Thomas Jefferson HS National Merit Semifinalist decrease

[Anonymous]

https://defendinged.org/incidents/thomas-jefferson-high-schools-number-of-students-named-national-merit-semifinalists-decreases-by-over-half-year-to-year/

There were 165 semifinalists in 2024. That number decreased to 81 for 2025 merit semifinalists. While increasing enrollment from 450 to 550.

Result from going merit based admissions to equity based in 2021.

[Anonymous]

It’s ok. Kids at TJ are still getting a good education. Kids who might have attended TJ in the past but stayed at their home school are probably scoring well and increasing the accolades for that school. It’s all going to be ok.

[Anonymous]

Didn’t we already discuss this? The number of NMSFs in FCPS and Virginia declined as well. That accounts for part of the decline at TJ.

Also, the decline in Virginia was actually an improvement in absolute scores, resulting in an increase in the NMSF cut score from 219 to 222, resulting in a lower number of NMSFs in Virginia. If TJ students are disproportionately clustered in the 219-221 range, which is plausible because TJ emphasizes math while the NMSF formula emphasizes verbal, the number of students at TJ with an NMSF selection index score of 219+ might actually have gone up.

TLDR, yoy NMSF count is not a very reliable metric of quality, especially if what you care about is math.

[Anonymous]

It’s such a dramatic drop. And the numbers at other FCPS schools didn’t increase enough to cover the decline. It suggests that TJ’s education and experience was contributing to the success. It’s not a case of just moving these students to another school. It’s a real shame. Tj was an amazing experience for my kids (who didn’t prep to get in), with high rigor and a peer group who also loved to be challenged and learn. The admissions changes were done so haphazardly during COVID. FCPS doesn’t seem inclined to study the changes and see if it anything should be done to tweak it. And they ignore the indicators, such as this one, that the quality of the school has declined.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s such a dramatic drop. And the numbers at other FCPS schools didn’t increase enough to cover the decline. It suggests that TJ’s education and experience was contributing to the success. It’s not a case of just moving these students to another school. It’s a real shame. Tj was an amazing experience for my kids (who didn’t prep to get in), with high rigor and a peer group who also loved to be challenged and learn. The admissions changes were done so haphazardly during COVID. FCPS doesn’t seem inclined to study the changes and see if it anything should be done to tweak it. And they ignore the indicators, such as this one, that the quality of the school has declined.

Yes, such a shame that Virginia’s raw scores have gone up, resulting in a higher cut score and a smaller number of NMSFs!

[Anonymous]

Topic may make more sense in AAP/FCPS category

[Anonymous]

Who cares?

[Anonymous]

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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s such a dramatic drop. And the numbers at other FCPS schools didn’t increase enough to cover the decline. It suggests that TJ’s education and experience was contributing to the success. It’s not a case of just moving these students to another school. It’s a real shame. Tj was an amazing experience for my kids (who didn’t prep to get in), with high rigor and a peer group who also loved to be challenged and learn. The admissions changes were done so haphazardly during COVID. FCPS doesn’t seem inclined to study the changes and see if it anything should be done to tweak it. And they ignore the indicators, such as this one, that the quality of the school has declined.

FCPS never admits it’s made mistakes and those mistakes just keep piling up. The huge decline in the number of NMSF at TJ speaks for itself, but people call attention to it because FCPS itself will never acknowledge it’s symptomatic of the rot within the system.

It’s what happens when a school system is no longer run by people with a commitment to academic excellence, but instead only to virtue signaling designed to appease political hacks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s such a dramatic drop. And the numbers at other FCPS schools didn’t increase enough to cover the decline. It suggests that TJ’s education and experience was contributing to the success. It’s not a case of just moving these students to another school. It’s a real shame. Tj was an amazing experience for my kids (who didn’t prep to get in), with high rigor and a peer group who also loved to be challenged and learn. The admissions changes were done so haphazardly during COVID. FCPS doesn’t seem inclined to study the changes and see if it anything should be done to tweak it. And they ignore the indicators, such as this one, that the quality of the school has declined.

FCPS never admits it’s made mistakes and those mistakes just keep piling up. The huge decline in the number of NMSF at TJ speaks for itself, but people call attention to it because FCPS itself will never acknowledge it’s symptomatic of the rot within the system.

It’s what happens when a school system is no longer run by people with a commitment to academic excellence, but instead only to virtue signaling designed to appease political hacks.

“Academic excellence” is not determined by standardized test scores.

[Anonymous]

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

Yes. You can see it on here. Many posters who claim to care about education and data who obviously don't understand how NMSF is awarded. They have no understanding of the numbers, just a blind fetish for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t we already discuss this? The number of NMSFs in FCPS and Virginia declined as well. That accounts for part of the decline at TJ.

Also, the decline in Virginia was actually an improvement in absolute scores, resulting in an increase in the NMSF cut score from 219 to 222, resulting in a lower number of NMSFs in Virginia. If TJ students are disproportionately clustered in the 219-221 range, which is plausible because TJ emphasizes math while the NMSF formula emphasizes verbal, the number of students at TJ with an NMSF selection index score of 219+ might actually have gone up.

TLDR, yoy NMSF count is not a very reliable metric of quality, especially if what you care about is math.

Do you even know how NMSFs cutoff scores are established?

[Anonymous]

Good! That means TJ is becoming more sane and the kids can only benefit from that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t we already discuss this? The number of NMSFs in FCPS and Virginia declined as well. That accounts for part of the decline at TJ.

Also, the decline in Virginia was actually an improvement in absolute scores, resulting in an increase in the NMSF cut score from 219 to 222, resulting in a lower number of NMSFs in Virginia. If TJ students are disproportionately clustered in the 219-221 range, which is plausible because TJ emphasizes math while the NMSF formula emphasizes verbal, the number of students at TJ with an NMSF selection index score of 219+ might actually have gone up.

TLDR, yoy NMSF count is not a very reliable metric of quality, especially if what you care about is math.

Do you even know how NMSFs cutoff scores are established?

DP. I don't know. Can you tell me?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

Yes. You can see it on here. Many posters who claim to care about education and data who obviously don't understand how NMSF is awarded. They have no understanding of the numbers, just a blind fetish for them.

I think a lot of posters understand how NMSFs are awarded quite well. They just don’t make excuses for TJ’s decline like the lackeys for the School Board do.