Disappointed by TJ decision?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love in how every other FCPS related thread, there are like dozens of comments about how kids are struggling since covid, but that conveniently gets forgotten when it comes to the TJ kids in their freshman and sophomore years who spent MS in the same covid environment.

But yeah, any struggle noted by the numbers MUST be those underprepared, spot stealing DEI tokens.

That point tracks if all grades struggled at TJ. As it stands the school is split between old (11/12) and new (9/10) admissions groups and the old ones also happened to deal with covid as well, weird I know. They are seemingly unaffected. There is nuance here for sure, but you cant ignore those inconvenient facts.

Oddly enough, the same URM students that are oft cited as reasons for more supports and scaffolding like test retakes, no homework, and minimum standard grades, are also being thrown into a system that actually demands more from their students. Its possible that these issues are still at play.

What is your proof that older students are not struggling and that younger ones (do you even hear yourself--of course the older students who had strong MS experience would do fine) are struggling, and that they are struggling because they are unworthy?

Why wouldn’t they be struggling. The school system has made several changes and continues to make changes to help support URMs and their academic struggles. Do you think those struggles just disappear when they go to TJ?

It’s always been about money and FARMs numbers jumped by 100. Almost 20% of the admitted class. These kids were greatly affected by the pandemic and are also the reason things like no homework, no spelling, no novels, no acceleration, retakes, e3, etc are implemented. Now they are at a place that isn’t used to providing that scaffolding. Of course they are going to struggle. It’s perfectly acceptable to acknowledge that fact.

Equity efforts in our non-AAP MS pyramids are the reason this class has lower math and need more support. These smart kids would succeed in an AAP level curriculum if offered the opportunity but public schools unwillingness to accept some kids can’t be helped is dragging down everyone.

But let’s keep pretending advanced math isn’t that important to the number 1 stem school in the US.

[Anonymous]

Let’s keep pretending TJ is still the #1 STEM public HS in the US (that ship has now sailed).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let’s keep pretending TJ is still the #1 STEM public HS in the US (that ship has now sailed).

Let’s agree that this toxic “top stem school” crap is ridiculous. Some simple-minded ranking by a second rate magazine is useless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please remember TJ is a STEM oriented school. And while M is for Math, it also underpins the STE in a big way.

These results show that some of the best STEM applicants are no longer being accepted.

This may not have anything to do with admission changes. Remember we had a pandemic that greatly affected learning?

True and lower income schools typically don't have the same opportunities for acceleration, not to mention the outside enrichment that many post about like AoPS, RSM etc etc. This chart if anything indicates that selection is more equitable. A gifted kid from a low-income area may be a complete genius but lacked many of the same opportunities that parents at wealthy schools take for granted. To me this is a good sign that our tax dollars are going to support all gifted residents not just the scion of the wealthy.

If the desire for an elite STEM school is equity, then yes, it appears the new process has done that.

If the desire is to accept the demonstrably best STEM students, then no, the new system doesn’t do that. And arguing that kids with accelerated math are privileged isn’t what I’m interested in arguing. I’m just pointing out the fact that math underpins advanced STEM topics and that this cohort is not as advanced as years past.

And we aren’t talking about the same group of kids where it may be questionable to take 7th grade algebra even though they scored a 95 on the IAAT because sometime acceleration isn’t the best answer for kids come 10th grade. We are talking about kids that are perfectly suited for Calc in 10th and will continue to drive the cohort even deeper into complex math and science through 11th and 12th.

Those numbers were basically halved and replaced by kids that can never achieve that, based on timeline alone. There may be a genius in the bunch that is taking algebra in 8th grade in a lower SES school, but arguably there was probably a genius in the group of kids that had already completed Algebra II.

The desire was largely to create an environment where students at every school within the catchment area felt as though they had a realistic chance of getting into TJ. That's unquestionably a good thing and should increase application numbers in the long run, which would drive up the strength of the applicant pool.

