Transfer from TJ to Base HS?

[Anonymous]

I had 3 at TJ and 2 at base. 1st went to TJ took all APs there, went to MIT, had uncanny ability to turn any tech disaster into a triumph, but found happiness as a laptop repair pro. 2nd also TJ student, also did all APs but left couple off, never said why, joined Yale, but ended up as tour guide at planetarium and can name more constellations than words in a dictionary. The 3rd TJ kid hated APs and took none, which I supported, but went to Cornell, became a veterinary technician found glory treating a menagerie of critters, from dogs to the occasional disgruntled parrot. 4th rejected TJ offer stayed back at base school took all APs and IBs, joined NOVA to save me money, and became a massage therapist, mastered the art of turning knots into distant memories, one knead at a time. And 5th is my spouse's favorite, TJ hand delivered his offer, which he also rejected, took APs, IBs, and DEs at base school but never cared to collect his diploma, found peace as a nail salon owner, and had made more people's pinkies look presentable than they could ever remember.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I has one at a base and one at TJ. The base school graduate ended up faring better. Got so many AP courses and graduate college in 3 years, finishing masters in 1.5 and landing an awesome job. TJ grad regretted going there. With my 3rd we didn’t even bother applying.

My kid was at TJ thankful for the opportunity, got a sack full of APs done, could have graduated MIT in 2.99 years but took on advanced courses, followed it up with double Masters and then a PhD. In his TJ class, there was a well-known perennially disgruntled student who resented his parent for sending him there unprepared, and swore he'd never allow his unprepared younger brother to set foot in TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had 3 at TJ and 2 at base. 1st went to TJ took all APs there, went to MIT, had uncanny ability to turn any tech disaster into a triumph, but found happiness as a laptop repair pro. 2nd also TJ student, also did all APs but left couple off, never said why, joined Yale, but ended up as tour guide at planetarium and can name more constellations than words in a dictionary. The 3rd TJ kid hated APs and took none, which I supported, but went to Cornell, became a veterinary technician found glory treating a menagerie of critters, from dogs to the occasional disgruntled parrot. 4th rejected TJ offer stayed back at base school took all APs and IBs, joined NOVA to save me money, and became a massage therapist, mastered the art of turning knots into distant memories, one knead at a time. And 5th is my spouse's favorite, TJ hand delivered his offer, which he also rejected, took APs, IBs, and DEs at base school but never cared to collect his diploma, found peace as a nail salon owner, and had made more people's pinkies look presentable than they could ever remember.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had 3 at TJ and 2 at base. 1st went to TJ took all APs there, went to MIT, had uncanny ability to turn any tech disaster into a triumph, but found happiness as a laptop repair pro. 2nd also TJ student, also did all APs but left couple off, never said why, joined Yale, but ended up as tour guide at planetarium and can name more constellations than words in a dictionary. The 3rd TJ kid hated APs and took none, which I supported, but went to Cornell, became a veterinary technician found glory treating a menagerie of critters, from dogs to the occasional disgruntled parrot. 4th rejected TJ offer stayed back at base school took all APs and IBs, joined NOVA to save me money, and became a massage therapist, mastered the art of turning knots into distant memories, one knead at a time. And 5th is my spouse's favorite, TJ hand delivered his offer, which he also rejected, took APs, IBs, and DEs at base school but never cared to collect his diploma, found peace as a nail salon owner, and had made more people's pinkies look presentable than they could ever remember.

Very funny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had 3 at TJ and 2 at base. 1st went to TJ took all APs there, went to MIT, had uncanny ability to turn any tech disaster into a triumph, but found happiness as a laptop repair pro. 2nd also TJ student, also did all APs but left couple off, never said why, joined Yale, but ended up as tour guide at planetarium and can name more constellations than words in a dictionary. The 3rd TJ kid hated APs and took none, which I supported, but went to Cornell, became a veterinary technician found glory treating a menagerie of critters, from dogs to the occasional disgruntled parrot. 4th rejected TJ offer stayed back at base school took all APs and IBs, joined NOVA to save me money, and became a massage therapist, mastered the art of turning knots into distant memories, one knead at a time. And 5th is my spouse's favorite, TJ hand delivered his offer, which he also rejected, took APs, IBs, and DEs at base school but never cared to collect his diploma, found peace as a nail salon owner, and had made more people's pinkies look presentable than they could ever remember.

