TJ admissions: Top 1.5% means what exactly?

[Anonymous]

Does this mean the top 1.5% in GPA from your middle school automatically get an offer of admission?

"A holistic review would measure each student’s likelihood of success while giving credit for factors that evinced underrepresentation, such as coming from a home where English is the second language. The big difference would be that the top 1.5 percent of students of each middle school in terms of GPA would automatically be admitted to TJ. The class would also be expanded by 70 students to 550[i]."

https://northernvirginiamag.com/family/education/2021/11/11/thomas-jefferson-high-school-admissions/

[Anonymous]

Whatever j wants it to mean. Seriously.

[Anonymous]

The 1.5% is a set-aside for each middle school. It’s not a guarantee for any individual kid, regardless of GPA or merit.

Basically, it’s pure pork-barrel politics with a strong dose of anti-Asian sentiment mixed in.

[Anonymous]

It guarantees spots to kids at every Middle School who has an interest and meets the general requirements. It makes TJ representative of all of FCPS by insuring that qualified kids from each MS have an opportunity to attend.

That 1.5% has to have met the basic criteria

1) 3.5 GPA (The average GPA last year was a 3.98)
2) Completed or taking Algebra Honors and at least one other Honors Math class (7th Grade Honors or Geometry Honors)
3) Completed 2 years of Honors Science
4) Completed at least 2 other Honors classes (History, English)
5) Successfully completed the math essay

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It guarantees spots to kids at every Middle School who has an interest and meets the general requirements. It makes TJ representative of all of FCPS by insuring that qualified kids from each MS have an opportunity to attend.

That 1.5% has to have met the basic criteria

1) 3.5 GPA (The average GPA last year was a 3.98)
2) Completed or taking Algebra Honors and at least one other Honors Math class (7th Grade Honors or Geometry Honors)
3) Completed 2 years of Honors Science
4) Completed at least 2 other Honors classes (History, English)
5) Successfully completed the math essay

And the 1.5% from any of the middle schools can include Asians or Whites or whatever race happens to be at that school. The expectation is that the MS that have been underrepresented at TJ are typically poorer schools with a larger AA and Hispanic population. Since the kids know that they have a chance at being accepted, because of the 1.5% rule, there is an expectation that kids from all MS will apply. They know that they have a shot about being accepted, because they are no longer held to standards that benefit UMC and MC families who are more informed about TJ early on and push outside math enrichment so their kids are more likely to be in Algebra Honors in 7th, take Geometry in the summer, and Algebra II H in 8th. And the kids know that there will some kids from their current school attending TJ so it feels less daunting.

People can choose to move to the under-represented MS to increase their chances of getting into TJ if they want. I am sure that those MS would be happy to welcome in more high achieving kids to boost their existing cohort and hopefully encourage other kids to push themselves Academically.

[Anonymous]

Agree with previous posters. My DC has benefitted from meeting students and families from across NoVA that are not like us. It's a part of the TJ education that we appreciate that is not just about the rigorous curriculum.

[Anonymous]

How are the experience factors included in the 1.5%? Is it true that any child can say that they get free meals this school year and get a bump from that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How are the experience factors included in the 1.5%? Is it true that any child can say that they get free meals this school year and get a bump from that?

No. You need to officially qualify for FARMS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How are the experience factors included in the 1.5%? Is it true that any child can say that they get free meals this school year and get a bump from that?

No. You need to officially qualify for FARMS.

How do they verify that? No one needs to apply this year and there isn’t a process how to apply since everyone is eligible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It guarantees spots to kids at every Middle School who has an interest and meets the general requirements. It makes TJ representative of all of FCPS by insuring that qualified kids from each MS have an opportunity to attend.

That 1.5% has to have met the basic criteria

1) 3.5 GPA (The average GPA last year was a 3.98)
2) Completed or taking Algebra Honors and at least one other Honors Math class (7th Grade Honors or Geometry Honors)
3) Completed 2 years of Honors Science
4) Completed at least 2 other Honors classes (History, English)
5) Successfully completed the math essay

How do you complete 2 years of honor science when it si offered in 7th grade only? What am I missing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It guarantees spots to kids at every Middle School who has an interest and meets the general requirements. It makes TJ representative of all of FCPS by insuring that qualified kids from each MS have an opportunity to attend.

That 1.5% has to have met the basic criteria

1) 3.5 GPA (The average GPA last year was a 3.98)
2) Completed or taking Algebra Honors and at least one other Honors Math class (7th Grade Honors or Geometry Honors)
3) Completed 2 years of Honors Science
4) Completed at least 2 other Honors classes (History, English)
5) Successfully completed the math essay

And the 1.5% from any of the middle schools can include Asians or Whites or whatever race happens to be at that school. The expectation is that the MS that have been underrepresented at TJ are typically poorer schools with a larger AA and Hispanic population. Since the kids know that they have a chance at being accepted, because of the 1.5% rule, there is an expectation that kids from all MS will apply. They know that they have a shot about being accepted, because they are no longer held to standards that benefit UMC and MC families who are more informed about TJ early on and push outside math enrichment so their kids are more likely to be in Algebra Honors in 7th, take Geometry in the summer, and Algebra II H in 8th. And the kids know that there will some kids from their current school attending TJ so it feels less daunting.

People can choose to move to the under-represented MS to increase their chances of getting into TJ if they want. I am sure that those MS would be happy to welcome in more high achieving kids to boost their existing cohort and hopefully encourage other kids to push themselves Academically.

This prob will happen or has happened now. 1.5% is nothing but feels like a quota system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It guarantees spots to kids at every Middle School who has an interest and meets the general requirements. It makes TJ representative of all of FCPS by insuring that qualified kids from each MS have an opportunity to attend.

That 1.5% has to have met the basic criteria

1) 3.5 GPA (The average GPA last year was a 3.98)
2) Completed or taking Algebra Honors and at least one other Honors Math class (7th Grade Honors or Geometry Honors)
3) Completed 2 years of Honors Science
4) Completed at least 2 other Honors classes (History, English)
5) Successfully completed the math essay

And what happens if some schools have more kids meeting the basic criteria? How are they going to select 1.5% then?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whatever tj wants it to mean. Seriously.

Yes. It's a policy which sounds benign on the surface, but once you realize that it's being advised by superficial, emotionally-abusive, favoritism-seeking hypocritical bigots, you really have to second guess it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whatever tj wants it to mean. Seriously.

Yes. It's a policy which sounds benign on the surface, but once you realize that it's being advised by superficial, emotionally-abusive, favoritism-seeking hypocritical bigots, you really have to second guess it.

Now that we have a Republican governor, is the Asian bashing going to stop? Asians did vote majority Democrat but the percentage voting Republican did increase from previous elections, I think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It guarantees spots to kids at every Middle School who has an interest and meets the general requirements. It makes TJ representative of all of FCPS by insuring that qualified kids from each MS have an opportunity to attend.

That 1.5% has to have met the basic criteria

1) 3.5 GPA (The average GPA last year was a 3.98)
2) Completed or taking Algebra Honors and at least one other Honors Math class (7th Grade Honors or Geometry Honors)
3) Completed 2 years of Honors Science
4) Completed at least 2 other Honors classes (History, English)
5) Successfully completed the math essay

And what happens if some schools have more kids meeting the basic criteria? How are they going to select 1.5% then?

So in a high income neighborhood, 1.5% will be easily filled by top 2% kids with very high GPA and other criteria. In another neighborhood, where there are many Farms 1.5% will be filled by kids who barely fulfill the criteria. It will be easier to get in TJ from those schools. This is called Equity and another kind of racism.