The only way that the new process fails to drive up the application numbers is if large groups who are presently part of the demographic no longer choose to apply because of a perception of diminished prestige. Honestly, if that happens, good riddance because there were too many families for whom that was the prime motivator for TJ to begin with.

The problem is that those neglected segments of catchment area are currently not capable of producing students that can drive the cohort to the previous level of STEM achievement. Unless those schools start accelerating their students to the same level within the county. And if anyone has been paying attention, that is definitely not part of the plan for most title I/non-AAP ES/MS.

1/3 of the class is no longer eligible to take Electrodynamics, Quantum Physics and Optics. And in general the math accumen of the peer group has been lowered significantly.

These are simple facts, and if the desire is to put DEI before achievement, then this has succeeded.

Add to that, that many top performers, regardless of privilege, may not want to apply knowing the cohort is mathematically and by extension scientifically weaker.

TJ admissions grew complacent and didn't change for many years. Consequently, a huge TJ prep industry emerged that advertised prominently that they hired former admissions officials, essay readers, etc. who gave a big advantage to preppers. One back door they found was to accelerate in math. If you knew going into elementary school that your kid might apply to TJ then you accelerated in math on weekends and summers to give them an edge. TJ math teachers found that many of the "advanced" math freshmen were ill-prepared.

Kids develop at different rates. It requires a certain mathematical maturity to really understand algebra that some kids don't achieve until later.

Algebra is not rocket science. The fact that your kid takes it earlier does not make them more intelligent. Other kids will find the class easy and get a better foundation if they take it later,
particularly at TJ.

Do you have a source on this "TJ math teachers found?" I understand that kids in Algebra II in fairfax high in 9th grade may be in too deep, but these are not the same as kids at TJ, privilege or not.

The previous TJ students, whether they struggled or not, were on path to complete more and higher levels of math and science. The current group is also subject to your mathematical maturity claim. Maybe thats why they were in algebra in 8th instead of 7th or 6th.

The mathematical pathways are not as malleable as your definition of algebra success however, and 1/3 of the students are now not capable of achieving some of the higher tracks.

If DEI is the goal over academic achievement, just say that, but lets stop pretending that reduced Math acceleration is somehow beneficial for the number 1 STEM school in the united states.

Wow, this is some of the most elitist drivel I’ve ever read. You acknowledge that kids could be brilliant but lack access to super accelerated math, but you still think those kids don’t deserve a chance at TJ admission. Incredible. It’s a freaking public school. You want to use your money & prestige to get (even more of a) advantage, go somewhere else.

They had a chance under the previous system. The difference is the previous system had an understanding that such students were unlikely to do well, and only took those who stood out.
There were single digit numbers of students taking algebra in 8th grade, and now it is more than 100.

And why is that understanding correct?

It absolutely is a correct understanding within higher SES or even middle of the road SES middle schools. Relatively privileged kids who don't take algebra until 8th aren't some diamond in the rough. They're simply kids who weren't bright enough to qualify for Algebra despite having full access to accelerated math in schools, tutors, and prep. There absolutely is a difference between a Carson /Longfellow kid taking Algebra II or precalc in 8th and a Carson/Longfellow kid taking Algebra I in 8th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please remember TJ is a STEM oriented school. And while M is for Math, it also underpins the STE in a big way.

These results show that some of the best STEM applicants are no longer being accepted.

This may not have anything to do with admission changes. Remember we had a pandemic that greatly affected learning?

True and lower income schools typically don't have the same opportunities for acceleration, not to mention the outside enrichment that many post about like AoPS, RSM etc etc. This chart if anything indicates that selection is more equitable. A gifted kid from a low-income area may be a complete genius but lacked many of the same opportunities that parents at wealthy schools take for granted. To me this is a good sign that our tax dollars are going to support all gifted residents not just the scion of the wealthy.

If the desire for an elite STEM school is equity, then yes, it appears the new process has done that.

If the desire is to accept the demonstrably best STEM students, then no, the new system doesn’t do that. And arguing that kids with accelerated math are privileged isn’t what I’m interested in arguing. I’m just pointing out the fact that math underpins advanced STEM topics and that this cohort is not as advanced as years past.

