Calabasas student recognized for giftedness

Andrew Gu, an 11yearold student from Calabasas, was recently honored at a statewide awards ceremony for gifted children held by The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY).

Andrew Gu was invited to the awards ceremony based on his exceptional performance on a rigorous, above-grade-level test given to second through eighth grade candidates.

The students took the SAT and ACT, the same tests used for college admissions. Second- through sixth-graders took the SCAT, an above-level test scaled for younger students.

"Their performance places them in the top tier of students taking these tests, and they certainly deserve acclaim," said Lea Ybarra, CTY executive director. Since 1979, CTY has sought the most academically able elementary- and middle-school students and encouraged their enrollment in the annual fall CTY Talent Search, open September through November. Students then test in December or January. The results of the tests give families a better idea of a child's academic talents, particularly in comparison to the thousands of other academically talented students in the talent search. Students can also earn recognition at CTY's awards ceremonies, and their test scores may qualify them for CTY's summer programs and distance education courses.

Gu, a fifth-grader at Bay Laurel Elementary School, joined other award recipients at the recent state ceremony and was individually honored by Johns Hopkins for his academic performance and promise. In 2006 and 2007 over 73,000 students from 19 states and the District of Columbia participated in the talent searches offered through CTY.

About 30 percentof the secondand sixth-graders who tested last winter earned an invitation to the CTY's awards ceremony, and about 25 percent of the seventh- and eight-grade testers were invited.