Love to hear more stories from you 😀

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, what do you wish you and your DC would have known before applying or accepting a spot at TJ?

Not OP, and that's an excellent question. It's not in the best interests for anyone to try TJ for a year, and then return to base school. OP's kid seems to be doing fine and hasn't experienced anything atypical for TJ. So, did TJ pull a bait and switch at the open houses and info sessions? Did they make it seem like it wouldn't be as rigorous as it is, and that the norm is getting almost all As? Is it that parents all assume their kid will be a top performer, and they're stunned when that isn't the case? Is it that parents are assuming that their child should be very well prepared for TJ, based on MS grades and the TJ acceptance, only to find out that it isn't the case? What's the disconnect between what prospective TJ families are expecting and what TJ is actually like?

It's like accepting my child into high school basketball team because of their proficiency in essay writing, only to realize that surviving on the court requires constant running, show endurance to run throughout the game, perform dribbling without losing,showing offensive skills, and shooting with accuracy from various distances. An evaluation of middle school basketball skills would have been logical selection criteria, but equity called for essay writing, leaving parents to wait for a year to understand where their child stands relative to the top half of the class.

This sums up the current situation where parents have to wait a year to determine if their child was adequately prepared to start.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC decided to move back. Chem was just an example of the work required. DC is finding out that Math at TJ is hard, even though curriculum is the same. Currently taking Math 4 ( pre-calculus) - not enjoying it. DC is frustrated as the material and HW assignments are perfectly fine - but the quizzes are a step above in terms of difficulty etc.

No need to take that stress. And I am glad that DC took this decision on his own.

Do the grades from TJ first quarter also transfer to base school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why did you accept a spot at TJ in the first place if an uw gpa around 3.8 is making you freak out and want to pull your kid back to base school? Shouldn't it have been obvious that TJ is going to be a bad fit for parents who want their kids to get all As?

The top 1/3rd of Freshman students typically achieve mostly As due to their strong proficiency in advanced math, English, and science from middle school. For them, they are just learning the new material that TJ courses teach. However, for others, particularly the bottom 1/3rd of the Freshman class, the experience can be stressful. They need to first catch up on what they should have mastered thoroughly in middle school, and then delve into the new TJ course material. This double workload leaves little time for sports or extracurricular activities, and put the student in a constant catchup mode. Without an entrance evaluation, it becomes challenging for parents or students to know their readiness for TJ upfront.

So sick of this. The OPs kid had mainly A’s at 2 B+ as a Freshman at TJ. They are doing fine. The student is working hard for a B in chemistry, which, if I understand TJ properly, is essentially an AP class without the AP designation that is normally taken after completing regular Chemistry. It is a hard class. A B in a hard class is fine. Chemistry is the only class that the OP is calling out, which implies an A in all the other classes.

You want the entrance exam back because it was something that parents could prep their kids for so their kids got into TJ. You don’t like the idea that kids from every MS in the county have a chance to attend TJ because they do not fit the profile of who you think should attend TJ.

The OPs kid is doing fine, I would say well, at TJ. They have an excellent GPA in challenging classes. The student needs to decide if they want to stay at TJ and the parents need to understand that B’s are solid grades even if they are not A’s especially at a school like TJ. The OP is essentially asking “Should I send my kid back the the base where they can get easy A’s and breeze through high school instead of allowing my kid to be challenged even if that means an occasional B.” That tells me that all that is important to the OP is the grade and not what the child is learning.

DP. You sound like the proponents of standards based grading. "Grades aren't important, learning is!" and "You should be happy with a B! Because I said so!". OP has valid concerns. Your post won't convince anyone of anything since you're acting like she doesn't.

This isn't the argument against SBG. The problem with SBG is not learning as much, not being graded on much, and getting lower grades. All together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC decided to move back. Chem was just an example of the work required. DC is finding out that Math at TJ is hard, even though curriculum is the same. Currently taking Math 4 ( pre-calculus) - not enjoying it. DC is frustrated as the material and HW assignments are perfectly fine - but the quizzes are a step above in terms of difficulty etc.

No need to take that stress. And I am glad that DC took this decision on his own.

First Math 3, and then Math 4 is where it got tougher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC decided to move back. Chem was just an example of the work required. DC is finding out that Math at TJ is hard, even though curriculum is the same. Currently taking Math 4 ( pre-calculus) - not enjoying it. DC is frustrated as the material and HW assignments are perfectly fine - but the quizzes are a step above in terms of difficulty etc.