And we aren’t talking about the same group of kids where it may be questionable to take 7th grade algebra even though they scored a 95 on the IAAT because sometime acceleration isn’t the best answer for kids come 10th grade. We are talking about kids that are perfectly suited for Calc in 10th and will continue to drive the cohort even deeper into complex math and science through 11th and 12th.

Those numbers were basically halved and replaced by kids that can never achieve that, based on timeline alone. There may be a genius in the bunch that is taking algebra in 8th grade in a lower SES school, but arguably there was probably a genius in the group of kids that had already completed Algebra II.

The desire was largely to create an environment where students at every school within the catchment area felt as though they had a realistic chance of getting into TJ. That's unquestionably a good thing and should increase application numbers in the long run, which would drive up the strength of the applicant pool.

The only way that the new process fails to drive up the application numbers is if large groups who are presently part of the demographic no longer choose to apply because of a perception of diminished prestige. Honestly, if that happens, good riddance because there were too many families for whom that was the prime motivator for TJ to begin with.

The problem is that those neglected segments of catchment area are currently not capable of producing students that can drive the cohort to the previous level of STEM achievement. Unless those schools start accelerating their students to the same level within the county. And if anyone has been paying attention, that is definitely not part of the plan for most title I/non-AAP ES/MS.

1/3 of the class is no longer eligible to take Electrodynamics, Quantum Physics and Optics. And in general the math accumen of the peer group has been lowered significantly.

These are simple facts, and if the desire is to put DEI before achievement, then this has succeeded.

Add to that, that many top performers, regardless of privilege, may not want to apply knowing the cohort is mathematically and by extension scientifically weaker.

TJ admissions grew complacent and didn't change for many years. Consequently, a huge TJ prep industry emerged that advertised prominently that they hired former admissions officials, essay readers, etc. who gave a big advantage to preppers. One back door they found was to accelerate in math. If you knew going into elementary school that your kid might apply to TJ then you accelerated in math on weekends and summers to give them an edge. TJ math teachers found that many of the "advanced" math freshmen were ill-prepared.

Kids develop at different rates. It requires a certain mathematical maturity to really understand algebra that some kids don't achieve until later.

Algebra is not rocket science. The fact that your kid takes it earlier does not make them more intelligent. Other kids will find the class easy and get a better foundation if they take it later,
particularly at TJ.

Do you have a source on this "TJ math teachers found?" I understand that kids in Algebra II in fairfax high in 9th grade may be in too deep, but these are not the same as kids at TJ, privilege or not.

The previous TJ students, whether they struggled or not, were on path to complete more and higher levels of math and science. The current group is also subject to your mathematical maturity claim. Maybe thats why they were in algebra in 8th instead of 7th or 6th.

The mathematical pathways are not as malleable as your definition of algebra success however, and 1/3 of the students are now not capable of achieving some of the higher tracks.

If DEI is the goal over academic achievement, just say that, but lets stop pretending that reduced Math acceleration is somehow beneficial for the number 1 STEM school in the united states.

Wow, this is some of the most elitist drivel I’ve ever read. You acknowledge that kids could be brilliant but lack access to super accelerated math, but you still think those kids don’t deserve a chance at TJ admission. Incredible. It’s a freaking public school. You want to use your money & prestige to get (even more of a) advantage, go somewhere else.

There are lots of brilliant kids. I imagine out of the 70 or so kids that completed Algebra II before high school, there are a few brilliant ones as well. And now we have taken away their shot in favor of someone else because of things like experience factors that are completely out of either kids control.

There is not enough spots to go around, so you just want to give spots to these other kids and then act surprised when the kids that are now denied admission want their spots back?

The initial point of the chart was to show the current state of mathematic achievement at TJ as a result of the new admissions. I dont think its good, but thats just my opinion. I think others are trying to justify it by calling people racist and elitist or gaslighting about the importance of advanced math in the number 1 STEM school in the US.

