RMATS seeks the assistance of schools in order to identify academically talented and highly motivated students who qualify for this special opportunity. Students must meet the following three criterian in order to participate:
(1) GRADE: Students must be in the 3rd – 9th grade.
(2) HIGH ACADEMIC ABILITY: Candidates must meet ONE of the following criteria for ability and high performance:
• The student must have standardized academic achievement test scores at 95% (97% for 3rd graders) or above based upon national norms. This can be a composite score or a score in a major subject area (i.e. math, verbal, reading). Test scores must be no more than 2 years old. If nationally standardized test scores are not available, students may use CSAP (Colorado), WyCAS (Wyoming), or ISAT (Idaho) scores at the “Advanced” level. Previous Talent Search scores (i.e. SAT, ACT, and EXPLORE) can not be accepted as eligibility criteria for RMATS.
OR
• The student’s school counselor or teacher must provide a written recommendation endorsing participation in RMATS based upon outstanding performance for the full year in a major subject area.
(3) TEST TAKING SKILLS: Candidates must also have a previous successful experience taking a long standardized test or demonstrate test taking abilities such as following directions, long attention span, time management, and managing stress.
Although RMATS does not ask for proof that this third criteria has been met, it is expected that school administrators and parents will not encourage students to participate who do not exhibit the outlined skills.
