HOT SPRINGS — The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts Talent Identification Program has expanded to include Arkansas students from the sixth, seventh and eighth grades in its second year.
ASMSA-TIP provides gifted students, parents and educators with resources and guidance that are tailored to support a child’s educational, social and emotional development. Such programs empower students to reach their full potential while helping parents and educators make the best educational decisions for their students.
Seventh- and eighth-grade participants will receive a voucher to take the ACT as an “above-level” test, a standardized assessment that is designed for a higher grade level, as well as support leading up to taking the ACT, help interpreting ACT scores and identifying activities for talent development. All participants will receive monthly e-newsletters with specific content for gifted and talented students and their parents, access to webinar sessions with Gifted and Talented (GT) professionals, and access to a variety of in-person and virtual programming designed to enrich students’ learning and develop their talents.
This is the second year of the program. For the 2023-24 academic year, the program only included seventh-graders, but strong interest in it led ASMSA-TIP to accept sixth- and eighth-graders for the 2024-25 cohort. Registration for this year’s program is open at https://asmsa.me/asmsa-tipregistration24.
Interest in the first year of the program was strong as it served 232 middle school students from 38 Arkansas counties. Participants came from 60 schools, and 48 also attended a Summer@ASMSA camp. The top three students in the AMC 8, a math competition organized by the Mathematical Association of America that was held at ASMSA in January, were TIP scholars. Hicks said the first-year success confirms the need for this kind of program in Arkansas.
“I believe that ASMSA-TIP helps to meet a need in Arkansas’ educational environment,” said Dr. Ashley Hicks, ASMSA’s outreach coordinator. “Several of our successes wouldn’t have been possible without partnerships with educational co-op GT specialists and GT coordinators/educators at specific school districts. As we continue to expand our network, I look forward to seeing how the program can continue to grow and benefit middle grade students throughout the state.”
The first year of the program also received praise from educators across the state. Debbie Dailey, Ed.D, is an associate professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning and serves as interim associate dean for the College of Education at the University of Central Arkansas. Alicia Cotabish, Ed.D., is a professor in UCA’s Department of Teaching and Learning and serves as the CLEI Ph.D. program director.
“As educators committed to the advancement of knowledge and the empowerment of students, we recognize the immense value of ASMSA-TIP in cultivating the next generation of leaders, innovators, and scholars. We stand in support of ASMSA-TIP’s efforts to identify and support gifted and talented students in Arkansas, knowing that their success is not only vital to their individual growth but also to the prosperity and progress of our state and society as a whole,” the two educators said in a statement of support for the program.
The program is made possible through grants from the Hot Springs Area Community Foundation and the Ross Foundation. Additional information is available at asmsa.org/tip.
