How does TJ admissions figure out the top 1.5 percent?

[Anonymous]

What is TJ actual geographic demographic? Do they get close to 1.5% attending from every school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does TJ figure out whether a child is o within the top 1.5% in a specific middle school? Is it based on the 7th grade GPA?

I don’t know how they are figuring it out. I know they are getting it wrong at Longfellow. My kid was not in the 1.5%. Fine. Perfect GPA but I can believe that there were many in this situation and they came up with some process to select. I can accept my kid didn’t make the cut. But there are kids in my child’s math and science classes at McLean that absolutely should have been at the county STEM magnet. If these kids are not top 1.5%, nobody is.

It doesn’t matter though. Lots of great opportunities at the base school and hopefully kids for whom the TJ offerings are critical will get a chance to experience it.

You are witnessing the effects of equity politics in public schools.
If selection were objective and based on merit based criteria, then students with advanced academic abilities in math & science would have been selected for TJ. Since selection shifted to a namesake essay evaluation with concealed subjective ranking, there is no way for FCPS to know who they are selecting and which qualified student is left behind. Yet, this subjective selection has a targeted purpose, which is to claim achievement of predetermined diversity mix, even it means excluding a qualified student due to color of their skin and including an under qualifed student based on their different skin color.

Skin color is not the target. Geographic diversity is. If, coincidentally, the current state of housing costs in Fairfax County means there's a correlation to skin color then it is what it is but it is not deliberate.

The wealthy are free to move anywhere they want to in order to gain any advantage they deem necessary. The poor do not have that luxury and freedom.

If Young Scholars, FARMs, and ELL are all factors, then a white middle class kid from a poorer school has no chance

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does TJ figure out whether a child is o within the top 1.5% in a specific middle school? Is it based on the 7th grade GPA?

I don’t know how they are figuring it out. I know they are getting it wrong at Longfellow. My kid was not in the 1.5%. Fine. Perfect GPA but I can believe that there were many in this situation and they came up with some process to select. I can accept my kid didn’t make the cut. But there are kids in my child’s math and science classes at McLean that absolutely should have been at the county STEM magnet. If these kids are not top 1.5%, nobody is.

It doesn’t matter though. Lots of great opportunities at the base school and hopefully kids for whom the TJ offerings are critical will get a chance to experience it.

You are witnessing the effects of equity politics in public schools.
If selection were objective and based on merit based criteria, then students with advanced academic abilities in math & science would have been selected for TJ. Since selection shifted to a namesake essay evaluation with concealed subjective ranking, there is no way for FCPS to know who they are selecting and which qualified student is left behind. Yet, this subjective selection has a targeted purpose, which is to claim achievement of predetermined diversity mix, even it means excluding a qualified student due to color of their skin and including an under qualifed student based on their different skin color.

Skin color is not the target. Geographic diversity is. If, coincidentally, the current state of housing costs in Fairfax County means there's a correlation to skin color then it is what it is but it is not deliberate.

The wealthy are free to move anywhere they want to in order to gain any advantage they deem necessary. The poor do not have that luxury and freedom.

If Young Scholars, FARMs, and ELL are all factors, then a white middle class kid from a poorer school has no chance

The essay is the most important factor. Not the experience or "other" factors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does TJ figure out whether a child is o within the top 1.5% in a specific middle school? Is it based on the 7th grade GPA?

I don’t know how they are figuring it out. I know they are getting it wrong at Longfellow. My kid was not in the 1.5%. Fine. Perfect GPA but I can believe that there were many in this situation and they came up with some process to select. I can accept my kid didn’t make the cut. But there are kids in my child’s math and science classes at McLean that absolutely should have been at the county STEM magnet. If these kids are not top 1.5%, nobody is.

It doesn’t matter though. Lots of great opportunities at the base school and hopefully kids for whom the TJ offerings are critical will get a chance to experience it.

You are witnessing the effects of equity politics in public schools.
If selection were objective and based on merit based criteria, then students with advanced academic abilities in math & science would have been selected for TJ. Since selection shifted to a namesake essay evaluation with concealed subjective ranking, there is no way for FCPS to know who they are selecting and which qualified student is left behind. Yet, this subjective selection has a targeted purpose, which is to claim achievement of predetermined diversity mix, even it means excluding a qualified student due to color of their skin and including an under qualifed student based on their different skin color.