It's ok to acknowledge the stats and say, yeah we should improve that. I just dont know how. These kids are probably capable of greater math and education, but are stuck in fairfax pyramids that cant meet their needs?

It's a good bet that if TJ becomes a realistic option for all of these pyramids and middle schools, you will see advancement within them improve in relatively short order.

I will say this - the new admissions process has overselected for students in Prince William County. Despite being vehemently pro-reform, I don't see a huge benefit to the massive increase from PW apart from the contributions to the racial demographic. The commute is insane, which prevents many of the students from full participation in extracurriculars, and the caliber of education in the middle school environment is way below even the lowest-performing areas in FCPS, LCPS, APS, and FCCPS.

Yeah the outside FCPS selection deviation was strange. I didnt see that coming and am not to sure what to attribute it to other than experience factors? But that is not unique to the other counties, so i dont know.

I am not sure about the other pyramids bringing the kids up to speed. There is a concerted effort to drive algebra to 8th grade. The E3 program is in all the same schools are/were underrepresented at TJ. The goal is more pathway and less accelerated tracking and appears to be designed for gened gap closure. I dont see those schools improving their applicants because they will be stuck in an equity experiment that isnt geared to lift them above their more remedial peers.

It comers from the per school minimum quota, and Prince William schools benefited more from this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can a parent ask that who all were in top 1.5%? The information that my DC got from school is ridiculous. I never believed ppl saying that the new admission process is a lottery system. But now I do.
Why some schools are not TJ’s favorite? Not mentioning the school but there are schools where less than 10 students are admitted every year.

There was a proposal to make TJ admissions more of a lottery but it was not adopted. If anyone suggested it was, they were mistaken and you were misled.

I think they are saying the people who were accepted were not top students. Even if not officially a lottery, it looks like a lottery.

With some schools it is literally lottery. It’s a revelation for me this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please remember TJ is a STEM oriented school. And while M is for Math, it also underpins the STE in a big way.

These results show that some of the best STEM applicants are no longer being accepted.

This may not have anything to do with admission changes. Remember we had a pandemic that greatly affected learning?

True and lower income schools typically don't have the same opportunities for acceleration, not to mention the outside enrichment that many post about like AoPS, RSM etc etc. This chart if anything indicates that selection is more equitable. A gifted kid from a low-income area may be a complete genius but lacked many of the same opportunities that parents at wealthy schools take for granted. To me this is a good sign that our tax dollars are going to support all gifted residents not just the scion of the wealthy.

If the desire for an elite STEM school is equity, then yes, it appears the new process has done that.

If the desire is to accept the demonstrably best STEM students, then no, the new system doesn’t do that. And arguing that kids with accelerated math are privileged isn’t what I’m interested in arguing. I’m just pointing out the fact that math underpins advanced STEM topics and that this cohort is not as advanced as years past.

And we aren’t talking about the same group of kids where it may be questionable to take 7th grade algebra even though they scored a 95 on the IAAT because sometime acceleration isn’t the best answer for kids come 10th grade. We are talking about kids that are perfectly suited for Calc in 10th and will continue to drive the cohort even deeper into complex math and science through 11th and 12th.

Those numbers were basically halved and replaced by kids that can never achieve that, based on timeline alone. There may be a genius in the bunch that is taking algebra in 8th grade in a lower SES school, but arguably there was probably a genius in the group of kids that had already completed Algebra II.

The desire was largely to create an environment where students at every school within the catchment area felt as though they had a realistic chance of getting into TJ. That's unquestionably a good thing and should increase application numbers in the long run, which would drive up the strength of the applicant pool.

The only way that the new process fails to drive up the application numbers is if large groups who are presently part of the demographic no longer choose to apply because of a perception of diminished prestige. Honestly, if that happens, good riddance because there were too many families for whom that was the prime motivator for TJ to begin with.

The problem is that those neglected segments of catchment area are currently not capable of producing students that can drive the cohort to the previous level of STEM achievement. Unless those schools start accelerating their students to the same level within the county. And if anyone has been paying attention, that is definitely not part of the plan for most title I/non-AAP ES/MS.

