8 Floyd County seventh-grade students recognized for their exceptional scores on the ACT or SAT by the Duke University Talent Identification Program

Eight Floyd County seventh-grade students are now recognized among some of the most academically talented middle school students in the U.S. The students have been recognized for their exceptional scores on the ACT or SAT by the Duke University Talent Identification Program's (Duke TIP) Seventh Grade Talent Search. The eight students qualified for national, state, or program recognition as a result of their performance on one of the college entrance exams. 

Twenty-nine seventh graders from Floyd County Schools took the SAT or ACT this year as a part of the Duke TIP Program.   The Duke program identifies students across the nation who have scored in the 95th percentile on a grade-level achievement test. As part of the program, these academically talented students take above level college-entrance exams (SAT or ACT) to learn more about their abilities. 

The Duke TIP Program recognizes students in four categories:

• Grand Recognition: honors seventh graders who have earned scores equal to or better than 90% of college-bound seniors who took the same tests.
  
  
• State Recognition: honor seventh graders who have earned scores equal to or better than half of the college-bound seniors who took the tests or they excelled on one or more subsections of the ACT or SAT. Working with host academic institutions, Duke TIP sponsors 34 state ceremonies in its 16-state Talent Search region during the months of May and June. Speakers include university administrators and professors from the host institutions, state and government officials, and accomplished former Duke TIP students.
  
  
• The Duke TIP Academy: for Summer Studies offers an exceptional academic and social experience for those students who are among the top 5% of academically talented students in their grade level. Students in this program will experience challenging coursework and build friendships with other academically gifted peers.
  
  
• The Duke Center: for Summer Studies participants are the highest-scoring students in Duke TIP's 7th Grade Talent Search. Courses offered at the Center for Summer Studies are some of the most challenging and rigorous available to academically gifted students in the country.  At the Center for Summer Studies, students qualify for specific courses based on their scores on subsections of the ACT or SAT. For example, students with excellent math scores are eligible for math courses, while students who excelled in writing can choose humanities courses.

Six students from Floyd County will receive State Recognition, six have been invited to participate in the Duke TIP Academy and two have been invited to participate in the Duke Center for Summer Studies. The Duke Talent Search is now in its 32nd year and is the largest program of its kind in the nation.  This year, 77,106 students participated in the Duke TIP search. The talent search identifies academically talented seventh-graders based on standardized test scores achieved while attending elementary or middle school. Candidates are identified and invited to complete either the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT Assessment college entrance examination. Duke TIP then provides the participants with comparative information concerning their academic abilities and resources for unique educational opportunities.

The Floyd County students earning recognition by Duke TIP and their level of recognition are:

Armuchee Middle School
Saabiq Dewan - Invitation to the Duke TIP Academy
Rachel McCurry - State recognition and invitation to the Duke Center
Jack Stallins - State recognition and invitation to the Duke Center

Model Middle
Cameron Bohannon - State recognition and invitation to the Duke TIP Academy

Pepperell Middle
Danielle Greisemer - State recognition and invitation to the Duke TIP Academy
Abbey Hensley - Invitation to the Duke TIP Academy
Donovan Rochester - State recognition and invitation to the Duke TIP Academy
Reagan Waters - State recognition and invitation to the Duke TIP Academy