BERLIN – The Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth has recognized one student in Worcester County for his academic achievement on above-grade-level testing, according to Katy Bowman, marketing and communications writer for the program.
Stephen Decatur Middle School student Benjamin Forbes was among the 27,000 students from all 50 states and 60 countries who participated in college-readiness assessments last year.
“The testing measured mathematical and reading comprehension,” his father Marc Forbes said. “It measured two aspects for their courses and he tested into both.”
The purpose of the exams is to determine the academic potential of students from second to eighth grade, according to Bowman.
“These are tests originally designed for students in much higher grades and can therefore give advanced students and their families an idea of how the student’s scores compare with scores of older students,” she said. “Students who earn qualifying scores on the test become eligible for CTY’s advanced online and summer courses, and for CTY’s Grand Ceremony.”
Although Forbes did not attend the ceremony, he said he was pleased with his results.
“I was happy about my scores because I planned on taking the computer programming course,” Forbes said. “So that went according to plan.”
This past summer, Forbes participated in a three-month online course, allowing him to learn computer programming with the help of online teachers and giving him a prerequisite for future online courses through the school. He was among more than 14,500 students to enroll in an online course through the CTY program.
“It had a time constraint,” Forbes’s father said. “He was surprised by the finals and projects. It took him two weeks to get his final project the way he wanted it. He is thinking about taking the course again and doing a math course.”
This was not Forbes first time performing in extracurricular academic testing, according to his father. Since fourth grade, he has competed in yearly competitions. This year, he will possibly compete in three, including the American Mathematics Competition (AMC 8) at Salisbury University.
“He has been studying extracurricular mathematics since first grade,” Marc Forbes said. “Right now, he is taking ninth-grade geometry with a few kids.”
Forbes said he will continue to pursue mathematics and computer programming through free websites until he decides to take another CTY course.
“When the time is right, I’ll do another course,” he said.
Currently, Forbes has completed every math level offered on Khan Academy from first to eighth grade, according to his father.
“My parents recommended that I take computer programming courses on Khan Academy,” Forbes said. “I also got a book on it and read some of that and decided to do a CTY course. My mom she cares a lot about education so she found this stuff out for me.”
The program measures a student’s academic ability through one of four tests: Advanced School and College Ability Test (SCAT), the Spatial Test Battery (STB), SAT or ACT.
The students take the test at a testing center near their homes.
Forbes took two tests, according to his father, but does not remember the results.
The CTY program was established in 1979, and has since recognized grade-level students for their academic talent.
For more information, visit www.cty.jhu.edu.