1/3 of the class is no longer eligible to take Electrodynamics, Quantum Physics and Optics. And in general the math accumen of the peer group has been lowered significantly.

These are simple facts, and if the desire is to put DEI before achievement, then this has succeeded.

Add to that, that many top performers, regardless of privilege, may not want to apply knowing the cohort is mathematically and by extension scientifically weaker.

TJ admissions grew complacent and didn't change for many years. Consequently, a huge TJ prep industry emerged that advertised prominently that they hired former admissions officials, essay readers, etc. who gave a big advantage to preppers. One back door they found was to accelerate in math. If you knew going into elementary school that your kid might apply to TJ then you accelerated in math on weekends and summers to give them an edge. TJ math teachers found that many of the "advanced" math freshmen were ill-prepared.

Kids develop at different rates. It requires a certain mathematical maturity to really understand algebra that some kids don't achieve until later.

Algebra is not rocket science. The fact that your kid takes it earlier does not make them more intelligent. Other kids will find the class easy and get a better foundation if they take it later,
particularly at TJ.

Do you have a source on this "TJ math teachers found?" I understand that kids in Algebra II in fairfax high in 9th grade may be in too deep, but these are not the same as kids at TJ, privilege or not.

The previous TJ students, whether they struggled or not, were on path to complete more and higher levels of math and science. The current group is also subject to your mathematical maturity claim. Maybe thats why they were in algebra in 8th instead of 7th or 6th.

The mathematical pathways are not as malleable as your definition of algebra success however, and 1/3 of the students are now not capable of achieving some of the higher tracks.

If DEI is the goal over academic achievement, just say that, but lets stop pretending that reduced Math acceleration is somehow beneficial for the number 1 STEM school in the united states.

Wow, this is some of the most elitist drivel I’ve ever read. You acknowledge that kids could be brilliant but lack access to super accelerated math, but you still think those kids don’t deserve a chance at TJ admission. Incredible. It’s a freaking public school. You want to use your money & prestige to get (even more of a) advantage, go somewhere else.

There are lots of brilliant kids. I imagine out of the 70 or so kids that completed Algebra II before high school, there are a few brilliant ones as well. And now we have taken away their shot in favor of someone else because of things like experience factors that are completely out of either kids control.

There is not enough spots to go around, so you just want to give spots to these other kids and then act surprised when the kids that are now denied admission want their spots back?

This phrasing presumes that the spots previously "belonged" to those children as some sort of fait accompli. It betrays the mindset that those spots are "ours" and that they've been "taken away". Echoes of the Great Replacement Theory here. Ugly to say the least.

+100. “Want their spots back”?? Do you even hear yourself.

They were likely their spots. Kids who already completed Algebra II in 8th grade vs kids who were selected via quotas and experience factors resulting in Algebra only in massive numbers. The numbers bear out that there was the largest shift in those categories. So yeah without the admission changes, they were likely those kids spots. Completing Algebra II in 8th grade is an amazing accomplishment.

It is an accomplishment, but not amazing. Prior to VMPI, there would have been about 200 such students in Loudoun, presumably many more in Fairfax even if Loudoun accelerates more. The kids in Loudoun taking algebra in 8th are not all superstars, maybe a quarter stand out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can a parent ask that who all were in top 1.5%? The information that my DC got from school is ridiculous. I never believed ppl saying that the new admission process is a lottery system. But now I do.
Why some schools are not TJ’s favorite? Not mentioning the school but there are schools where less than 10 students are admitted every year.

There was a proposal to make TJ admissions more of a lottery but it was not adopted. If anyone suggested it was, they were mistaken and you were misled.

I think they are saying the people who were accepted were not top students. Even if not officially a lottery, it looks like a lottery.

With some schools it is literally lottery. It’s a revelation for me this year.

It's looked that way at our school the past few years. TJ does not select the top students within a school.
Academies of Loudoun does a better job of this, though I hear some of the top top kids at Brambleton were not selected.