Skin color is not the target. Geographic diversity is. If, coincidentally, the current state of housing costs in Fairfax County means there's a correlation to skin color then it is what it is but it is not deliberate.

The wealthy are free to move anywhere they want to in order to gain any advantage they deem necessary. The poor do not have that luxury and freedom.

If Young Scholars, FARMs, and ELL are all factors, then a white middle class kid from a poorer school has no chance

How many eligible white MC kids are applying vs eligible YS/FARMS/ELL applying?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does TJ figure out whether a child is o within the top 1.5% in a specific middle school? Is it based on the 7th grade GPA?

I don’t know how they are figuring it out. I know they are getting it wrong at Longfellow. My kid was not in the 1.5%. Fine. Perfect GPA but I can believe that there were many in this situation and they came up with some process to select. I can accept my kid didn’t make the cut. But there are kids in my child’s math and science classes at McLean that absolutely should have been at the county STEM magnet. If these kids are not top 1.5%, nobody is.

It doesn’t matter though. Lots of great opportunities at the base school and hopefully kids for whom the TJ offerings are critical will get a chance to experience it.

You are witnessing the effects of equity politics in public schools.
If selection were objective and based on merit based criteria, then students with advanced academic abilities in math & science would have been selected for TJ. Since selection shifted to a namesake essay evaluation with concealed subjective ranking, there is no way for FCPS to know who they are selecting and which qualified student is left behind. Yet, this subjective selection has a targeted purpose, which is to claim achievement of predetermined diversity mix, even it means excluding a qualified student due to color of their skin and including an under qualifed student based on their different skin color.

Skin color is not the target. Geographic diversity is. If, coincidentally, the current state of housing costs in Fairfax County means there's a correlation to skin color then it is what it is but it is not deliberate.

The wealthy are free to move anywhere they want to in order to gain any advantage they deem necessary. The poor do not have that luxury and freedom.

If Young Scholars, FARMs, and ELL are all factors, then a white middle class kid from a poorer school has no chance

A white middle class kid from a poorer school has an excellent chance because of lack of competition, thanks to the new geographic rule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does TJ figure out whether a child is o within the top 1.5% in a specific middle school? Is it based on the 7th grade GPA?

I don’t know how they are figuring it out. I know they are getting it wrong at Longfellow. My kid was not in the 1.5%. Fine. Perfect GPA but I can believe that there were many in this situation and they came up with some process to select. I can accept my kid didn’t make the cut. But there are kids in my child’s math and science classes at McLean that absolutely should have been at the county STEM magnet. If these kids are not top 1.5%, nobody is.

It doesn’t matter though. Lots of great opportunities at the base school and hopefully kids for whom the TJ offerings are critical will get a chance to experience it.

You are witnessing the effects of equity politics in public schools.
If selection were objective and based on merit based criteria, then students with advanced academic abilities in math & science would have been selected for TJ. Since selection shifted to a namesake essay evaluation with concealed subjective ranking, there is no way for FCPS to know who they are selecting and which qualified student is left behind. Yet, this subjective selection has a targeted purpose, which is to claim achievement of predetermined diversity mix, even it means excluding a qualified student due to color of their skin and including an under qualifed student based on their different skin color.

Skin color is not the target. Geographic diversity is. If, coincidentally, the current state of housing costs in Fairfax County means there's a correlation to skin color then it is what it is but it is not deliberate.

The wealthy are free to move anywhere they want to in order to gain any advantage they deem necessary. The poor do not have that luxury and freedom.

If Young Scholars, FARMs, and ELL are all factors, then a white middle class kid from a poorer school has no chance

The essay is the most important factor. Not the experience or "other" factors.

You're assuming that there is a wide dispersion in essay scores. If it's standard FCPS everyone gets an A scoring, then you'll have a bunch of kids with perfect GPAs and high essay scores. That leaves it to experience factors to differentiate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does TJ figure out whether a child is o within the top 1.5% in a specific middle school? Is it based on the 7th grade GPA?

