Welcome, School Administrators
Whether your school already participates or you’d like to give your students the DECATS opportunity for the first time, we welcome you and are grateful for your support. Together, we value our partnership with you in our mission to make a profound impact on the lives of gifted and talented children.
DECATS is open to students who:
- will complete third through sixth grades this academic year, and
- have a ranking in the 92nd percentile or above on any nationally standardized achievement test, creativity test or reasoning test, in a specific area, in multiple areas or as an average score overall
- Any score that meets the 92nd percentile or above criterion
- Any overall score, any average score or any individual subtest / section score in any subject area
- A score from any school year, past or present, including any score obtained this spring
Students “age out” of the program – they do not become ineligible for any reason by reconsideration of a new test score report.
Yes! If you are nominating a large number of new nominees, you can send us a spreadsheet for importing to our platform and then make subsequent additions or adjustments using the Nominator’s Portal. For details, go to Manage Nominees and then click the Upload Nominees button at the top.
No. By virtue of your adding students to your list of nominees, you are testifying to their eligibility for the program. It is ultimately your decision as to whether you nominate a student, regardless of whether they meet the age and test score criteria.
Once the priority nomination deadline passes in January, students you have nominated will receive an official invitation email from DECATS with instructions for how to participate.
We welcome any support that you wish to provide to us in the way of creating an open line of communication with your families. If you plan to or are considering sending information about the program to nominated families prior to our email invitation in January, we kindly request to see a copy of the communication prior to its release. This helps us ensure that any facts, figures or other information provided about the program accurately reflect any changes we have made for the upcoming year but might not have yet announced publicly. Reach out to us at admissions@decats.org with your sample communications, ideas, thoughts or questions.
Yes – we welcome you to nominate any qualified students after the deadline, if you choose to do so. This includes students who may have been overlooked in the original nomination process or even students who earned a qualifying score that was not available until after the deadline. A test score from the current academic year, no matter when the test was taken or the score reported to the school, may be used to determine eligibility.
Note that spaces in the program are in very high demand and will begin to fill exceptionally fast the same day we send invitations. As a result, the later nominations are received after the priority deadline, the greater the chance those nominees may have to subscribe to the waitlist for participation.
PARTICIPANT TESTIMONIALS
“Loved this program and pray and hope God will bless me in the opportunity to attend again next Summer. Fingers crossed … can not wait. Was so sad when it was over.”
“DECATS has been a great experience for my daughter. She loves the courses offered, all the beautiful songs and making new friends.”
“I loved everything about DECATS! I wish DECATS could be every single day!”
“This is the best program ever! The mentors are very supportive. The courses are fantastic. This program teaches Scholars about themselves, to respect others and most importantly to always keep God in your life.”
“Thank you so much for teaching us manners. My manners have improved so much, I feel like James Bond.”
“I like all the kids from different schools, and I made new friends.”
“My child loves going to DECATS and yours will too! The opportunity to select enrichment classes that build their self-confidence, critical thinking and executive functioning skills is invaluable. It’ll be the easiest decision and best investment you make for your child’s summer time!”
“This is my first year at DECATS and it was really fun and it was great having my friends by my side. I really loved the music and it got a lot of my energy out and I was able to focus in my courses. I LOVE DECATS!”
“The courses offered are simply amazing. The variety was spectacular and the mentors were stupendous. Sometimes being a gifted child can have its challenges. They can be misunderstood or awkward and at DECATS that is never the case. They are surrounded my love, fun and knowledge. They learn while they may be better at things that they are not in fact better than others. They learn responsibility and grow so much in such a short period of time. I have never seen my daughter as excited as she was every day at pick-up. She met so many new friends and is already looking forward to next year – as am I!”
“Best summer program for gifted kids in Houston! Our sons have been attending for the last six years. Our oldest son has enjoyed it so much that he has returned for the last two years as a Graduate Assistant, and our youngest son plans on returning as a GA as well. DECATS provides a healthy and fun learning environment for kids.”