National Merit Semifinalist for DMV Private Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The way this works is all so screwy. My kid missed the cutoff in DC by one point. He would be a NMSF if he went to school in VA or MD. Doesn't seem to make much sense. Oh well...

Oh well indeed. He did not make the cut with his DC cohort. Everyone can find another cohort to make the cut with ... Alabama, Montana, or prison (GED)!!
What's so screwy about not making the bar in one's cohort?

Get a life folk. Be grateful for your own unique gifts.

It's not that he didn't make the cut in the DC cohort...for some random reason, the cutoff for DC is automatically the cutoff of the highest state. DC kids aren't compared to other DC kids. This year, they were compared to NJ kids, last year MD kids, etc. I don't understand why DC kids are held to this higher standard. It's not logical.

Sure it is.

Without this rule, the DC cut off would be even higher based on the relatively large number of extremely high scorers.

Tying DC to The highest state is giving DC a slight break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The way this works is all so screwy. My kid missed the cutoff in DC by one point. He would be a NMSF if he went to school in VA or MD. Doesn't seem to make much sense. Oh well...

Oh well indeed. He did not make the cut with his DC cohort. Everyone can find another cohort to make the cut with ... Alabama, Montana, or prison (GED)!!
What's so screwy about not making the bar in one's cohort?

Get a life folk. Be grateful for your own unique gifts.

It's not that he didn't make the cut in the DC cohort...for some random reason, the cutoff for DC is automatically the cutoff of the highest state. DC kids aren't compared to other DC kids. This year, they were compared to NJ kids, last year MD kids, etc. I don't understand why DC kids are held to this higher standard. It's not logical.

Sure it is.

Without this rule, the DC cut off would be even higher based on the relatively large number of extremely high scorers.

Tying DC to The highest state is giving DC a slight break.

This is sarcasm, right?
But in case it is not, DC cut-off would have been much much lower without tying it to the highest state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The way this works is all so screwy. My kid missed the cutoff in DC by one point. He would be a NMSF if he went to school in VA or MD. Doesn't seem to make much sense. Oh well...

Oh well indeed. He did not make the cut with his DC cohort. Everyone can find another cohort to make the cut with ... Alabama, Montana, or prison (GED)!!
What's so screwy about not making the bar in one's cohort?

Get a life folk. Be grateful for your own unique gifts.

It's not that he didn't make the cut in the DC cohort...for some random reason, the cutoff for DC is automatically the cutoff of the highest state. DC kids aren't compared to other DC kids. This year, they were compared to NJ kids, last year MD kids, etc. I don't understand why DC kids are held to this higher standard. It's not logical.

It's because DC is not a State.
It's not just DC, it applies to overseas territories and US students overseas.

Then, why choosing the highest cutoff? why not the average cutoff?

[Anonymous]

I can't find the stat but at some point within the past 10 years or so there was a study that showed that NW DC (by zip code, if I remember correctly--maybe 20016?) had the highest average SAT in the nation. I remember reading about it on DCUM and then I successfully googled it; however, I can't find it today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The way this works is all so screwy. My kid missed the cutoff in DC by one point. He would be a NMSF if he went to school in VA or MD. Doesn't seem to make much sense. Oh well...

Oh well indeed. He did not make the cut with his DC cohort. Everyone can find another cohort to make the cut with ... Alabama, Montana, or prison (GED)!!
What's so screwy about not making the bar in one's cohort?

Get a life folk. Be grateful for your own unique gifts.

It's not that he didn't make the cut in the DC cohort...for some random reason, the cutoff for DC is automatically the cutoff of the highest state. DC kids aren't compared to other DC kids. This year, they were compared to NJ kids, last year MD kids, etc. I don't understand why DC kids are held to this higher standard. It's not logical.

Sure it is.

Without this rule, the DC cut off would be even higher based on the relatively large number of extremely high scorers.

Tying DC to The highest state is giving DC a slight break.

This is sarcasm, right?
But in case it is not, DC cut-off would have been much much lower without tying it to the highest state.