I don’t know how they are figuring it out. I know they are getting it wrong at Longfellow. My kid was not in the 1.5%. Fine. Perfect GPA but I can believe that there were many in this situation and they came up with some process to select. I can accept my kid didn’t make the cut. But there are kids in my child’s math and science classes at McLean that absolutely should have been at the county STEM magnet. If these kids are not top 1.5%, nobody is.

It doesn’t matter though. Lots of great opportunities at the base school and hopefully kids for whom the TJ offerings are critical will get a chance to experience it.

You are witnessing the effects of equity politics in public schools.
If selection were objective and based on merit based criteria, then students with advanced academic abilities in math & science would have been selected for TJ. Since selection shifted to a namesake essay evaluation with concealed subjective ranking, there is no way for FCPS to know who they are selecting and which qualified student is left behind. Yet, this subjective selection has a targeted purpose, which is to claim achievement of predetermined diversity mix, even it means excluding a qualified student due to color of their skin and including an under qualifed student based on their different skin color.

Skin color is not the target. Geographic diversity is. If, coincidentally, the current state of housing costs in Fairfax County means there's a correlation to skin color then it is what it is but it is not deliberate.

The wealthy are free to move anywhere they want to in order to gain any advantage they deem necessary. The poor do not have that luxury and freedom.

If Young Scholars, FARMs, and ELL are all factors, then a white middle class kid from a poorer school has no chance

A white middle class kid from a poorer school has an excellent chance because of lack of competition, thanks to the new geographic rule.

If 10 young scholars capable of writing a decent essay apply, they have zero chance

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does TJ figure out whether a child is o within the top 1.5% in a specific middle school? Is it based on the 7th grade GPA?

I don’t know how they are figuring it out. I know they are getting it wrong at Longfellow. My kid was not in the 1.5%. Fine. Perfect GPA but I can believe that there were many in this situation and they came up with some process to select. I can accept my kid didn’t make the cut. But there are kids in my child’s math and science classes at McLean that absolutely should have been at the county STEM magnet. If these kids are not top 1.5%, nobody is.

It doesn’t matter though. Lots of great opportunities at the base school and hopefully kids for whom the TJ offerings are critical will get a chance to experience it.

You are witnessing the effects of equity politics in public schools.
If selection were objective and based on merit based criteria, then students with advanced academic abilities in math & science would have been selected for TJ. Since selection shifted to a namesake essay evaluation with concealed subjective ranking, there is no way for FCPS to know who they are selecting and which qualified student is left behind. Yet, this subjective selection has a targeted purpose, which is to claim achievement of predetermined diversity mix, even it means excluding a qualified student due to color of their skin and including an under qualifed student based on their different skin color.

Skin color is not the target. Geographic diversity is. If, coincidentally, the current state of housing costs in Fairfax County means there's a correlation to skin color then it is what it is but it is not deliberate.

The wealthy are free to move anywhere they want to in order to gain any advantage they deem necessary. The poor do not have that luxury and freedom.

If Young Scholars, FARMs, and ELL are all factors, then a white middle class kid from a poorer school has no chance

A white middle class kid from a poorer school has an excellent chance because of lack of competition, thanks to the new geographic rule.

If 10 young scholars capable of writing a decent essay apply, they have zero chance

We can make up all sorts of hypotheticals. If you look at the actual numbers, this is not a thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does TJ figure out whether a child is o within the top 1.5% in a specific middle school? Is it based on the 7th grade GPA?

I don’t know how they are figuring it out. I know they are getting it wrong at Longfellow. My kid was not in the 1.5%. Fine. Perfect GPA but I can believe that there were many in this situation and they came up with some process to select. I can accept my kid didn’t make the cut. But there are kids in my child’s math and science classes at McLean that absolutely should have been at the county STEM magnet. If these kids are not top 1.5%, nobody is.

It doesn’t matter though. Lots of great opportunities at the base school and hopefully kids for whom the TJ offerings are critical will get a chance to experience it.

You are witnessing the effects of equity politics in public schools.
If selection were objective and based on merit based criteria, then students with advanced academic abilities in math & science would have been selected for TJ. Since selection shifted to a namesake essay evaluation with concealed subjective ranking, there is no way for FCPS to know who they are selecting and which qualified student is left behind. Yet, this subjective selection has a targeted purpose, which is to claim achievement of predetermined diversity mix, even it means excluding a qualified student due to color of their skin and including an under qualifed student based on their different skin color.