I don't just mean the top 1.5%. There are top students who were waitlisted and some who were rejected outright, while accepted students were many levels below this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can a parent ask that who all were in top 1.5%? The information that my DC got from school is ridiculous. I never believed ppl saying that the new admission process is a lottery system. But now I do.
Why some schools are not TJ’s favorite? Not mentioning the school but there are schools where less than 10 students are admitted every year.

There was a proposal to make TJ admissions more of a lottery but it was not adopted. If anyone suggested it was, they were mistaken and you were misled.

I think they are saying the people who were accepted were not top students. Even if not officially a lottery, it looks like a lottery.

With some schools it is literally lottery. It’s a revelation for me this year.

It's looked that way at our school the past few years. TJ does not select the top students within a school.
Academies of Loudoun does a better job of this, though I hear some of the top top kids at Brambleton were not selected.

I don't just mean the top 1.5%. There are top students who were waitlisted and some who were rejected outright, while accepted students were many levels below this.

This happen in our MS too.

[Anonymous]

Why TJ doesn’t reveal their actual admission process? Why sharing misleading information? Many kids at DC’s school are disheartened to know that students with F grade and b grade are getting into TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can a parent ask that who all were in top 1.5%? The information that my DC got from school is ridiculous. I never believed ppl saying that the new admission process is a lottery system. But now I do.
Why some schools are not TJ’s favorite? Not mentioning the school but there are schools where less than 10 students are admitted every year.

There was a proposal to make TJ admissions more of a lottery but it was not adopted. If anyone suggested it was, they were mistaken and you were misled.

I think they are saying the people who were accepted were not top students. Even if not officially a lottery, it looks like a lottery.

With some schools it is literally lottery. It’s a revelation for me this year.

It's looked that way at our school the past few years. TJ does not select the top students within a school.
Academies of Loudoun does a better job of this, though I hear some of the top top kids at Brambleton were not selected.

I don't just mean the top 1.5%. There are top students who were waitlisted and some who were rejected outright, while accepted students were many levels below this.

This happen in our MS too.

I know a few are 1.5% of top students are on waited pool and 2 got rejected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please remember TJ is a STEM oriented school. And while M is for Math, it also underpins the STE in a big way.

These results show that some of the best STEM applicants are no longer being accepted.

This may not have anything to do with admission changes. Remember we had a pandemic that greatly affected learning?

True and lower income schools typically don't have the same opportunities for acceleration, not to mention the outside enrichment that many post about like AoPS, RSM etc etc. This chart if anything indicates that selection is more equitable. A gifted kid from a low-income area may be a complete genius but lacked many of the same opportunities that parents at wealthy schools take for granted. To me this is a good sign that our tax dollars are going to support all gifted residents not just the scion of the wealthy.

If the desire for an elite STEM school is equity, then yes, it appears the new process has done that.

If the desire is to accept the demonstrably best STEM students, then no, the new system doesn’t do that. And arguing that kids with accelerated math are privileged isn’t what I’m interested in arguing. I’m just pointing out the fact that math underpins advanced STEM topics and that this cohort is not as advanced as years past.

And we aren’t talking about the same group of kids where it may be questionable to take 7th grade algebra even though they scored a 95 on the IAAT because sometime acceleration isn’t the best answer for kids come 10th grade. We are talking about kids that are perfectly suited for Calc in 10th and will continue to drive the cohort even deeper into complex math and science through 11th and 12th.

Those numbers were basically halved and replaced by kids that can never achieve that, based on timeline alone. There may be a genius in the bunch that is taking algebra in 8th grade in a lower SES school, but arguably there was probably a genius in the group of kids that had already completed Algebra II.

The desire was largely to create an environment where students at every school within the catchment area felt as though they had a realistic chance of getting into TJ. That's unquestionably a good thing and should increase application numbers in the long run, which would drive up the strength of the applicant pool.

