A data-backed approach to understand the TJ Admissions Process

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07/14/2021 11:16

Subject: A data-backed approach to understand the TJ Admissions Process

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Anonymous wrote:Oddly enough, all of the conversation about gaming the system would seem to be a decent argument for reinstituting teacher recommendations into the process.

While they are subject to some level of bias, a well-trained admissions reader should be able to adjust for that possibility and would be able to provide valuable insight into the actual circumstances of each student, especially with regard to "experience factors".

Part of the bias was who the Teachers would write recommendations for. There seemed to be an issue with Teachers not being willing to write recommendations for URM. I have no clue if the kids that were asking for the recommendations were good students or were similar in their grades and in class performance to White and Asian kids, but there was an issue with getting the recommendations written in the first place.

I also find it interesting that there is an entire "Get rid of GBRS because the Teachers don't know what they are talking about" for AAP, complete with a "The Teachers don't like Asian students so their GBRSs are tanked" movement but that Teacher Recommendations are part of the solution for TJ.

Maybe the middle ground is that GBRS are done for every applicant at TJ, so that the same format and areas are taken into consideration and weighed for all the students applying. That at least removes the possibility of Teachers not writing recommendations for kids who are interested and the GBRS can be structured to focus only on in school performance and not include outside enrichment activities/awards.

GBRS is about gifted, TJ admission is supposed to be about accomplishment or the ability to succeed at TJ. The two overlap, but they are not the same. A kid having a good sense of humor (great for GBRS) shouldn't impact TJ admissions

I don't think I agree with that. All other things being equal, the academic environment is enriched by students who can contribute to it in multiple ways. TJ is a tough place to navigate (I did) and anyone who went there will tell you that the attitudes of your fellow classmates, as in any intense academic environment, make a huge difference in your educational experience and overall quality of life while at the school. And that has impact across the board.

The questionnaire can be shaped to match TJ but I don't think that anyone wants kids who are only STEM and all STEM. Diversity of interests is also important. Lots of folks point to the band, drama, Model UN, debate team and other non-STEM activities as being an important and positive part of TJ. I wouldn't say that you use the same format as they do for AAP but something that is completed by a team of Teachers who know the students and addresses the same components across all the kids would be better then Teacher recommendations that a Teacher can choose to do or not do.

PP. This is EXTREMELY important to the future of the school. TJ was in danger for many years of losing its status as a full-service high school under the Glazer administration. Glazer would literally get up in front of the incoming class every year at Freshmen Preview Night and tell a group of 480 enthusiastic 13-14 year olds, "If you don't LOVE STEM and have a deep passion for it, this may not be the school for you".

Thankfully, the new principal has breathed life into some dying programs at TJ with some savvy hires and a commitment to the value of the total high school experience. The hope is that FCPS has realized it as well with a new admissions process that no longer overselects for test-taking ability and parent-driven "pre-existing commitment to STEM".

It is a high school for science and technology. If we're going to have it, expecting students to have a passion for those topics doesn't seem unreasonable.

Instead, what we have is a group of people who want to turn TJ into a public school equivalent of an Ivy, just so they can say that admissions are holistic and that URMs - regardless of whether they really want to pursue STEM courses - are well represented there. That type of school is cooler to them that some icky STEM school full of Asians. If TJ were to remain the latter, they wouldn't be quite so sure to mention to everyone they meet well into their 40s that they attended TJ.

The strategy works fairly well, because the School Board is full of white women who are happy to throw Asians under the bus and the URMs who complained about the environment at TJ have an additional leg up in their own college admissions (i.e., the 2021 graduate who received the most attention is heading to Harvard in the fall).

It is unreasonable to expect 11, 12, and 13 year olds to have a passion for something that is going to dictate the remainder of their scholastic career. What happens more often is that you have students whose "demonstrated passion" amounts far more to parental ambition. There should be no particular advantage granted in the process to activities that in most cases are selected by and in some cases are coached by parents. They should be viewed the same as any other activities.

And again - if TJ is to remain a full-service high school, granting students a full slate of curricular and extracurricular options in the arts, athletics, and the humanities in addition to STEM, you have to bring in students of diverse interests and talents. A huge part of what has always made TJ special is that it accomplishes what it does in the context of an otherwise normal high school.