Skin color is not the target. Geographic diversity is. If, coincidentally, the current state of housing costs in Fairfax County means there's a correlation to skin color then it is what it is but it is not deliberate.

The wealthy are free to move anywhere they want to in order to gain any advantage they deem necessary. The poor do not have that luxury and freedom.

If Young Scholars, FARMs, and ELL are all factors, then a white middle class kid from a poorer school has no chance

A white middle class kid from a poorer school has an excellent chance because of lack of competition, thanks to the new geographic rule.

If 10 young scholars capable of writing a decent essay apply, they have zero chance

We can make up all sorts of hypotheticals. If you look at the actual numbers, this is not a thing.

How is that 'all sorts of hypotheticals'? Young scholars is a huge program. ELL and farms are the majority of kids at some middle schools. Are you really saying that 10 out of the several hundred won't decide to apply?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does TJ figure out whether a child is o within the top 1.5% in a specific middle school? Is it based on the 7th grade GPA?

I don’t know how they are figuring it out. I know they are getting it wrong at Longfellow. My kid was not in the 1.5%. Fine. Perfect GPA but I can believe that there were many in this situation and they came up with some process to select. I can accept my kid didn’t make the cut. But there are kids in my child’s math and science classes at McLean that absolutely should have been at the county STEM magnet. If these kids are not top 1.5%, nobody is.

It doesn’t matter though. Lots of great opportunities at the base school and hopefully kids for whom the TJ offerings are critical will get a chance to experience it.

You are witnessing the effects of equity politics in public schools.
If selection were objective and based on merit based criteria, then students with advanced academic abilities in math & science would have been selected for TJ. Since selection shifted to a namesake essay evaluation with concealed subjective ranking, there is no way for FCPS to know who they are selecting and which qualified student is left behind. Yet, this subjective selection has a targeted purpose, which is to claim achievement of predetermined diversity mix, even it means excluding a qualified student due to color of their skin and including an under qualifed student based on their different skin color.

Skin color is not the target. Geographic diversity is. If, coincidentally, the current state of housing costs in Fairfax County means there's a correlation to skin color then it is what it is but it is not deliberate.

The wealthy are free to move anywhere they want to in order to gain any advantage they deem necessary. The poor do not have that luxury and freedom.

If Young Scholars, FARMs, and ELL are all factors, then a white middle class kid from a poorer school has no chance

The essay is the most important factor. Not the experience or "other" factors.

You're assuming that there is a wide dispersion in essay scores. If it's standard FCPS everyone gets an A scoring, then you'll have a bunch of kids with perfect GPAs and high essay scores. That leaves it to experience factors to differentiate

Who said essays are "scored"? Is there any mention on the FCPS TJ website regarding usage of essay scores? There is no such score; if it were present, FCPS would be obligated to disclose it to applicants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does TJ figure out whether a child is o within the top 1.5% in a specific middle school? Is it based on the 7th grade GPA?

I don’t know how they are figuring it out. I know they are getting it wrong at Longfellow. My kid was not in the 1.5%. Fine. Perfect GPA but I can believe that there were many in this situation and they came up with some process to select. I can accept my kid didn’t make the cut. But there are kids in my child’s math and science classes at McLean that absolutely should have been at the county STEM magnet. If these kids are not top 1.5%, nobody is.

It doesn’t matter though. Lots of great opportunities at the base school and hopefully kids for whom the TJ offerings are critical will get a chance to experience it.

You are witnessing the effects of equity politics in public schools.
If selection were objective and based on merit based criteria, then students with advanced academic abilities in math & science would have been selected for TJ. Since selection shifted to a namesake essay evaluation with concealed subjective ranking, there is no way for FCPS to know who they are selecting and which qualified student is left behind. Yet, this subjective selection has a targeted purpose, which is to claim achievement of predetermined diversity mix, even it means excluding a qualified student due to color of their skin and including an under qualifed student based on their different skin color.

Skin color is not the target. Geographic diversity is. If, coincidentally, the current state of housing costs in Fairfax County means there's a correlation to skin color then it is what it is but it is not deliberate.

The wealthy are free to move anywhere they want to in order to gain any advantage they deem necessary. The poor do not have that luxury and freedom.

