Emerging Talent Identification Program (E-TIP)

Over 50 years of research and practice demonstrate that participation in an above-grade-level assessment program such as CTD's benefits advanced, or gifted, students in a number of ways. Students who have participated are more likely to continue their high achievement into high school, college, and beyond. They take more accelerated and advanced courses, earn more awards and honors, and have higher educational aspirations than other students. 

CTD's interpretive materials give participants, their families, and educators a clearer understanding of academic strengths, including how students are performing compared to other gifted learners taking the same assessment, information about what content students are ready to learn, and recommendations regarding accelerated and enrichment programs. 

In addition, practice and early exposure to above-grade-level testing builds confidence when testing for high school and college readiness or college admission. Students become more willing to take on challenges and they start to think more about what they can achieve not only in school but also in life. 

The fee for testing is $75 per test administration. Fees are paid via credit card during the registration process. 

To register for E-TIP testing, you will need to create a new account in MyCTD, which is CTD's online system, or login to your existing account. After you create a student profile select the “Courses” tab at the top and search for the assessment for which you want to register.  

If you need to change or cancel your appointment, you will need to call 847/467-1575 or e-mail ctd-assessment@northwestern.edu and a CTD staff member will assist you. Please see the section below on Changes, Cancellations, and Refunds for related policies. 

The E-TIP assessments are administered online using the third-party OTUS platform. Students' individually identifiable information is shared with the required platform for the purpose of providing the assessment. You can view the platform's Terms and Privacy policies online.

• OTUS’ Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Remote E-TIP administration requires the following technology: 

• Hardware: 
  • PC compatible 
  • Mac compatible 
  • RAM: 1GB minimum 
  • Disk Space: None required 
• Other Specifications:  
  • Internet access required - international internet may require VPN-check your country’s limitations and requirements 
  • Browser: Compatible with the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, and Safari 
  • Web plug-ins: No plug-ins required 
  • Bandwidth: 1mbps> 
  • To participate in remote E-TIP assessment, the student must always have a parent or guardian present during the testing session.  
  • Students must be proficient on the test device 
  • This test experience is designed for students who can work independently on the technology with minimal guidance or assistance.   
  • If the student is not technology proficient or has never participated in an organized school or class environment, this format for testing may not be optimal. 

Students who are most likely to benefit from above-grade-level testing are those who meet at least one of the criteria listed below. 

Students who qualified for and participated in a talent search (above-grade-level testing) in a previous year qualify to participate and are encouraged to take the same test to measure academic growth and/or experience a different test for practice (see suggestions by grade level below). 

Participation in a school gifted program or advanced academic services: 

Students who receive gifted or advanced academic services (advanced or accelerated courses) at school are encouraged to register. 

Recommendation by a parent or teacher: 

To be recommended, students should 

• demonstrate advanced aptitude in verbal or mathematical reasoning, 
• consistently demonstrate a high level of performance on academically demanding course work, 
• often request more challenging learning experiences, 
• be comfortable with the idea of taking a test designed for older students (willingness to take on the challenge). 

Meet grade-level assessment criteria in either verbal/reading or math on a nationally normed or state achievement test: 

In general, a percentile ranking of 90th or above (in total or on any part) of a nationally normed, standardized grade-level achievement, aptitude, or abilities test; as well as top levels of proficiency on State Achievement Tests can qualify a student.  

**Students who do not meet these test requirements may also participate, but the farther performance is away from the 90th percentile threshold suggested here, the more difficult an above level assessment may be for the student. 

If you think your student may be an exception to the guidelines provided above, please do not hesitate to e-mail us at ctd-assessment@northwestern.edu or call us at 847/491-3782. 

Above-grade-level testing can be used to track students' academic growth over time. If a student plans to retest, please follow these best practices and guidelines: 

• Test once per year and preferably during the same period of time each year (spring to spring, fall to fall, etc.). 
• It is possible to test in the early fall and again in the late spring or early summer (or two times per year), but test administrations should be far enough apart for instruction and exposure to programming to have had an impact. 
• Retest using the same test or an aligned test.   

• Prepare for taking the assessment (managing time, test format, etc.) but CTD does not encourage or endorse taking test prep courses for above-grade-level testing, which may result in recommendations that are not representative of students' instructional readiness levels.