CivicHybrid

The CivicHybrid Program welcomes applications from Pre-qualified applicants as well as New Score and Portfolio applicants. Before beginning the online application, determine which type of applicant you are based on the descriptions below.

Pre-qualified Review Applicant
You are a pre-qualified review applicant if you are grades 7 through 10 and you meet both of the following criteria: 

• You have successfully completed a CTD course through the Weekend Enrichment Program, Summer Program or Online Program at the Emerald Tier, or a tier with a higher score requirement, within the previous twenty-four months. 
• You are applying for a course with the same qualifying subject area (Verbal for CEP courses) of a CTD course you previously completed.

New Scores Applicant

You are a new scores applicant if you are in grades 7 through 10 and you meet one of the following criteria:

• You have not attended any CTD program for the past two years and you have qualifying grade-level test scores (Verbal for CEP courses) for your desired course that are no more than two years old.
• You have previously attended a course with the Weekend Enrichment Program, Summer Program, or CTD Online Program, but you are now applying for a course with a different qualifying subject area (Verbal) and you have qualifying grade-level test scores. 
• You have participated in above grade-level testing such as the PSAT™8/9 test taken in grades 5, or 6 or the ACT^® or SAT^® test taken in grades 6, 7, 8, or 9 (Above-Grade-Level Assessment).

New Portfolio Applicant
You are a portfolio applicant if you are in grades 7 through 10 and you do not have qualifying test scores because you have either:

• never taken a nationally normed standardized achievement test, OR
• taken this type of test but not achieved a qualifying score.

 An Admission Portfolio includes the following documents:

• Required: one teacher recommendation form (available once you have submitted your application) indicating that the student is performing 1½ to 2 years above grade level in the subject area of the course to which the student is applying; 
• Required: most recent school report card indicating exceptional performance in the subject area of the course to which the student is applying;
• If available: most recent standardized testing report (e.g. NWEA/MAP) or results of a state grade-level assessment.

Accepted Students

Accepted students will receive admissions materials via email 1 to 3 weeks after their application is complete.  Enrollment information will include housing and travel details, a packing list, required health information, as well as program rules and policies. Login information for the online course will be sent shortly before the course start date. 

To qualify for Emerald Tier CivicHybrid Courses students must be in grades 7 through 10 and must also provide one of the following:

• Achievement of a score of 90^thpercentile or higher on a nationally normed grade-level assessment in the required verbal/reading qualifying subject area; OR
• Successful past completion of a CTD course, with the verbal/reading qualifying subject area within the past two years, OR
• Submission of a portfolio application, consisting of a teacher recommendation and the student’s most recent report card demonstrating that the student is performing well in language arts or humanities.

Tuition 

Tuition varies by course. See the course description in Explore Courses.

Tuition includes all program expenses:

• Nine-week online course instruction
• In-person weekend expenses:
  • Lodging and meals 
  • Transportation to and from program activities
  • Service project materials and speaker fees
  • Staff instruction and 24-hour supervision, with a staff ratio of at least 1:6

Note: Students are responsible for their own travel to and from the in-person program site.

Withdrawals

• Requests for withdrawals and refunds must be made in writing to ctd-admissions@northwestern.edu.
• Withdrawals that occur more than ten days before the course start date are fully refundable, less a withdrawal processing fee of $60.
• Withdrawals that occur within ten days of, but before the first day of the course start date, are refunded 50% of the tuition, less the $60 processing fee.
• There are no refunds made after the course begins.
• Refunds may take up to eight weeks to process.

Financial Aid

CTD offers need-based financial aid awarded as requests are received. Families are encouraged to apply early because the amount of aid available is limited. Please see the Financial Aid page for details. 

• The deadline to complete a financial aid application for CivicHybrid programming is two-weeks prior to the start date of the class.
• You will receive the FACTS application link in your application confirmation email once the $60 dollar tuition deposit is paid and the application is submitted.
• It is imperative that you complete the financial aid application as soon as possible as it may take FACTS up to ten days to process your information.
• If you previously completed a FACTS application for the 2019-2020 academic year for CTD, you must still attach the 2020-2021 FACTS application to your FACTS account. You will be able to link your FACTS account to this new FACTS information. You may need to update financial information.
• If you experience difficulties with the FACTS process please call the FACTS helpline at 866/412-4637.