No need to take that stress. And I am glad that DC took this decision on his own.

First Math 3, and then Math 4 is where it got tougher.

This happens at base schools too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, what do you wish you and your DC would have known before applying or accepting a spot at TJ?

Not OP, and that's an excellent question. It's not in the best interests for anyone to try TJ for a year, and then return to base school. OP's kid seems to be doing fine and hasn't experienced anything atypical for TJ. So, did TJ pull a bait and switch at the open houses and info sessions? Did they make it seem like it wouldn't be as rigorous as it is, and that the norm is getting almost all As? Is it that parents all assume their kid will be a top performer, and they're stunned when that isn't the case? Is it that parents are assuming that their child should be very well prepared for TJ, based on MS grades and the TJ acceptance, only to find out that it isn't the case? What's the disconnect between what prospective TJ families are expecting and what TJ is actually like?

It's like accepting my child into high school basketball team because of their proficiency in essay writing, only to realize that surviving on the court requires constant running, show endurance to run throughout the game, perform dribbling without losing,showing offensive skills, and shooting with accuracy from various distances. An evaluation of middle school basketball skills would have been logical selection criteria, but equity called for essay writing, leaving parents to wait for a year to understand where their child stands relative to the top half of the class.

This sums up the current situation where parents have to wait a year to determine if their child was adequately prepared to start.

Why wait a year? Why blame the system? They were wrong for admitting the kids in but their families wanted it in the first place. If their kids are not top performers in MS, they should talk to the counselors, talk to TJ students, understand their curriculum, and talk to their kids before accepting the offers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, what do you wish you and your DC would have known before applying or accepting a spot at TJ?

Not OP, and that's an excellent question. It's not in the best interests for anyone to try TJ for a year, and then return to base school. OP's kid seems to be doing fine and hasn't experienced anything atypical for TJ. So, did TJ pull a bait and switch at the open houses and info sessions? Did they make it seem like it wouldn't be as rigorous as it is, and that the norm is getting almost all As? Is it that parents all assume their kid will be a top performer, and they're stunned when that isn't the case? Is it that parents are assuming that their child should be very well prepared for TJ, based on MS grades and the TJ acceptance, only to find out that it isn't the case? What's the disconnect between what prospective TJ families are expecting and what TJ is actually like?

It's like accepting my child into high school basketball team because of their proficiency in essay writing, only to realize that surviving on the court requires constant running, show endurance to run throughout the game, perform dribbling without losing,showing offensive skills, and shooting with accuracy from various distances. An evaluation of middle school basketball skills would have been logical selection criteria, but equity called for essay writing, leaving parents to wait for a year to understand where their child stands relative to the top half of the class.

This sums up the current situation where parents have to wait a year to determine if their child was adequately prepared to start.

Why wait a year? Why blame the system? They were wrong for admitting the kids in but their families wanted it in the first place. If their kids are not top performers in MS, they should talk to the counselors, talk to TJ students, understand their curriculum, and talk to their kids before accepting the offers.

How can kids or parents know if they are top performers or mediocre in their middleschool? Only TJ admissions claims to know that, magically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, what do you wish you and your DC would have known before applying or accepting a spot at TJ?

Not OP, and that's an excellent question. It's not in the best interests for anyone to try TJ for a year, and then return to base school. OP's kid seems to be doing fine and hasn't experienced anything atypical for TJ. So, did TJ pull a bait and switch at the open houses and info sessions? Did they make it seem like it wouldn't be as rigorous as it is, and that the norm is getting almost all As? Is it that parents all assume their kid will be a top performer, and they're stunned when that isn't the case? Is it that parents are assuming that their child should be very well prepared for TJ, based on MS grades and the TJ acceptance, only to find out that it isn't the case? What's the disconnect between what prospective TJ families are expecting and what TJ is actually like?

It's like accepting my child into high school basketball team because of their proficiency in essay writing, only to realize that surviving on the court requires constant running, show endurance to run throughout the game, perform dribbling without losing,showing offensive skills, and shooting with accuracy from various distances. An evaluation of middle school basketball skills would have been logical selection criteria, but equity called for essay writing, leaving parents to wait for a year to understand where their child stands relative to the top half of the class.

This sums up the current situation where parents have to wait a year to determine if their child was adequately prepared to start.

Why wait a year? Why blame the system? They were wrong for admitting the kids in but their families wanted it in the first place. If their kids are not top performers in MS, they should talk to the counselors, talk to TJ students, understand their curriculum, and talk to their kids before accepting the offers.