If Young Scholars, FARMs, and ELL are all factors, then a white middle class kid from a poorer school has no chance

A white middle class kid from a poorer school has an excellent chance because of lack of competition, thanks to the new geographic rule.

If 10 young scholars capable of writing a decent essay apply, they have zero chance

We can make up all sorts of hypotheticals. If you look at the actual numbers, this is not a thing.

How is that 'all sorts of hypotheticals'? Young scholars is a huge program. ELL and farms are the majority of kids at some middle schools. Are you really saying that 10 out of the several hundred won't decide to apply?

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does TJ figure out whether a child is o within the top 1.5% in a specific middle school? Is it based on the 7th grade GPA?

I don’t know how they are figuring it out. I know they are getting it wrong at Longfellow. My kid was not in the 1.5%. Fine. Perfect GPA but I can believe that there were many in this situation and they came up with some process to select. I can accept my kid didn’t make the cut. But there are kids in my child’s math and science classes at McLean that absolutely should have been at the county STEM magnet. If these kids are not top 1.5%, nobody is.

It doesn’t matter though. Lots of great opportunities at the base school and hopefully kids for whom the TJ offerings are critical will get a chance to experience it.

You are witnessing the effects of equity politics in public schools.
If selection were objective and based on merit based criteria, then students with advanced academic abilities in math & science would have been selected for TJ. Since selection shifted to a namesake essay evaluation with concealed subjective ranking, there is no way for FCPS to know who they are selecting and which qualified student is left behind. Yet, this subjective selection has a targeted purpose, which is to claim achievement of predetermined diversity mix, even it means excluding a qualified student due to color of their skin and including an under qualifed student based on their different skin color.

Skin color is not the target. Geographic diversity is. If, coincidentally, the current state of housing costs in Fairfax County means there's a correlation to skin color then it is what it is but it is not deliberate.

The wealthy are free to move anywhere they want to in order to gain any advantage they deem necessary. The poor do not have that luxury and freedom.

If Young Scholars, FARMs, and ELL are all factors, then a white middle class kid from a poorer school has no chance

The essay is the most important factor. Not the experience or "other" factors.

You're assuming that there is a wide dispersion in essay scores. If it's standard FCPS everyone gets an A scoring, then you'll have a bunch of kids with perfect GPAs and high essay scores. That leaves it to experience factors to differentiate

Who said essays are "scored"? Is there any mention on the FCPS TJ website regarding usage of essay scores? There is no such score; if it were present, FCPS would be obligated to disclose it to applicants.

if essays are not scored, what purpose do they serve?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does TJ figure out whether a child is o within the top 1.5% in a specific middle school? Is it based on the 7th grade GPA?

I don’t know how they are figuring it out. I know they are getting it wrong at Longfellow. My kid was not in the 1.5%. Fine. Perfect GPA but I can believe that there were many in this situation and they came up with some process to select. I can accept my kid didn’t make the cut. But there are kids in my child’s math and science classes at McLean that absolutely should have been at the county STEM magnet. If these kids are not top 1.5%, nobody is.

It doesn’t matter though. Lots of great opportunities at the base school and hopefully kids for whom the TJ offerings are critical will get a chance to experience it.

You are witnessing the effects of equity politics in public schools.
If selection were objective and based on merit based criteria, then students with advanced academic abilities in math & science would have been selected for TJ. Since selection shifted to a namesake essay evaluation with concealed subjective ranking, there is no way for FCPS to know who they are selecting and which qualified student is left behind. Yet, this subjective selection has a targeted purpose, which is to claim achievement of predetermined diversity mix, even it means excluding a qualified student due to color of their skin and including an under qualifed student based on their different skin color.

Skin color is not the target. Geographic diversity is. If, coincidentally, the current state of housing costs in Fairfax County means there's a correlation to skin color then it is what it is but it is not deliberate.

The wealthy are free to move anywhere they want to in order to gain any advantage they deem necessary. The poor do not have that luxury and freedom.

If Young Scholars, FARMs, and ELL are all factors, then a white middle class kid from a poorer school has no chance

The essay is the most important factor. Not the experience or "other" factors.

