Center for Talent Development Online

Offered courses have Emerald Tier eligibility criteria.
 

Emerald Tier Eligibility for Gifted India Network Students

1. Ei-ATS Gold, Silver, or Bronze Scholars or students who have participated in above-grade-level testing through CTD above-grade-level assessment;
2. ATS Scholars (who have scored in the 75th %) and other Gifted India Network students are invited to apply via an admission portfolio (report card or transcript, teacher recommendation, and ATS test scores).
3. Students returning to CTD courses who have successfully completed a CTD course within the past two years.

Before beginning the online application, determine which type of applicant you are based on the descriptions below and the course you have selected.

Pre-qualified Review Applicant
You are a pre-qualified review applicant if you are in grade 7 through 10 and you have successfully completed a CTD course in the past two years. 

New Scores Applicant
You are a new scores applicant if you are grade 7 through 10 and you meet any one of the following criteria:

• You are a Ei-ATS Gold, Silver, or Bronze Scholar; OR
• You have participated in above grade-level testing such as the PSAT™8/9 test taken in grades 5 or 6, 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 grade 7 through 10 and are an ATS Scholar who has scored in the 75th percentile or are a Gifted India Network student.

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; 
• Required: ATS Scholar test score verification.

Deadlines

Summer: $635

• A 10% group discount code is available from Gifted India Network.
• Summer Applications received by Early Bird Deadlines will receive a $30 early bird discount.

Withdrawals

Please see our withdrawal information for policies specific to this program.

Students in Online Enrichment courses should expect to spend 2-5 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.

Online Enrichment courses offer two live online class sessions 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.

Leadership Intensive focuses on skill-building, exploring concepts within the practice and study of leadership, and a deep dive into subject-area specific topics. 

Leadership Intensive Curriculum Components

Class Meetings
Examine course themes and concepts through academic research and topic-focused presentations designed to build your skills. Dialogue with peers to identify diverse viewpoints and consider new ideas in your leadership development.

Independent Course Work
Dig into theories, models and current events that help you consider new ideas and ways of approaching your leadership development. Apply course material through guided questions and engaging assignments that broaden your perspective and build critical thinking skills.

Speakers
Meet with government, business, and nonprofit leaders at the top of their fields to hear their experiences and paths to socially responsible leadership.
*See past speaker bio's below

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

Courses are appropriate for students at various comfort and skill levels, and instruction will be tailored to meet students of diverse backgrounds and talents.
 

Leadership Intensive Course Environment

Our online courses are designed to allow each student to explore their strengths and potential as an engaged and creative leader through:

• Live, online 2-hour class sessions, Tuesdays and Thursdays during the course (6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Indian Standard Time) 
• Flexibly-paced assignments, lessons, and reflections
• Guest speakers and online meetings with community organizations

Students will be engaged in pre-college level academically stimulating and engaging activities designed to develop higher-level thinking skills. To be successful in Leadership Intensive courses, 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 environment.
 
Outside of live class sessions, students should expect to spend 6-7 hours per week engaged in course work. Our dedicated instructors will initiate and guide online lessons and discussions. Students should possess effective communication skills, including proficient reading and writing skills, and feel comfortable asking questions to guide their learning. The course syllabi will guide pacing, and instructional staff office hours are available to help students process content and stay on track. 
 
Students should plan on attending all scheduled class sessions. When attendance is not possible, students can access recordings of real-time class sessions any time after they occur. After each live class session, students will have the opportunity to provide short feedback so instructional staff and program administrators can monitor student progress and adjust teaching methods accordingly to meet the needs of diverse learners.

*Speaker Bio's
Samah Meghjee
Samah Meghjee is a comedy writer and graduate of Emory University with degrees in English & Creative Writing and Film & Media Studies and is currently completing her graduate work at Northwestern. In 2016, she produced and directed a children’s comedic play The Mysterious Mystery of the Lost Letters (Brooklyn Publishers). In 2019, her short film Therapist SpeedDating, a comedy sketch, premiered on Amazon Prime Video. She has interned for the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, GA, and has worked in India as a Media Volunteer and Video Editor for the Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project. 

Shawon Jackson
Shawon Jackson is the founder of Vocal Justice, an early-stage organization whose mission is to empower Black and Brown youth to become socially conscious leaders through a culturally affirming public speaking program. Before launching Vocal Justice, Shawon worked with an education nonprofit in the Dominican Republic and did federal consulting with Deloitte. He completed his undergraduate studies at Princeton, where he studied public policy and served two terms as student body president. He earned his Master in Public Policy from Harvard and his Master in Business Administration from Stanford.

Stanley Yuan
Stanley is a software engineer working at Microsoft on Azure Machine Learning within the Responsible AI and Data subteams. While at Microsoft, Stanley took civic leave from his job to work as Data and Technology Director for Katie Porter for Congress. Prior to his work at Microsoft, he was a founding engineer at Farmshots, a satellite and drone imagery company that was selected for the Y Combinator Fellowship and later acquired. Stanley completed his undergraduate studies at Duke University.

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 24-48 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. 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.

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.

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 will require a computer web camera, microphone, or headset.

• For questions regarding Program admissions, please contact:
  ctd-admissions@northwestern.edu
• For questions about Online Enrichment Program enrollments, please contact: 
  ctd-online@northwestern.edu

• For questions regarding current CEP Program enrollments, please contact:
  cep@northwestern.edu