What are the new TJ feeders

[Anonymous]

Favoring kids with more math acceleration for TJ just creates an academic enrichment arms race.

I know it’s hard for some posters to realize but this dynamic isn’t good for anyone. It’s not good for the wealthy or Asian kids to be pushed so hard. And it’s not good for the URMs that are completely shut out from the competition.

And you’re thinking “but my kid actually wants to spend 10 extra hours a week studying math”. Fine. But please consider how your kid being rewarded fir that in TJ admissions causes three other families to make their kid who doesn’t do the same.

Bottom line. TJ admissions should not be a competition. If a middle schooler is interested and her grades and test scores meet a certain requirement she should be just as qualified for admission as the so-called “wonder kids” in pre calculus and winning competitions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Favoring kids with more math acceleration for TJ just creates an academic enrichment arms race.

I know it’s hard for some posters to realize but this dynamic isn’t good for anyone. It’s not good for the wealthy or Asian kids to be pushed so hard. And it’s not good for the URMs that are completely shut out from the competition.

And you’re thinking “but my kid actually wants to spend 10 extra hours a week studying math”. Fine. But please consider how your kid being rewarded fir that in TJ admissions causes three other families to make their kid who doesn’t do the same.

Bottom line. TJ admissions should not be a competition. If a middle schooler is interested and her grades and test scores meet a certain requirement she should be just as qualified for admission as the so-called “wonder kids” in pre calculus and winning competitions.

Why not go to the base school then?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Favoring kids with more math acceleration for TJ just creates an academic enrichment arms race.

I know it’s hard for some posters to realize but this dynamic isn’t good for anyone. It’s not good for the wealthy or Asian kids to be pushed so hard. And it’s not good for the URMs that are completely shut out from the competition.

And you’re thinking “but my kid actually wants to spend 10 extra hours a week studying math”. Fine. But please consider how your kid being rewarded fir that in TJ admissions causes three other families to make their kid who doesn’t do the same.

Bottom line. TJ admissions should not be a competition. If a middle schooler is interested and her grades and test scores meet a certain requirement she should be just as qualified for admission as the so-called “wonder kids” in pre calculus and winning competitions.

But what about the kids who are legitimately highly gifted in math? The kids FCPS chooses to bump up a year or more who take Algebra in 5th or 6th grade aren’t there because their parents paid for prep. Certain kids really do need TJ, since math at the base schools will be too easy for them, and they’ll run out of classes by 11th grade.

If you want to eliminate the math arms race, get rid of summer geometry. Then, the kids in Algebra 2 or pre calc will just be the highly gifted and not the prepped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Favoring kids with more math acceleration for TJ just creates an academic enrichment arms race.

I know it’s hard for some posters to realize but this dynamic isn’t good for anyone. It’s not good for the wealthy or Asian kids to be pushed so hard. And it’s not good for the URMs that are completely shut out from the competition.

And you’re thinking “but my kid actually wants to spend 10 extra hours a week studying math”. Fine. But please consider how your kid being rewarded fir that in TJ admissions causes three other families to make their kid who doesn’t do the same.

Bottom line. TJ admissions should not be a competition. If a middle schooler is interested and her grades and test scores meet a certain requirement she should be just as qualified for admission as the so-called “wonder kids” in pre calculus and winning competitions.

If TJ admissions should not be a competition, then so too should TJ no longer be viewed as a special place. There is no reason to pay more attention to kids who won a soft lottery engineered by those with soft quotas in mind than to kids attending base schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Favoring kids with more math acceleration for TJ just creates an academic enrichment arms race.

I know it’s hard for some posters to realize but this dynamic isn’t good for anyone. It’s not good for the wealthy or Asian kids to be pushed so hard. And it’s not good for the URMs that are completely shut out from the competition.

And you’re thinking “but my kid actually wants to spend 10 extra hours a week studying math”. Fine. But please consider how your kid being rewarded fir that in TJ admissions causes three other families to make their kid who doesn’t do the same.

Bottom line. TJ admissions should not be a competition. If a middle schooler is interested and her grades and test scores meet a certain requirement she should be just as qualified for admission as the so-called “wonder kids” in pre calculus and winning competitions.

But what about the kids who are legitimately highly gifted in math? The kids FCPS chooses to bump up a year or more who take Algebra in 5th or 6th grade aren’t there because their parents paid for prep. Certain kids really do need TJ, since math at the base schools will be too easy for them, and they’ll run out of classes by 11th grade.

If you want to eliminate the math arms race, get rid of summer geometry. Then, the kids in Algebra 2 or pre calc will just be the highly gifted and not the prepped.

