Poe Middle low number of TJ applicants

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Chronic absenteeism now is not caused by "barriers to attendance".

It is by definition.

[Anonymous]

Can someone clarify how changing TJ admissions so that 2 or 3 students out of 900+ at Poe Middle or similar is actually addressing the issues faced by those schools? does it do anything more than checking off a box that Poe Middle is also sending kids to TJ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone clarify how changing TJ admissions so that 2 or 3 students out of 900+ at Poe Middle or similar is actually addressing the issues faced by those schools? does it do anything more than checking off a box that Poe Middle is also sending kids to TJ?

It doesnt fix the problems at Poe Middle, and yes FCPS just gets to say new TJ class also has kids from every middle school, including Poe Middle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone clarify how changing TJ admissions so that 2 or 3 students out of 900+ at Poe Middle or similar is actually addressing the issues faced by those schools? does it do anything more than checking off a box that Poe Middle is also sending kids to TJ?

Is anyone arguing that it does address the systemic school issue? I’d be curious to hear that argument.

From my view, TJ admission changes don’t really fix ANYTHING at any individual school. But the changes do ensure representation from all FCPS middle schools. Much to the chagrin of many parents at historically represented schools.

And for what it’s worth, kids from the “good” middle schools can also struggle at TJ. I mean, I’m none of your kids would but it is a thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone clarify how changing TJ admissions so that 2 or 3 students out of 900+ at Poe Middle or similar is actually addressing the issues faced by those schools? does it do anything more than checking off a box that Poe Middle is also sending kids to TJ?

Is anyone arguing that it does address the systemic school issue? I’d be curious to hear that argument.

From my view, TJ admission changes don’t really fix ANYTHING at any individual school. But the changes do ensure representation from all FCPS middle schools. Much to the chagrin of many parents at historically represented schools.

And for what it’s worth, kids from the “good” middle schools can also struggle at TJ. I mean, I’m none of your kids would but it is a thing.

Isnt the purpose of admissions to admit qualified students who are likely to thrive and not struggle? How can one expect an insufficiently prepared algebra 1 student from Poe Middle to be successful at TJ when their middle school preparation is inadequate for TJ rigor? Isnt it inhumane treatment of innocent kids for equity politics gain?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone clarify how changing TJ admissions so that 2 or 3 students out of 900+ at Poe Middle or similar is actually addressing the issues faced by those schools? does it do anything more than checking off a box that Poe Middle is also sending kids to TJ?

Is anyone arguing that it does address the systemic school issue? I’d be curious to hear that argument.

From my view, TJ admission changes don’t really fix ANYTHING at any individual school. But the changes do ensure representation from all FCPS middle schools. Much to the chagrin of many parents at historically represented schools.

And for what it’s worth, kids from the “good” middle schools can also struggle at TJ. I mean, I’m none of your kids would but it is a thing.

Isnt the purpose of admissions to admit qualified students who are likely to thrive and not struggle? How can one expect an insufficiently prepared algebra 1 student from Poe Middle to be successful at TJ when their middle school preparation is inadequate for TJ rigor? Isnt it inhumane treatment of innocent kids for equity politics gain?

Yes it is not right, but this is how equity slowly destroys education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone clarify how changing TJ admissions so that 2 or 3 students out of 900+ at Poe Middle or similar is actually addressing the issues faced by those schools? does it do anything more than checking off a box that Poe Middle is also sending kids to TJ?

Is anyone arguing that it does address the systemic school issue? I’d be curious to hear that argument.

From my view, TJ admission changes don’t really fix ANYTHING at any individual school. But the changes do ensure representation from all FCPS middle schools. Much to the chagrin of many parents at historically represented schools.

And for what it’s worth, kids from the “good” middle schools can also struggle at TJ. I mean, I’m none of your kids would but it is a thing.

Isnt the purpose of admissions to admit qualified students who are likely to thrive and not struggle? How can one expect an insufficiently prepared algebra 1 student from Poe Middle to be successful at TJ when their middle school preparation is inadequate for TJ rigor? Isnt it inhumane treatment of innocent kids for equity politics gain?

Why do you assume Algebra I Honors at Poe is any less than Algebra I Honors at Carson?

This is middle school math we're talking about. Not MIT calculus versus community college calculus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone clarify how changing TJ admissions so that 2 or 3 students out of 900+ at Poe Middle or similar is actually addressing the issues faced by those schools? does it do anything more than checking off a box that Poe Middle is also sending kids to TJ?

