Thomas Jefferson HS National Merit Semifinalist decrease

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I'm very surprised at the constant threads on TJ, trying to cut it down. It's a high school, a good one. Can't everyone just leave it at that and move on?

Because the new admissions process was borne of racism and has had racist effects.

Please try again...

* Selection is race blind
* Asian enrollment is currently at an all time historic high
* Largest beneficiary of selection changes were low-income Asians

* selection is supposed to be race blind, but it is clearly race-aware. Applicant is required to provide race information, when it is not needed until student registration. FCPS TJ admissions news release touts race based distribution of offers, with merit selection criteria removed.
* Asian enrollment has been brought down from historic high of 73.4% for 2024 class to now 57.27% for 2028 class, with no participation in expanded class size.
* Among the low-income applicants, the essay lottery selection process unfairly excludes those who may have stronger merit qualification.

Ability to write coherently and well is a measure of academic merit. An applicant who can’t write well does not actually have stronger merit qualification and is missing a crucial ability for those who want careers in STEM fields.

TJ is looking for kids who have the whole package. Lots of kids have math and science skills; TJ wants kids who have math, science, and writing abilities.

Why is TJ admitting kids with inferior math skills to get to predetermined diversity chart? Prior to admission change, there was one TJ Math 1 class with around 17 students. After admissions change, for each of last four years, there are four to five TJ Math 1 sections with around 120 students enrolled in them. Does this have anything to do with the lowered number of NMSF recipients?

Good to hear. If the admission change has slowed the Road to Nowhere, that's good for everyone.

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[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who cares?

This! It's not a sign of school quality. And it's not going to get your kid into an Ivy.

[Anonymous]

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For crying out loud, before the changes TJ was a whopping 72% (!) Asian despite Asians being only: 19% of FCPS, 25% of LCPS, 9% of Arlington, and 10% of PWCS. How much higher do you think it needed to be - 100%??

For crying out loud, without any manipulation NBA composition continues to have a whopping 73% (!) one minority race despite that race being only: 12.6% of US population. How much higher do you think it needed to be - 100%?? Yes, if that's what organic growth leads to.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_ethnicity_in_the_NBA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_ethnicity_in_the_United_States

What does this have to do with access to public education? NOTHING!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A culture that isn’t focused on standardized testing can only be beneficial for the students in the long run.

Where is that culture found? The top colleges, if they were test optional are now dropping the “optional” and asking for scores.