Not only that, but Longview ISD Director of Instruction Beth Bassett said 8 students also received national recognition.
'Basically what that means is these middle school students scored better than 90 percent of college-bound juniors and seniors taking the SAT or ACT tests,' she said. 'That's really quite remarkable.'
2017 Duke Identification Program scholars earning Grand Recognition are: Rachna Edalur, Iniabasi Ekpenyong, Matthew Guck, Natalie Holder, Aditya Jagarlamudi, Nitya Jagarlamudi, Gowri Rangu, and Will Waltrip.
Longview ISD students earning State Recognition are: Zane Bunn, Rylee Camp, Safin Chowdhury, Thomas Greifenkamp, Carson Hilliard, Isabella Hough, Rylee Hunter, Otibhor Ihionkhan, Ian Mahjoobi, Neha Nirmal, Brayden Strong, and Josue Chavez.
These students will be honored during the Monday, May 8 Board of Trustees meeting.
Bassett said 60 students from the three LISD middle schools qualified to take the test based on their performance on the STAAR test. Of that total number, 33 enrolled to take either the SAT or ACT, the same tests that college bound high schoolers take; the results are not about getting into college but about evaluating academic potential.
Recognition is determined by the scores on the college entrance tests and include State and Grand Recognition.
Students achieving national distinction are invited to the Grand Ceremony at Duke University to honor the 7th Grade Talent Search participants who meet the grand level-qualifying score criteria. Held at Cameron Indoor Stadium on the Duke University campus, students receive a commemorative medal.
Bassett said the program 'identifies and supports academically talented students.'
'Students identified to participate in the TIP complete either the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT Assessment college entrance examination,' she said. 'The goal of the program is to assist young people with excellent mathematical or verbal aptitudes by providing comparative information concerning their academic abilities and resources for unique educational opportunities.'
Bassett said some options to be considered for these students include enrolling in an advanced or honors level course, conducting in-depth independent study in the area of strength, and participating in accelerated and/or enrichment programs during the summer.