TJ admissions change from Merit to Essay impact to Asian American Students

[Anonymous]

I'm not happy with the current admissions approach, especially as a Black parent of a waitlisted Cooper student. The current TJ entry process seems to favor students from underperforming schools, where the basics of math and science aren't adequately taught, over hardworking, underrepresented students from our Cooper Middle with relatively stronger focus on math and science . We relocated from south of DC to this area specifically for access to better schools with higher academic standards and motivated peers, as we got tired of status quo of school at our previous neighborhood. While my child may not rank in the top one or two percent at Cooper, their grades in AAP math and honors science, along with active involvement in one of the stem team last year, deserve consideration for admission to TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not happy with the current admissions approach, especially as a Black parent of a waitlisted Cooper student. The current TJ entry process seems to favor students from underperforming schools, where the basics of math and science aren't adequately taught, over hardworking, underrepresented students from our Cooper Middle with relatively stronger focus on math and science . We relocated from south of DC to this area specifically for access to better schools with higher academic standards and motivated peers, as we got tired of status quo of school at our previous neighborhood. While my child may not rank in the top one or two percent at Cooper, their grades in AAP math and honors science, along with active involvement in one of the stem team last year, deserve consideration for admission to TJ.

Are they waitlisted? The waitlist opens on Friday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not happy with the current admissions approach, especially as a Black parent of a waitlisted Cooper student. The current TJ entry process seems to favor students from underperforming schools, where the basics of math and science aren't adequately taught, over hardworking, underrepresented students from our Cooper Middle with relatively stronger focus on math and science . We relocated from south of DC to this area specifically for access to better schools with higher academic standards and motivated peers, as we got tired of status quo of school at our previous neighborhood. While my child may not rank in the top one or two percent at Cooper, their grades in AAP math and honors science, along with active involvement in one of the stem team last year, deserve consideration for admission to TJ.

hope they move off waitlist, and get an offer.
It's an essay lottery process. There is no mechanism in place for TJ admissions to know your black student has better stem skills compared to other black students. Unfortunate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not happy with the current admissions approach, especially as a Black parent of a waitlisted Cooper student. The current TJ entry process seems to favor students from underperforming schools, where the basics of math and science aren't adequately taught, over hardworking, underrepresented students from our Cooper Middle with relatively stronger focus on math and science . We relocated from south of DC to this area specifically for access to better schools with higher academic standards and motivated peers, as we got tired of status quo of school at our previous neighborhood. While my child may not rank in the top one or two percent at Cooper, their grades in AAP math and honors science, along with active involvement in one of the stem team last year, deserve consideration for admission to TJ.

hope they move off waitlist, and get an offer.
It's an essay lottery process. There is no mechanism in place for TJ admissions to know your black student has better stem skills compared to other black students. Unfortunate.

I’m a cooper and Langley parent. While my kid didn’t apply, several of my child’s friends did apply and got rejected. I posted on the other thread but some kids were science and math competition winners and fully qualified for TJ. I’m sure your kid is also qualified. The number of spots given to McLean students has dropped significantly. It is maddening and I don’t even have a kid who applied.

[Anonymous]

This top 1.5% and school quota criteria unfairly disadvantages hardworking Black and Latino merit students in top middle schools - Carson, Cooper, Longfellow, etc. Even if they have completed Geometry or Algebra 2 (but not in top 1.5%), they have a lesser chance of getting admitted to TJ, than a lower level Algebra 1 math Black or Latino student from, say, Poe Middle or Witman Middle.

TJ admissions appears to be implying to Black and Latino families: don't move to better school neighborhoods and don't count on your student merit effort to get into TJ, but stay back at bottom school, do the lower math there, get admitted to TJ bottom.

[Anonymous]

The politics of Equity giveaways endup disadvantaging the very people it claims to uplift. Sad truth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The politics of Equity giveaways endup disadvantaging the very people it claims to uplift. Sad truth.

except when it mostly doesn't

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This top 1.5% and school quota criteria unfairly disadvantages hardworking Black and Latino merit students in top middle schools - Carson, Cooper, Longfellow, etc. Even if they have completed Geometry or Algebra 2 (but not in top 1.5%), they have a lesser chance of getting admitted to TJ, than a lower level Algebra 1 math Black or Latino student from, say, Poe Middle or Witman Middle.

TJ admissions appears to be implying to Black and Latino families: don't move to better school neighborhoods and don't count on your student merit effort to get into TJ, but stay back at bottom school, do the lower math there, get admitted to TJ bottom.

It especially disadvantages those kids from wealthy schools who used to dominate TJ admissions. Even poor kids who are the very best at their school have a shot. I guess that's terrible to some people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This top 1.5% and school quota criteria unfairly disadvantages hardworking Black and Latino merit students in top middle schools - Carson, Cooper, Longfellow, etc. Even if they have completed Geometry or Algebra 2 (but not in top 1.5%), they have a lesser chance of getting admitted to TJ, than a lower level Algebra 1 math Black or Latino student from, say, Poe Middle or Witman Middle.

TJ admissions appears to be implying to Black and Latino families: don't move to better school neighborhoods and don't count on your student merit effort to get into TJ, but stay back at bottom school, do the lower math there, get admitted to TJ bottom.

