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Please note: The Coastside EPGY Alternative program has been terminated by Stanford. For information about EPGY and to enroll, please contact Stanford directly. | |||||||||||||||||||
This page answers Frequently Asked Questions about the Coastside EPGY Alternative:
What is EPGY?For nearly 35 years now, Stanford University has been developing its Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) to address the needs of mathematically-advanced students from kindergarten through high school. They have also recently added writing, physics and computer programming instruction to their curriculum.Because EPGY courses are computer-based, students can take advanced courses regardless of where they live and can work through the lessons at their own pace. The software keeps track of topics which the student has not yet mastered and re-drills in those areas. It also provides chapter tests so that if the student already understands the concepts in a chapter, the student can skip that lesson. For more information about EPGY, please see Stanford's EPGY Web site. What is the Coastside EPGY Alternative?Enrolling in an EPGY course through Stanford University provides many benefits: a tutor who can be consulted by phone, a Stanford transcript for the student, and excellent mathematical instruction. The disadvantage of enrolling through Stanford is: the very high cost.The EPGY Coastside Alternative is a group of families who have contracted with Stanford to acquire EPGY at a much lower cost with the understanding that we will not impose on Stanford's tutoring staff until we've exhausted local alternative support. At present, we comprise nearly 30 students working on EPGY math ranging from kindergarten through Algebra. Students from nearly every public and private school on the coast as well as a number of home-schoolers and some kids from over-the-hill are participating. You can read more about the Coastside EPGY Alternative in Coastviews Magazine. What is the tuition for the Coastside EPGY Alternative?Cost per student per Coastside Alternative license is currently $260 per year plus a small shipping fee.This tuition does not include tutorial help and children who enroll do not receive Stanford transcripts. If you need these, it's better to enroll in EPGY through Stanford. Do I have to live on the Coastside to join?Nope; about 2/3 of our members live on the coast in Northern California. It's not a requirement. We probably won't offer to stop in and try to help you figure out what's going wrong with your hardware if you live too far away, though.Can students join mid-year?Yes.Will EPGY run on a Macintosh?Well, we've heard conflicting reports. We are most comfortable recommending that you run it on a PC running some version of Windows. Your computer must have a sound card.What course level should my child start with?Stanford usually recommends that you start at the grade in which your child is currently enrolled at school. If the level of the work is too hard or too easy, you can exchange the software. Also, as soon as your child completes an EPGY packet, the child is eligible for the next packet and the next and the next. No additional tuition is due until the yearly license is due for renewal. In other words, the child's progression through EPGY need not adhere to a yearly cycle.How do I join the Coastside EPGY Alternative?To start the ball rolling, click here and fill out the form. We will get back to you with more information.How do I get more information?For more information about the Coastside EPGY Alternative, send us email.How did the Coastside EPGY Alternative start?The Coastside EPGY Alternative began when our school district determined to cease its support for the EPGY program. I stepped in to administer the program to local students who wished to use it. We now have members in many parts of California, the United States and at least one overseas. I do not make any money from this project and indeed it can get pretty time-consuming sometimes. I recently began to attach a small shipping charge so that at least I am not losing money each time I deliver a packet to a student.What is the Bay Area Gifted List?The Bay Area Gifted List is a low-volume email list open to those interested in the welfare of gifted children in the San Francisco Bay Area.Click here to subscribe to the Bay Area Gifted mailing list. |
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