Is anyone arguing that it does address the systemic school issue? I’d be curious to hear that argument.

From my view, TJ admission changes don’t really fix ANYTHING at any individual school. But the changes do ensure representation from all FCPS middle schools. Much to the chagrin of many parents at historically represented schools.

And for what it’s worth, kids from the “good” middle schools can also struggle at TJ. I mean, I’m none of your kids would but it is a thing.

Isnt the purpose of admissions to admit qualified students who are likely to thrive and not struggle? How can one expect an insufficiently prepared algebra 1 student from Poe Middle to be successful at TJ when their middle school preparation is inadequate for TJ rigor? Isnt it inhumane treatment of innocent kids for equity politics gain?

Why do you assume Algebra I Honors at Poe is any less than Algebra I Honors at Carson?

This is middle school math we're talking about. Not MIT calculus versus community college calculus.

Many Carson students take classes beyond algebra 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone clarify how changing TJ admissions so that 2 or 3 students out of 900+ at Poe Middle or similar is actually addressing the issues faced by those schools? does it do anything more than checking off a box that Poe Middle is also sending kids to TJ?

Is anyone arguing that it does address the systemic school issue? I’d be curious to hear that argument.

From my view, TJ admission changes don’t really fix ANYTHING at any individual school. But the changes do ensure representation from all FCPS middle schools. Much to the chagrin of many parents at historically represented schools.

And for what it’s worth, kids from the “good” middle schools can also struggle at TJ. I mean, I’m none of your kids would but it is a thing.

Isnt the purpose of admissions to admit qualified students who are likely to thrive and not struggle? How can one expect an insufficiently prepared algebra 1 student from Poe Middle to be successful at TJ when their middle school preparation is inadequate for TJ rigor? Isnt it inhumane treatment of innocent kids for equity politics gain?

Why do you assume Algebra I Honors at Poe is any less than Algebra I Honors at Carson?

This is middle school math we're talking about. Not MIT calculus versus community college calculus.

Poe has a Geometry HN class for 8th graders. Just because the kids aren’t at an AAP center doesn’t mean they may not be taking math classes beyond Algebra I.

That won’t resonate with the Tiger parents at Carson who have pushed their kids into Algebra II by 8th grade, but if accepting some MS kids enrolled in Algebra I and Geometry sends a message to the Tiger parents that their pushiness isn’t the only thing to be rewarded, that’s OK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone clarify how changing TJ admissions so that 2 or 3 students out of 900+ at Poe Middle or similar is actually addressing the issues faced by those schools? does it do anything more than checking off a box that Poe Middle is also sending kids to TJ?

Is anyone arguing that it does address the systemic school issue? I’d be curious to hear that argument.

From my view, TJ admission changes don’t really fix ANYTHING at any individual school. But the changes do ensure representation from all FCPS middle schools. Much to the chagrin of many parents at historically represented schools.

And for what it’s worth, kids from the “good” middle schools can also struggle at TJ. I mean, I’m none of your kids would but it is a thing.

Isnt the purpose of admissions to admit qualified students who are likely to thrive and not struggle? How can one expect an insufficiently prepared algebra 1 student from Poe Middle to be successful at TJ when their middle school preparation is inadequate for TJ rigor? Isnt it inhumane treatment of innocent kids for equity politics gain?

Why do you assume Algebra I Honors at Poe is any less than Algebra I Honors at Carson?

This is middle school math we're talking about. Not MIT calculus versus community college calculus.

Poe has a Geometry HN class for 8th graders. Just because the kids aren’t at an AAP center doesn’t mean they may not be taking math classes beyond Algebra I.

That won’t resonate with the Tiger parents at Carson who have pushed their kids into Algebra II by 8th grade, but if accepting some MS kids enrolled in Algebra I and Geometry sends a message to the Tiger parents that their pushiness isn’t the only thing to be rewarded, that’s OK.

Let's give the Tiger parents a break. I immigrated am from south america, and people call me Tiger mom. I reply saying that sounds better than being called a Panda parent or Jellyfish parent, which sounds bland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are hearing people complain why our community school, Poe Middle, is not sending in substantial number of TJ applicants and thus not gaining high seat count as other schools like Carson Middle. First off based on recent years data, Poe middle has sent around 25 applicants, which is significant given only a quarter of our students are math proficient at grade level, where as Carson Middle sent around 280 applicants well over ten times with very high math proficiency. Our students are getting blamed for lack of STEM interest, which is not true. Teach our students proper math and science, and out students will send in more TJ applications than Carson Middle, and get more seats.