It's the sorrowful truth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This top 1.5% and school quota criteria unfairly disadvantages hardworking Black and Latino merit students in top middle schools - Carson, Cooper, Longfellow, etc. Even if they have completed Geometry or Algebra 2 (but not in top 1.5%), they have a lesser chance of getting admitted to TJ, than a lower level Algebra 1 math Black or Latino student from, say, Poe Middle or Witman Middle.

TJ admissions appears to be implying to Black and Latino families: don't move to better school neighborhoods and don't count on your student merit effort to get into TJ, but stay back at bottom school, do the lower math there, get admitted to TJ bottom.

We don’t even know what they mean by “top 1.5%” because they intentionally made the process less informed. Definitely, advanced Math and Science courses and STEM activities don’t count much. Within a MS, who got offered, waitlisted, or rejected is very like a lottery. In the same school, regardless of ethnicity, you see mediocre and layback kids got offered while smart and motivated students were left out.

I’m sure the minions will say “but the essays”. Ok, try to convince me how a normal kid who didn’t care of TJ could suddenly write better essays than top performing /STEM loving kids. Whatever the goals of TJ are, how can a less informed admissions system make better decisions than a well informed system?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This top 1.5% and school quota criteria unfairly disadvantages hardworking Black and Latino merit students in top middle schools - Carson, Cooper, Longfellow, etc. Even if they have completed Geometry or Algebra 2 (but not in top 1.5%), they have a lesser chance of getting admitted to TJ, than a lower level Algebra 1 math Black or Latino student from, say, Poe Middle or Witman Middle.

TJ admissions appears to be implying to Black and Latino families: don't move to better school neighborhoods and don't count on your student merit effort to get into TJ, but stay back at bottom school, do the lower math there, get admitted to TJ bottom.

They already sent this message to all families with the new system. Some even moved their kids from AAP centers back to base schools to increase their chances with TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The politics of Equity giveaways endup disadvantaging the very people it claims to uplift. Sad truth.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This top 1.5% and school quota criteria unfairly disadvantages hardworking Black and Latino merit students in top middle schools - Carson, Cooper, Longfellow, etc. Even if they have completed Geometry or Algebra 2 (but not in top 1.5%), they have a lesser chance of getting admitted to TJ, than a lower level Algebra 1 math Black or Latino student from, say, Poe Middle or Witman Middle.

TJ admissions appears to be implying to Black and Latino families: don't move to better school neighborhoods and don't count on your student merit effort to get into TJ, but stay back at bottom school, do the lower math there, get admitted to TJ bottom.

We don’t even know what they mean by “top 1.5%” because they intentionally made the process less informed. Definitely, advanced Math and Science courses and STEM activities don’t count much. Within a MS, who got offered, waitlisted, or rejected is very like a lottery. In the same school, regardless of ethnicity, you see mediocre and layback kids got offered while smart and motivated students were left out.

I’m sure the minions will say “but the essays”. Ok, try to convince me how a normal kid who didn’t care of TJ could suddenly write better essays than top performing /STEM loving kids. Whatever the goals of TJ are, how can a less informed admissions system make better decisions than a well informed system?

If they never intended to disclose how 1.5% is calculated, why mention the number? Is it to make it sound like it is super competitive, when it was known all along lowest math students would need to be selected over higher math kids to get the diversity numbers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not happy with the current admissions approach, especially as a Black parent of a waitlisted Cooper student. The current TJ entry process seems to favor students from underperforming schools, where the basics of math and science aren't adequately taught, over hardworking, underrepresented students from our Cooper Middle with relatively stronger focus on math and science . We relocated from south of DC to this area specifically for access to better schools with higher academic standards and motivated peers, as we got tired of status quo of school at our previous neighborhood. While my child may not rank in the top one or two percent at Cooper, their grades in AAP math and honors science, along with active involvement in one of the stem team last year, deserve consideration for admission to TJ.

No it doesn't. It still favors kids who were prepped to the gills. It only takes half its selections from each school's top students. This still gives more weight to people who use their $$$ to invest in outside enrichment to tip the scales in their child's favor. Remember only about half the students are from the very top 15.%.

What they need to do to make this more fair is take the top 3% from each school instead of giving the preppers so much wiggle room to game the process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not happy with the current admissions approach, especially as a Black parent of a waitlisted Cooper student. The current TJ entry process seems to favor students from underperforming schools, where the basics of math and science aren't adequately taught, over hardworking, underrepresented students from our Cooper Middle with relatively stronger focus on math and science . We relocated from south of DC to this area specifically for access to better schools with higher academic standards and motivated peers, as we got tired of status quo of school at our previous neighborhood. While my child may not rank in the top one or two percent at Cooper, their grades in AAP math and honors science, along with active involvement in one of the stem team last year, deserve consideration for admission to TJ.

No it doesn't. It still favors kids who were prepped to the gills. It only takes half its selections from each school's top students. This still gives more weight to people who use their $$$ to invest in outside enrichment to tip the scales in their child's favor. Remember only about half the students are from the very top 15.%.

What they need to do to make this more fair is take the top 3% from each school instead of giving the preppers so much wiggle room to game the process.

Can you explain how preppers game the current process?