($135 full day) Financial aid available

Weekend Workshops Sample classes: Egg Drop Physics Write Your Own Web Page Science of Harry Potter Skeletal Remains Ice Cream Science Robotics Creative Writing

Summer Program 2-week sessions 1-week sessions Approximately 30 locations across Pennsylvania Serves approximately 500 students annually

Summer Program Cost ranges from $255 to $550 Students who take EXPLORE through C-MITES get a discount Financial aid available

Summer Program Grades 1-9 Submit EXPLORE scores or other above-level test scores Teacher recommendation Information about academic/extracurricular activities Limited space in some classes NOT first come, first served

Summer Program Sample classes: Amusement Park Physics Programming Using Alice Informal Geometry C02 Dragsters Robotics Structures Kitchen Science

C-MITES JUNIORS New Summer Program CMU campus and nearby Half-day classes Optional afternoon program 1st and 2nd grades Financial aid available Application (not first-come, first served)

Steppingstones: August Classes CMU campus Full day classes Kindergarten - 10th grades $85 - $135 per class Financial aid available First come, first served

Who teaches the classes? Majority are regular classroom teachers CMU faculty (may be an outreach component to a grant) Grad students Some volunteers

Elementary Student Talent Search Testing Provide detailed information about student abilities to families and schools Above-level testing Approx. 1,000 students at 50 different test sites throughout PA each year 3rd – 6th graders

ESTS: C-MITES EXPLORE Test Grades 3-6 95th percentile on one section of a grade-level achievement test EXPLORE Test was designed by ACT for 8th graders EXPLORE subtests include English, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics and Science Final deadline to register for this year is Feb. 10th

Why Do a Talent Search?

Why Do a Talent Search? Above-level tests raise the “ceiling” and identify levels of giftedness Profile academic strengths Inform educational programming and curriculum Priority in the C-MITES Summer Program C-MITES “membership” May participate in research

ESTS Test dates for 2013-2014 school year: Registration deadlines: November 9 (Saturday) January 25 (Saturday) January 26 (Sunday) February 15 (Saturday) March 1 or 2 (Sat/Sun) Registration deadlines: October 4, 2013 ($75/$25 with fee waiver) October 5 - January 15, fee is $85 ($35 with fee waiver). Final deadline Feb. 10th $85. 7th and 8th graders should participate in CTY Talent Search

Why should my child participate? Academic benefits Social benefits Long-term benefits Because it’s fun!

Student comments “I’d rather attend C-MITES programs all year instead of going to my regular school.”

Contact information www.cmites.org (412) 268-1629, ext.1 cmites@cmu.edu

Questions?