DCPS National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists 2017

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Note: 1% of PSAT takers nationwide become NMSS.

At Wilson, roughly .2% of the juniors cleared the bar this year.

NMSF is aimed at the top .5% per state.

I thought DC is automatically assigned the cut off of the highest state (usually NJ) without regard to the number of DC students.

11th graders in DC schools last year:

DCPS:2717
PCS: 1266
Private:1437 (est. from 21 private schools with high school grades in DC)

So roughly 5420 eleventh graders in DC schools last year (no data on how many took the test though). So the top .5% would have allowed DC 271 NMSF, but since we are locked with the score of the top state, we only got 39 which is only the top .007%.

You are correct. DC cutoff is automatically set to highest state cut off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Note: 1% of PSAT takers nationwide become NMSS.

At Wilson, roughly .2% of the juniors cleared the bar this year.

NMSF is aimed at the top .5% per state.

I thought DC is automatically assigned the cut off of the highest state (usually NJ) without regard to the number of DC students.

11th graders in DC schools last year:

DCPS:2717
PCS: 1266
Private:1437 (est. from 21 private schools with high school grades in DC)

So roughly 5420 eleventh graders in DC schools last year (no data on how many took the test though). So the top .5% would have allowed DC 271 NMSF, but since we are locked with the score of the top state, we only got 39 which is only the top .007%.

Your math is off. The top .5% would be 27.1 students. So at 39 DC is doing better than it would if it were held to .005.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Note: 1% of PSAT takers nationwide become NMSS.

At Wilson, roughly .2% of the juniors cleared the bar this year.

NMSF is aimed at the top .5% per state.

I thought DC is automatically assigned the cut off of the highest state (usually NJ) without regard to the number of DC students.

11th graders in DC schools last year:

DCPS:2717
PCS: 1266
Private:1437 (est. from 21 private schools with high school grades in DC)

So roughly 5420 eleventh graders in DC schools last year (no data on how many took the test though). So the top .5% would have allowed DC 271 NMSF, but since we are locked with the score of the top state, we only got 39 which is only the top .007%.

1% of 5420 is 54, half that is 27. By using the cutoff of the top state, we get more NMSF.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The list of this year's 36 DC NMSS by school is a bit interesting. I note that TJ has produced 145 semifinalists this year, almost 1/3 of their junior class.

Georgetown Day: 8
Georgetown Prep: 1
Maret: 2
National Cathedral School: 4
SWS: 2 (down from 5 last year, an all-time high)
Sidwell: 11
St. Albans: 7
St. Johns: 1
Wilson: 1 (up from zero last year, Wilson normally produces 1 or 2)
Washington Latin: 0 (they had their first last year)

https://patch.com/district-columbia/washingtondc/36-dc-students-named-national-merit-semifinalists

DCPS and DCPC can do better on this metric. I see the middle school test-in magnet programs deficit in this list, along with the problem of the system failing to offer above-grade-level middle school humanities classes in both DCPS and DCPC. Hello, we can't produce many NMSS on a foundation of middle school math acceleration alone. In-class differentiation for middle school humanities subjects isn't cutting it.

Where is the research that says thst GT programs do anything for middle class kids? The research also clearly indicates that SAT type tests are poorly correlated with college success. I'm not interested in having my kid spend a lot of time on test prep.

I have no interest in what Thomas Jefferson does. Fairfax County has chosen to adopt a test and weed system, with no evidence that the kids become Nobel Laureates or amazing success stories due to the school or their AAP system as opposed to the skills they bring in with them . If they choose to abandon good reasoning habits, I see no reason to follow suit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Note: 1% of PSAT takers nationwide become NMSS.

At Wilson, roughly .2% of the juniors cleared the bar this year.

NMSF is aimed at the top .5% per state.

I thought DC is automatically assigned the cut off of the highest state (usually NJ) without regard to the number of DC students.