You're assuming that there is a wide dispersion in essay scores. If it's standard FCPS everyone gets an A scoring, then you'll have a bunch of kids with perfect GPAs and high essay scores. That leaves it to experience factors to differentiate

Who said essays are "scored"? Is there any mention on the FCPS TJ website regarding usage of essay scores? There is no such score; if it were present, FCPS would be obligated to disclose it to applicants.

Essays are absolutely scored.

FCPS is not obligated to disclose any scores to applicants at all. Why do you think that they are?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does TJ figure out whether a child is o within the top 1.5% in a specific middle school? Is it based on the 7th grade GPA?

I don’t know how they are figuring it out. I know they are getting it wrong at Longfellow. My kid was not in the 1.5%. Fine. Perfect GPA but I can believe that there were many in this situation and they came up with some process to select. I can accept my kid didn’t make the cut. But there are kids in my child’s math and science classes at McLean that absolutely should have been at the county STEM magnet. If these kids are not top 1.5%, nobody is.

It doesn’t matter though. Lots of great opportunities at the base school and hopefully kids for whom the TJ offerings are critical will get a chance to experience it.

You are witnessing the effects of equity politics in public schools.
If selection were objective and based on merit based criteria, then students with advanced academic abilities in math & science would have been selected for TJ. Since selection shifted to a namesake essay evaluation with concealed subjective ranking, there is no way for FCPS to know who they are selecting and which qualified student is left behind. Yet, this subjective selection has a targeted purpose, which is to claim achievement of predetermined diversity mix, even it means excluding a qualified student due to color of their skin and including an under qualifed student based on their different skin color.

Skin color is not the target. Geographic diversity is. If, coincidentally, the current state of housing costs in Fairfax County means there's a correlation to skin color then it is what it is but it is not deliberate.

The wealthy are free to move anywhere they want to in order to gain any advantage they deem necessary. The poor do not have that luxury and freedom.

If Young Scholars, FARMs, and ELL are all factors, then a white middle class kid from a poorer school has no chance

A white middle class kid from a poorer school has an excellent chance because of lack of competition, thanks to the new geographic rule.

As does a poor Asian kid. In fact, low-income Asian students were the biggest beneficiaries of the new admissions process, having been essentially absent from previous admitted classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does TJ figure out whether a child is o within the top 1.5% in a specific middle school? Is it based on the 7th grade GPA?

I don’t know how they are figuring it out. I know they are getting it wrong at Longfellow. My kid was not in the 1.5%. Fine. Perfect GPA but I can believe that there were many in this situation and they came up with some process to select. I can accept my kid didn’t make the cut. But there are kids in my child’s math and science classes at McLean that absolutely should have been at the county STEM magnet. If these kids are not top 1.5%, nobody is.

It doesn’t matter though. Lots of great opportunities at the base school and hopefully kids for whom the TJ offerings are critical will get a chance to experience it.

You are witnessing the effects of equity politics in public schools.
If selection were objective and based on merit based criteria, then students with advanced academic abilities in math & science would have been selected for TJ. Since selection shifted to a namesake essay evaluation with concealed subjective ranking, there is no way for FCPS to know who they are selecting and which qualified student is left behind. Yet, this subjective selection has a targeted purpose, which is to claim achievement of predetermined diversity mix, even it means excluding a qualified student due to color of their skin and including an under qualifed student based on their different skin color.

Skin color is not the target. Geographic diversity is. If, coincidentally, the current state of housing costs in Fairfax County means there's a correlation to skin color then it is what it is but it is not deliberate.

The wealthy are free to move anywhere they want to in order to gain any advantage they deem necessary. The poor do not have that luxury and freedom.

If Young Scholars, FARMs, and ELL are all factors, then a white middle class kid from a poorer school has no chance

The essay is the most important factor. Not the experience or "other" factors.

You're assuming that there is a wide dispersion in essay scores. If it's standard FCPS everyone gets an A scoring, then you'll have a bunch of kids with perfect GPAs and high essay scores. That leaves it to experience factors to differentiate

Who said essays are "scored"? Is there any mention on the FCPS TJ website regarding usage of essay scores? There is no such score; if it were present, FCPS would be obligated to disclose it to applicants.

Essays are absolutely scored.

FCPS is not obligated to disclose any scores to applicants at all. Why do you think that they are?

How did you get this insider information? do you work there?