FCPS should fix our school issues starting with chronic absenteeism, make sure basic as well as advanced math is taught to entire class, and stop making this a racial issue of why our majority hispanic and black student body is not scoring significant number of TJ seats. We have fantastic teachers, but unless overall school issues are resolved, their lessons cannot be delivered effectively, and our students cannot learn math and science.

How does FCPS solve this? They call parents, the email parents, they send letters to parents. The schools remind parents of the importance of attending school. What do you propose that the county does?

At some point in time the onus shifts from the County and the School to the parents. The parents have to decide that school is important enough and make their kid go. If they parents are not willing to do that, there is not a darn thing that the school or the County can do.

Do you think that the kids at the other schools are all going to school because the school has positive spirit and is welcoming or because their parents have told them it is necessary for the future success in life? Plenty of kids at my sons school would be happy to hang out at home all day and not go to school if they were allowed to. School isn’t fun. they got o school because their parents tell them that they have to. They do well in school because they need to for college. They know this because their parents are telling them this. A few go and do well enough because they want to play a sport or participate in certain activities so they have to maintain decent grades.

Stop blaming the County. There is only so much that it can do. The parents need to step up and parent. If school is not important to them, if they are not talking to their kids about the benefits of school and doing well in school, that is on them.

There are posts on this site about how insulted parents are when they hear from the school or county about high numbers of excused or unexcused absences. I read a piece that showed up on my feed that a parent was insulted that her DC was marked unexcused because she didn't provide any reason for her DC's absence and thought that a parent had the right to keep her DC home for any reason whatsoever. She thought that policy would incentivize parents to lie that their children are sick when they keep them home (I felt like I was reading an essay by an 8 year old).

There is a problem with chronic absenteeism in FCPS. It's parents.

In many cases, it is the fathers who are absent from their children’s lives.

How can FCPS encourage these absentee fathers to return to the family and become engaged with their children’s math/STEM education? That is what’s needed here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone clarify how changing TJ admissions so that 2 or 3 students out of 900+ at Poe Middle or similar is actually addressing the issues faced by those schools? does it do anything more than checking off a box that Poe Middle is also sending kids to TJ?

Is anyone arguing that it does address the systemic school issue? I’d be curious to hear that argument.

From my view, TJ admission changes don’t really fix ANYTHING at any individual school. But the changes do ensure representation from all FCPS middle schools. Much to the chagrin of many parents at historically represented schools.

And for what it’s worth, kids from the “good” middle schools can also struggle at TJ. I mean, I’m none of your kids would but it is a thing.

Isnt the purpose of admissions to admit qualified students who are likely to thrive and not struggle? How can one expect an insufficiently prepared algebra 1 student from Poe Middle to be successful at TJ when their middle school preparation is inadequate for TJ rigor? Isnt it inhumane treatment of innocent kids for equity politics gain?

Why do you assume Algebra I Honors at Poe is any less than Algebra I Honors at Carson?

This is middle school math we're talking about. Not MIT calculus versus community college calculus.

Maybe they are similar classes. The kids at Carson are doing a lot of extra math enrichment outside of school. That's the biggest difference. It doesn't necessarily take money for a motivated student to do the same. AOPS has free videos and practice problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone clarify how changing TJ admissions so that 2 or 3 students out of 900+ at Poe Middle or similar is actually addressing the issues faced by those schools? does it do anything more than checking off a box that Poe Middle is also sending kids to TJ?

Is anyone arguing that it does address the systemic school issue? I’d be curious to hear that argument.

From my view, TJ admission changes don’t really fix ANYTHING at any individual school. But the changes do ensure representation from all FCPS middle schools. Much to the chagrin of many parents at historically represented schools.

And for what it’s worth, kids from the “good” middle schools can also struggle at TJ. I mean, I’m none of your kids would but it is a thing.

Isnt the purpose of admissions to admit qualified students who are likely to thrive and not struggle? How can one expect an insufficiently prepared algebra 1 student from Poe Middle to be successful at TJ when their middle school preparation is inadequate for TJ rigor? Isnt it inhumane treatment of innocent kids for equity politics gain?

Why do you assume Algebra I Honors at Poe is any less than Algebra I Honors at Carson?

This is middle school math we're talking about. Not MIT calculus versus community college calculus.

The Algebra 1 at Poe is not taught to the same rigor and syllabus as Algebra 1 at Carson. The Poe Middle teachers do their best, but majority of their class lacks the prerequisite pre-algebra skills as show by previous grade SOL scores.