11th graders in DC schools last year:

DCPS:2717
PCS: 1266
Private:1437 (est. from 21 private schools with high school grades in DC)

So roughly 5420 eleventh graders in DC schools last year (no data on how many took the test though). So the top .5% would have allowed DC 271 NMSF, but since we are locked with the score of the top state, we only got 39 which is only the top .007%.

1% of 5420 is 54, half that is 27. By using the cutoff of the top state, we get more NMSF.

oops, well, I didn't even take the PSAT, so ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Note: 1% of PSAT takers nationwide become NMSS.

At Wilson, roughly .2% of the juniors cleared the bar this year.

NMSF is aimed at the top .5% per state.

I thought DC is automatically assigned the cut off of the highest state (usually NJ) without regard to the number of DC students.

11th graders in DC schools last year:

DCPS:2717
PCS: 1266
Private:1437 (est. from 21 private schools with high school grades in DC)

So roughly 5420 eleventh graders in DC schools last year (no data on how many took the test though). So the top .5% would have allowed DC 271 NMSF, but since we are locked with the score of the top state, we only got 39 which is only the top .007%.

1% of 5420 is 54, half that is 27. By using the cutoff of the top state, we get more NMSF.

We don't have data on how many Wilson juniors took the PSAT earlier this year. So we can't know what constitutes the top 1% of test takers, or any other %.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Note: 1% of PSAT takers nationwide become NMSS.

At Wilson, roughly .2% of the juniors cleared the bar this year.

NMSF is aimed at the top .5% per state.

I thought DC is automatically assigned the cut off of the highest state (usually NJ) without regard to the number of DC students.

11th graders in DC schools last year:

DCPS:2717
PCS: 1266
Private:1437 (est. from 21 private schools with high school grades in DC)

So roughly 5420 eleventh graders in DC schools last year (no data on how many took the test though). So the top .5% would have allowed DC 271 NMSF, but since we are locked with the score of the top state, we only got 39 which is only the top .007%.

1% of 5420 is 54, half that is 27. By using the cutoff of the top state, we get more NMSF.

oops, well, I didn't even take the PSAT, so ...

How do we get more NMSF? Don't we get fewer? Why are we at the highest level?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The list of this year's 36 DC NMSS by school is a bit interesting. I note that TJ has produced 145 semifinalists this year, almost 1/3 of their junior class.

Georgetown Day: 8
Georgetown Prep: 1
Maret: 2
National Cathedral School: 4
SWS: 2 (down from 5 last year, an all-time high)
Sidwell: 11
St. Albans: 7
St. Johns: 1
Wilson: 1 (up from zero last year, Wilson normally produces 1 or 2)
Washington Latin: 0 (they had their first last year)

https://patch.com/district-columbia/washingtondc/36-dc-students-named-national-merit-semifinalists

DCPS and DCPC can do better on this metric. I see the middle school test-in magnet programs deficit in this list, along with the problem of the system failing to offer above-grade-level middle school humanities classes in both DCPS and DCPC. Hello, we can't produce many NMSS on a foundation of middle school math acceleration alone. In-class differentiation for middle school humanities subjects isn't cutting it.

Where is the research that says thst GT programs do anything for middle class kids? The research also clearly indicates that SAT type tests are poorly correlated with college success. I'm not interested in having my kid spend a lot of time on test prep.

I have no interest in what Thomas Jefferson does. Fairfax County has chosen to adopt a test and weed system, with no evidence that the kids become Nobel Laureates or amazing success stories due to the school or their AAP system as opposed to the skills they bring in with them . If they choose to abandon good reasoning habits, I see no reason to follow suit.

Come on, who says NMSS are spending a lot of time on test prep? They might be spending little to none. My guess is that most have simply read a lot for pleasure since around first grade, are unusually bright, and have aptitude for and enjoyment of math.

I'm interested in what TJ does mainly because they have the best STEM facilities I've ever seen outside an elite college, big public university, and elite public high schools I've visited in Texas which enjoy corporate support from the local aerospace industry. TJ has a marine biology research lab for the exclusive use of teenagers. How do Fairfax and Arlington get that kind of dough for a high school? Fascinating.

