Search under way for state’s top pre-high school students
The Washington Search for Young Scholars is looking for the brightest fifth- through eighth-grade students in the state.
WSYS was created by the Halbert and Nancy Robinson Center at the University of Washington to identify the top 3 percent of the state’s students and to work with them, their parents and schools to develop opportunities for gifted young people.
“We want to become a clearinghouse for talented students in Washington and will share information on who these students are with other educational institutions and pass along information on what kinds of advanced programs are available for these students around the state,” said Robert Vaughan, associate director of the talent search and the UW’s Academy for Young Scholars.
Fifth- and sixth-grade students qualify by documenting their high performance on achievement tests.
If they scored in the top 3 percent in the reading/verbal or the math/quantitative section on recent standardized achievement or aptitude tests (one that compares them to students nationwide), they qualify. Scores above 439 in reading or above 457 in math on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning also qualify these students.
Photocopies of their WASL or other standardized test scores must be sent to WSYS by fax at (206) 685-3890 or by mail to WSYS, P.O. Box 351630, Seattle, WA 98195. These students will be notified about advanced summer programs at the UW or elsewhere.
Seventh- and eighth-graders must sign up for and take the ACT, a college admissions exam that has a Nov. 5 registration date. Registration can be done online at www.actstudent.org.
The ACT will be given Dec. 11 at many locations throughout Washington. These locations will be provided when a student registers for the exam.
Results from this exam must be sent to the WSYS.
According to Vaughan, this talent search fills an important need throughout Washington. Until now, the primary talent search has been based in Maryland, and summer enrichment programs are primarily on the East Coast or in California.
As a result, he estimates, less than 6 percent of Washington’s talented students have participated in that search, and even fewer utilized its summer programs.
A recognition event for students in both age groups will take place on the UW’s Seattle campus May 7. Last spring, the first year of the WSYS, more than 500 students from 85 cities and towns across Washington attended the campus celebration.
To join the WSYS search, all students must register with WSYS and pay a $15 fee by Nov. 5. This can be done at the WSYS Web site, http://depts.washington.edu/cscy/ wsys/.
Students can also request an application by mail or by calling the Robinson Center at (206) 543-4160.