How can kids or parents know if they are top performers or mediocre in their middleschool? Only TJ admissions claims to know that, magically.

They definitely know. They know if they are in Alg 1 while their peers are in Geo Alg 2 and higher. Not to say TJ admissions now are taking in a large percentage of non-AAP students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, what do you wish you and your DC would have known before applying or accepting a spot at TJ?

Not OP, and that's an excellent question. It's not in the best interests for anyone to try TJ for a year, and then return to base school. OP's kid seems to be doing fine and hasn't experienced anything atypical for TJ. So, did TJ pull a bait and switch at the open houses and info sessions? Did they make it seem like it wouldn't be as rigorous as it is, and that the norm is getting almost all As? Is it that parents all assume their kid will be a top performer, and they're stunned when that isn't the case? Is it that parents are assuming that their child should be very well prepared for TJ, based on MS grades and the TJ acceptance, only to find out that it isn't the case? What's the disconnect between what prospective TJ families are expecting and what TJ is actually like?

It's like accepting my child into high school basketball team because of their proficiency in essay writing, only to realize that surviving on the court requires constant running, show endurance to run throughout the game, perform dribbling without losing,showing offensive skills, and shooting with accuracy from various distances. An evaluation of middle school basketball skills would have been logical selection criteria, but equity called for essay writing, leaving parents to wait for a year to understand where their child stands relative to the top half of the class.

This sums up the current situation where parents have to wait a year to determine if their child was adequately prepared to start.

Why wait a year? Why blame the system? They were wrong for admitting the kids in but their families wanted it in the first place. If their kids are not top performers in MS, they should talk to the counselors, talk to TJ students, understand their curriculum, and talk to their kids before accepting the offers.

How can kids or parents know if they are top performers or mediocre in their middleschool? Only TJ admissions claims to know that, magically.

They definitely know. They know if they are in Alg 1 while their peers are in Geo Alg 2 and higher. Not to say TJ admissions now are taking in a large percentage of non-AAP students.

Of course, the selection is being done from non-AAP pool, as it would be rather difficult to find many in AAP who are in algbera 1 in 8th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, what do you wish you and your DC would have known before applying or accepting a spot at TJ?

Not OP, and that's an excellent question. It's not in the best interests for anyone to try TJ for a year, and then return to base school. OP's kid seems to be doing fine and hasn't experienced anything atypical for TJ. So, did TJ pull a bait and switch at the open houses and info sessions? Did they make it seem like it wouldn't be as rigorous as it is, and that the norm is getting almost all As? Is it that parents all assume their kid will be a top performer, and they're stunned when that isn't the case? Is it that parents are assuming that their child should be very well prepared for TJ, based on MS grades and the TJ acceptance, only to find out that it isn't the case? What's the disconnect between what prospective TJ families are expecting and what TJ is actually like?

It's like accepting my child into high school basketball team because of their proficiency in essay writing, only to realize that surviving on the court requires constant running, show endurance to run throughout the game, perform dribbling without losing,showing offensive skills, and shooting with accuracy from various distances. An evaluation of middle school basketball skills would have been logical selection criteria, but equity called for essay writing, leaving parents to wait for a year to understand where their child stands relative to the top half of the class.

This sums up the current situation where parents have to wait a year to determine if their child was adequately prepared to start.

Why wait a year? Why blame the system? They were wrong for admitting the kids in but their families wanted it in the first place. If their kids are not top performers in MS, they should talk to the counselors, talk to TJ students, understand their curriculum, and talk to their kids before accepting the offers.

How can kids or parents know if they are top performers or mediocre in their middleschool? Only TJ admissions claims to know that, magically.

They definitely know. They know if they are in Alg 1 while their peers are in Geo Alg 2 and higher. Not to say TJ admissions now are taking in a large percentage of non-AAP students.

Of course, the selection is being done from non-AAP pool, as it would be rather difficult to find many in AAP who are in algbera 1 in 8th grade.

Not true. There are plenty of AAP kids who take Math 7 H and not Algebra 1, some because of test scores and because of choice. The kid doesn't want to take Algebra 1 in 7th grade or the parents think it is better for the kid to not Math 7 H for a variety of reasons. There are far more then 1,200 students in 6th grade AAP and yet that is the number of kids who took the Algebra 1 SOL as 7th graders.