If you want to see a troubling test and weed system in action, visit BASIS DC middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Note: 1% of PSAT takers nationwide become NMSS.

At Wilson, roughly .2% of the juniors cleared the bar this year.

NMSF is aimed at the top .5% per state.

I thought DC is automatically assigned the cut off of the highest state (usually NJ) without regard to the number of DC students.

11th graders in DC schools last year:

DCPS:2717
PCS: 1266
Private:1437 (est. from 21 private schools with high school grades in DC)

So roughly 5420 eleventh graders in DC schools last year (no data on how many took the test though). So the top .5% would have allowed DC 271 NMSF, but since we are locked with the score of the top state, we only got 39 which is only the top .007%.

1% of 5420 is 54, half that is 27. By using the cutoff of the top state, we get more NMSF.

oops, well, I didn't even take the PSAT, so ...

How do we get more NMSF? Don't we get fewer? Why are we at the highest level?

You mean why is our cut-off score the highest, or among the highest of the states (along with NJ, MA and NYC most years)? That's because a minority of DC juniors takes the PSAT, and most are private school students. The top 1% of the PSAT takers in the city are knocking it out of the park on the PSAT. In a state, far more not-so-academic kids are in the pool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Note: 1% of PSAT takers nationwide become NMSS.

At Wilson, roughly .2% of the juniors cleared the bar this year.

NMSF is aimed at the top .5% per state.

I thought DC is automatically assigned the cut off of the highest state (usually NJ) without regard to the number of DC students.

11th graders in DC schools last year:

DCPS:2717
PCS: 1266
Private:1437 (est. from 21 private schools with high school grades in DC)

So roughly 5420 eleventh graders in DC schools last year (no data on how many took the test though). So the top .5% would have allowed DC 271 NMSF, but since we are locked with the score of the top state, we only got 39 which is only the top .007%.

1% of 5420 is 54, half that is 27. By using the cutoff of the top state, we get more NMSF.

oops, well, I didn't even take the PSAT, so ...

How do we get more NMSF? Don't we get fewer? Why are we at the highest level?

Never mind. I got it. So it's slightly better for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Note: 1% of PSAT takers nationwide become NMSS.

At Wilson, roughly .2% of the juniors cleared the bar this year.

NMSF is aimed at the top .5% per state.

I thought DC is automatically assigned the cut off of the highest state (usually NJ) without regard to the number of DC students.

11th graders in DC schools last year:

DCPS:2717
PCS: 1266
Private:1437 (est. from 21 private schools with high school grades in DC)

So roughly 5420 eleventh graders in DC schools last year (no data on how many took the test though). So the top .5% would have allowed DC 271 NMSF, but since we are locked with the score of the top state, we only got 39 which is only the top .007%.

1% of 5420 is 54, half that is 27. By using the cutoff of the top state, we get more NMSF.

oops, well, I didn't even take the PSAT, so ...

How do we get more NMSF? Don't we get fewer? Why are we at the highest level?

You mean why is our cut-off score the highest, or among the highest of the states (along with NJ, MA and NYC most years)? That's because a minority of DC juniors takes the PSAT, and most are private school students. The top 1% of the PSAT takers in the city are knocking it out of the park on the PSAT. In a state, far more not-so-academic kids are in the pool.

Thanks!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Note: 1% of PSAT takers nationwide become NMSS.

At Wilson, roughly .2% of the juniors cleared the bar this year.

So you are saying that out of the 40 +- kid from DC only one or two will get the NMSF ?

NMSF is aimed at the top .5% per state.

[Anonymous]

Why did this thread get bumped?

[Anonymous]

So long as it was bumped, in 2017 3 DC students won Natl Merit Scholarships.

One was a School Without Walls grad who now attends U of Chicago. The other two are brothers and were home schooled. One is attending U of Richmond, the other is at GWU.

https://patch.com/district-columbia/washingtondc/national-merit-scholarship-winners-washington-dc

[Anonymous]

Semifinalist is top 1%. So DC should have 54.