CivicHybrid courses provide a unique learning experience blending connected online learning with an in-person service-learning weekend. View sample syllabi.

CivicHybrid Curriculum Components

Academic Seminars and Online Course Work
Examine issues through a critical lens. Absorb and engage in academic research and topic-focused presentations by instructors. Dialogue with peers to identify diverse viewpoints and consider new ideas.

Meetings with Community Partners
Learn from inspiring partners about their work, career path, and ideas about innovative approaches for meaningful change.

Reflection
Process course material through guided questions and activities that broaden your perspective and build critical thinking skills.

Service Projects
Partner with a local non-profit or community organization. Get an orientation to their mission, and support their cause with hands-on projects or tasks while earning service hours.

Speakers
Meet with government, business, and nonprofit leaders at the top of their fields to hear their experiences and path to making change.

Teambuilding
Build communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills with classmates through instructor-led activities.

Students in CivicHybrid courses should expect to spend 2-3 hours per week engaged in course activities. Students have flexibility in terms of when they complete course work, and instructors provide weekly pacing guides to help students stay on track with course material. Students’ ability to manage their time and adjust their efforts accordingly are keys to success in the program.

Students will be engaged in academically stimulating and engaging activities designed to develop higher-level thinking skills. A student should have a keen interest in the subject, be eager to work through academic challenges, and have a desire to learn in an online platform.

Our dedicated instructors will initiate and guide online discussions, and students should possess effective communication skills, including comfort in asking clarifying questions, and be willing to contribute to written discussion posts and complete assignments.

CivicHybrid courses offer live online class sessions every other week during the course. Instructors make every effort to schedule real-time class sessions around students’ busy schedules, and class sessions are recorded for later viewing if a student is not able to attend.

Schoology, the learning management system used by CTD, is a user-friendly platform designed specifically for K-12 online learners, and is COPPA compliant.

Students will receive login information to Schoology via e-mail 12-24 hours before the course start date.

With their login information, students will receive information about a live, online orientation for all new Online Program students. (Returning students are also welcome to repeat the orientation.) The orientation will be recorded for students to view at a later time, if desired.

Access to course material begins on the course start date.

To complement their online learning, students will take part in a four-day, residential, service-learning weekend. The in-person experience is meant to complement the online learning community, and provide students an immersive, vibrant learning experience. All costs associated with the weekend (outside of travel costs to and from the program site) are covered as part of tuition for the course. 

Details about the in-person weekend will be provided via email with student enrollment information after acceptance to the course. Information will include housing and travel details, a packing list, required health information, as well as program rules and policies.

Safety and Conduct

Student safety is paramount at all times during the program. We take careful steps to ensure the well-being of our students on and off campus, including:

• Hiring Experienced Staff Members
• Working with Established and Well-Respected Host Agencies
• Providing Careful Supervision
• Requiring a High Standard of Student Conduct
• Safeguarding Student Health
• Ensuring Emergency Preparedness

Read more about Safety and Conduct here.

Evaluations

All students receive a detailed evaluation after completion of the program. The evaluation provides feedback on the student’s achievements during the course and outlines areas for further growth. Evaluations are sent via e-mail and able to be accessed via MyCTD.

Service Hours

Student evaluations include certification of service hours earned. Learn more about service hours awarded by CEP programs.

CEP is happy to complete any forms required for students to show proof of completed service hours; contact our office for assistance. 

All course work and communication (including instructor contact information, the course syllabus, and assignments) take place within the Schoology course site. Schoology can be accessed on a desktop or laptop computer, or with the Schoology mobile app for iOS or Android tablets and phones. While tablets may be sufficient for most course work, some web tools and/or websites may require the use of a computer.

Students need access to a stable internet connection and updated web browser.

Participation in “live” course activities or multimedia recordings may require a computer web camera, microphone or headset.

• For questions regarding CEP Program admissions and financial aid, please contact:
  ctd-admissions@northwestern.edu
   
• For questions about current CEP Program enrollments, please contact:
  cep@northwestern.edu
   
• For questions about school partnerships with CEP Programs, please contact:
  ctd-school-services@northwestern.edu