The only way that the new process fails to drive up the application numbers is if large groups who are presently part of the demographic no longer choose to apply because of a perception of diminished prestige. Honestly, if that happens, good riddance because there were too many families for whom that was the prime motivator for TJ to begin with.

The problem is that those neglected segments of catchment area are currently not capable of producing students that can drive the cohort to the previous level of STEM achievement. Unless those schools start accelerating their students to the same level within the county. And if anyone has been paying attention, that is definitely not part of the plan for most title I/non-AAP ES/MS.

1/3 of the class is no longer eligible to take Electrodynamics, Quantum Physics and Optics. And in general the math accumen of the peer group has been lowered significantly.

These are simple facts, and if the desire is to put DEI before achievement, then this has succeeded.

Add to that, that many top performers, regardless of privilege, may not want to apply knowing the cohort is mathematically and by extension scientifically weaker.

TJ admissions grew complacent and didn't change for many years. Consequently, a huge TJ prep industry emerged that advertised prominently that they hired former admissions officials, essay readers, etc. who gave a big advantage to preppers. One back door they found was to accelerate in math. If you knew going into elementary school that your kid might apply to TJ then you accelerated in math on weekends and summers to give them an edge. TJ math teachers found that many of the "advanced" math freshmen were ill-prepared.

Kids develop at different rates. It requires a certain mathematical maturity to really understand algebra that some kids don't achieve until later.

Algebra is not rocket science. The fact that your kid takes it earlier does not make them more intelligent. Other kids will find the class easy and get a better foundation if they take it later,
particularly at TJ.

Do you have a source on this "TJ math teachers found?" I understand that kids in Algebra II in fairfax high in 9th grade may be in too deep, but these are not the same as kids at TJ, privilege or not.

The previous TJ students, whether they struggled or not, were on path to complete more and higher levels of math and science. The current group is also subject to your mathematical maturity claim. Maybe thats why they were in algebra in 8th instead of 7th or 6th.

The mathematical pathways are not as malleable as your definition of algebra success however, and 1/3 of the students are now not capable of achieving some of the higher tracks.

If DEI is the goal over academic achievement, just say that, but lets stop pretending that reduced Math acceleration is somehow beneficial for the number 1 STEM school in the united states.

Wow, this is some of the most elitist drivel I’ve ever read. You acknowledge that kids could be brilliant but lack access to super accelerated math, but you still think those kids don’t deserve a chance at TJ admission. Incredible. It’s a freaking public school. You want to use your money & prestige to get (even more of a) advantage, go somewhere else.

There are lots of brilliant kids. I imagine out of the 70 or so kids that completed Algebra II before high school, there are a few brilliant ones as well. And now we have taken away their shot in favor of someone else because of things like experience factors that are completely out of either kids control.

There is not enough spots to go around, so you just want to give spots to these other kids and then act surprised when the kids that are now denied admission want their spots back?

This phrasing presumes that the spots previously "belonged" to those children as some sort of fait accompli. It betrays the mindset that those spots are "ours" and that they've been "taken away". Echoes of the Great Replacement Theory here. Ugly to say the least.

+100. “Want their spots back”?? Do you even hear yourself.

They were likely their spots. Kids who already completed Algebra II in 8th grade vs kids who were selected via quotas and experience factors resulting in Algebra only in massive numbers. The numbers bear out that there was the largest shift in those categories. So yeah without the admission changes, they were likely those kids spots. Completing Algebra II in 8th grade is an amazing accomplishment.

No. No specific kids are entitled to the spots, no matter how many times you say so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why TJ doesn’t reveal their actual admission process? Why sharing misleading information? Many kids at DC’s school are disheartened to know that students with F grade and b grade are getting into TJ.

F student? I doubt they were admitted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why TJ doesn’t reveal their actual admission process? Why sharing misleading information? Many kids at DC’s school are disheartened to know that students with F grade and b grade are getting into TJ.

F student? I doubt they were admitted.

a kid couldn't pass SOL but got in

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the winners are good writers.

Yeah, I wonder how TJ's culture will shift with this admission process

I bet for the better.