Credit and Placement for Academically Talented Students following Special Summer Courses in Math and Science

After participating in a three-week individually paced precalculus or fast-paced science course, 892 academically talented students were surveyed about academic credit and/or course placement for their independent work. The majority of students discussed credit/placement with their schools, especially those who had taken the course with the intent to accelerate in their school program. Discussion for science (but not math) students was related to type of school, grade level, SAT scores, and gender. The majority of students who discussed credit/placement received one or the other, or both, with higher awards for placement than credit. Science students with higher math and verbal SAT scores were more likely to receive placement, and females who took math courses were less likely to receive credit than male math students. As current educational reforms are being examined, educational resources that are available outside of schools for special populations should be considered.