It TJ wasn’t such a prize in terms of perceived college admissions then it’s just a magnet high school for kids wanting more stem opportunities. It does not have to be the “school fir the very smartest and most prepared kids who want to get into the best stem colleges”. It can just be the county’s magnet school for stem. If parents just understood that the base high schools could provide equal opportunity for college admissions TJ would just be the school for kids who want the focus on stem. That’s what it should be. It’s a lottery but your mathematically gifted kid (and algebra in 5th is just accelerated. Who knows if that kid will be mathematically gifted) hours also be well served at any FCPS high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The admissions process gave extra weight to FARMS as well as other “experience factors” so it’s not a surprise that the numbers went up.

+1. I would add it looks like a little too much weight to jump from 2% to 25% of the incoming class.

Probably those kids had no chance before the 1.5% rule since the wealthy preppers made it impossible.

OK - which is it. If the 1.5% rule solves the problem; why is there also added weight to an applicant due to FARMS. Are you admitting they couldn’t get in based on either one by itself. You need to completely stack the deck for them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It TJ wasn’t such a prize in terms of perceived college admissions then it’s just a magnet high school for kids wanting more stem opportunities. It does not have to be the “school fir the very smartest and most prepared kids who want to get into the best stem colleges”. It can just be the county’s magnet school for stem. If parents just understood that the base high schools could provide equal opportunity for college admissions TJ would just be the school for kids who want the focus on stem. That’s what it should be. It’s a lottery but your mathematically gifted kid (and algebra in 5th is just accelerated. Who knows if that kid will be mathematically gifted) hours also be well served at any FCPS high school.

You are so off base. No one wants to attend TJ for college admission purposes. Everyone knows that kids get better college offers if they’re top 5-10% at their base high school than they would get at TJ. The gifted kids want the specialized classes that are available at TJ but not any base schools. Kids who are very accelerated in math would have a lot of post calc specialized classes in math and physics at TJ. They will run out of classes at the base school. There is no point in admitting kids to TJ who will mostly take classes that would have been available at their base school. There is a point in admitting kids who will have a lot of space in their schedules for specialized TJ classes.

[Anonymous]

OP--- I feel sorry for you and your DC. Pls try to focus on the longer term. You are hyper-focusing on 1 thing. Nothing precludes your DC from achieving or over-achieving at their next school. Look past High school. Look past undergrad... Look past grad... these things are so diminished over time. You are so caught up in 1 thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
It TJ wasn’t such a prize in terms of perceived college admissions then it’s just a magnet high school for kids wanting more stem opportunities. It does not have to be the “school fir the very smartest and most prepared kids who want to get into the best stem colleges”. It can just be the county’s magnet school for stem. If parents just understood that the base high schools could provide equal opportunity for college admissions TJ would just be the school for kids who want the focus on stem. That’s what it should be. It’s a lottery but your mathematically gifted kid (and algebra in 5th is just accelerated. Who knows if that kid will be mathematically gifted) hours also be well served at any FCPS high school.

You are so off base. No one wants to attend TJ for college admission purposes. Everyone knows that kids get better college offers if they’re top 5-10% at their base high school than they would get at TJ. The gifted kids want the specialized classes that are available at TJ but not any base schools. Kids who are very accelerated in math would have a lot of post calc specialized classes in math and physics at TJ. They will run out of classes at the base school. There is no point in admitting kids to TJ who will mostly take classes that would have been available at their base school. There is a point in admitting kids who will have a lot of space in their schedules for specialized TJ classes.

I don’t think I am. I think most families consider TJ to be a prize—tangible evidence your kid is one of the smartest. If doesn’t need to be that way. Your kid can take post calc classes at any school through DE. And you’re right that doing well at any school is equally advantageous when it comes to college admissions, but not many parents get this.

[Anonymous]

^Only one year of post calc math is offered. If a kid takes calc in 10th grade, that kid won’t have a math class senior year. Some kids even take calc in 9th, and would not have available math classes for both 11th and 12th grade

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a 7th grader at one of the three traditional TJ feeders. There were a lot of kids from our school who weren’t admitted to TJ, despite Algebra 2 (or in one case pre-Calc) in 8th, state and national STEM awards, state level science fair wins, years of robotics and placing at worlds, national debate placement, perfect grades in all AAP, state level music recognition, etc., etc. It’s pretty clear that being a strong Asian student attending a traditional feeder is nowstrong disadvantage. Mission accomplished FCPS.

6th and 7th grade parents are looking at some of the kids who were not accepted and are panicking because TJ took some very mediocre kids this year over some real academic rock stars. And now parents are making decisions on how to best help their kid for future admissions cycles. But, it’s all over the map. I’m hearing a lot of contradictory info, all of which is presented as definitive. So, maybe DCUM hive mind can answer questions parents at our MS are asking as they plan for next year:

The biggest question: It’s clear that course rigor and grades aren’t determining the top 1.5% (all AAP/honors kids with 4.0s in Highest level classes, including Algebra II or Pre-Calc in 8th are not getting in, while kids with standard (not honors) humanities and some Bs are. Way more than 1.5% of kids at our MS have 4.0s in all AAP honors and it doesn’t look like the 1.5% are chosen on pure academic merit. The only consistency seems to be that Asian kids who checked “multiracial” instead of “Asian” and white kids did much better in admissions and self-identified Asian kids did worse (we are not at a school with sizable Hispanic or a lack population). So, if it isn’t GPA and rigor, how are they determining top 1.5% in each MS? Principal choice? Are factors like race, ELL, FARMs, etc. considered in naming the top 1.5%? Extracurriculars? “Character”? Bringing the principal a latte each day? If GPA plays a role, is it weighted, like in HS (+.5 for honors)? No one seems to know. The lack of transparency is nuts.

What happens if you check multiracial, because everyone has a relative of a different race somewhere in their past? I know a couple parents who were unofficially advised by people high up in FCPS and the DOE to check multiracial and that seemed to have worked. Is there any downside? What happens if you apply for FARMs in 8th given that they don’t verify income?

Also, I don’t want to start an argument about the wisdom of the old feeder system. But, clearly having a 4.0 in all AAP, Algebra 2 in 8th, state STEM award kid apply next year from our current “TJ feeder” MS won’t work. No matter what my kid does or what he achieves, he doesn’t stand a chance. Meanwhile, his sibling is already at TJ. So, if it’s impossible to get in as a high performing Asian or white kid out of the old feeders, what are the new feeder MSs? The press release talked a lot about underrepresented MSs and how all FCPS MSs sent at least one kid. Which MSs are “underrepresented”? Which had trouble hitting 1.5%? Does this mean every kid at an “underrepresented” school who meets the pretty minimal new academic requirements and attends that school is accepted, full stop? Are any underrepresented MSs also AAP Centers or LLIV?

Also, you pupil place for MS? For example, do any of the schools having trouble getting 1.5% to apply have a foreign language or other program that allows for transfers? Or, can you transfer for an IB Middle Years program? If not, what does it take to establish residency? A lease only, or do you also need to change drivers license, voting location, etc?

And residency within a school zone is established as of when? Can my kid stay at their base MS for first semester, and then transfer second semester? When can they transfer back? After the SIS, etc are complete? Or do they have to wait for decisions?

Does anyone have any experience with a kid getting in from homeschool or a private this year?

Thanks for any insights. It feels like everyone is making plans for next year based on guesses or what they heard 4th hand, but have decided must be true. But, there is no actual info.

Thanks for any answers.

OP, what’s wrong if your DC goes to their local HS. The old top feeders are zoned to top 10 HS as well. Your kid will outshine when it comes to college applications.

[Anonymous]

I would much rather send a kid to Langley, McLean, Chantilly or Oakton, the pyramids that sent the most kids to TJ, than TJ now. Have you seen how the TJ parents are fighting with each other over PTA seats? If some claimed it was a toxic environment before, they should buckle in for the coming years.

[Anonymous]

Have you read the threads about overcrowding at McLean? Trailers everywhere and no one in FCPS cares.

Anonymous wrote:I would much rather send a kid to Langley, McLean, Chantilly or Oakton, the pyramids that sent the most kids to TJ, than TJ now. Have you seen how the TJ parents are fighting with each other over PTA seats? If some claimed it was a toxic environment before, they should buckle in for the coming years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you read the threads about overcrowding at McLean? Trailers everywhere and no one in FCPS cares.

Anonymous wrote:I would much rather send a kid to Langley, McLean, Chantilly or Oakton, the pyramids that sent the most kids to TJ, than TJ now. Have you seen how the TJ parents are fighting with each other over PTA seats? If some claimed it was a toxic environment before, they should buckle in for the coming years.

The more students there are, the more classes are offered. That's good at a high school. Not a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you read the threads about overcrowding at McLean? Trailers everywhere and no one in FCPS cares.

Anonymous wrote:I would much rather send a kid to Langley, McLean, Chantilly or Oakton, the pyramids that sent the most kids to TJ, than TJ now. Have you seen how the TJ parents are fighting with each other over PTA seats? If some claimed it was a toxic environment before, they should buckle in for the coming years.

The more students there are, the more classes are offered. That's good at a high school. Not a problem.

No, they are not offering more classes. They are increasing class sizes. Do everyone a favor and learn the issues at the base high schools. Your kid didn't get into TJ so you need to get involved.