No, it is true. If DC's segment were allocated by percentage of total graduating seniors in U.S. like the rest of the country, we would only have 16 NMSF, and the cut scores would be based on the top dozen or so test takers in DC. That would be a very high score. Using the highest state cut lets more DC kid qualify. DC usually has 30-40 when you use the current method, as opposed to the 16 we'd get under the state allocation method.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't find the stat but at some point within the past 10 years or so there was a study that showed that NW DC (by zip code, if I remember correctly--maybe 20016?) had the highest average SAT in the nation. I remember reading about it on DCUM and then I successfully googled it; however, I can't find it today.

previous poster again.

OK, the stat is that DC had the Highest average SAT score for WHITE students in the United States (~1250) . And the biggest white/black SAT gap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Walls: 6
Sidwell: 5
GDS: 4
STA: 3
Gonzaga: 3
NCS: 2
SAAS: 2
Basis DC: 1
JR/Wilson: 1
Maret: 1
WIS: 1
Whittle: 1

Impressive results for DC public schools:

Public: 8
Private: 22

Walls beat every private school in the DC—kudos to them!

And, for privates, Gonzaga bested NCS and SAAS.

What does this look like per capita?

Whittle 1/20 5%
Sidwell: 5/125 4%
Walls: 6/150 4%
SAAS: 2/50 4%
STA: 3/80 3.75%
GDS: 4/125 3.2%
NCS: 2/80 2.5%
Basis DC: 1/50 2%
Gonzaga: 3/225 1.3%
WIS: 1/80 1.3%
Maret: 1/125 0.8%
JR/Wilson: 1/375 0.2%

GDS has 125 students in class 2023? Isn't each grade in GDS upper school ~150 students?

4/150 2.7%

I dont know why you are so invested in this. My DC is a senior at GDS and the kids couldn’t care less about the PSAT. The school does not push PSAT.
But if it makes you feel better…

Just correcting the record pal. Don’t get your panties in a knot.

Not PP, but... You didn't correct anything, pal. You don't even know the number of seniors there. (But I just corrected your grammar.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The way this works is all so screwy. My kid missed the cutoff in DC by one point. He would be a NMSF if he went to school in VA or MD. Doesn't seem to make much sense. Oh well...

Oh well indeed. He did not make the cut with his DC cohort. Everyone can find another cohort to make the cut with ... Alabama, Montana, or prison (GED)!!
What's so screwy about not making the bar in one's cohort?

Get a life folk. Be grateful for your own unique gifts.

It's not that he didn't make the cut in the DC cohort...for some random reason, the cutoff for DC is automatically the cutoff of the highest state. DC kids aren't compared to other DC kids. This year, they were compared to NJ kids, last year MD kids, etc. I don't understand why DC kids are held to this higher standard. It's not logical.

Sure it is.

Without this rule, the DC cut off would be even higher based on the relatively large number of extremely high scorers.

Tying DC to The highest state is giving DC a slight break.

This is sarcasm, right?
But in case it is not, DC cut-off would have been much much lower without tying it to the highest state.

No, it is true. If DC's segment were allocated by percentage of total graduating seniors in U.S. like the rest of the country, we would only have 16 NMSF, and the cut scores would be based on the top dozen or so test takers in DC. That would be a very high score. Using the highest state cut lets more DC kid qualify. DC usually has 30-40 when you use the current method, as opposed to the 16 we'd get under the state allocation method.

I understand what you are saying but the problem is the cut-off is not based on the top performers of the state but on the OVERALL performance of the state.
So if DC was a state, it would be allocated about 16 NMSFs but the cut-off would be lower.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The way this works is all so screwy. My kid missed the cutoff in DC by one point. He would be a NMSF if he went to school in VA or MD. Doesn't seem to make much sense. Oh well...

Oh well indeed. He did not make the cut with his DC cohort. Everyone can find another cohort to make the cut with ... Alabama, Montana, or prison (GED)!!
What's so screwy about not making the bar in one's cohort?

Get a life folk. Be grateful for your own unique gifts.

It's not that he didn't make the cut in the DC cohort...for some random reason, the cutoff for DC is automatically the cutoff of the highest state. DC kids aren't compared to other DC kids. This year, they were compared to NJ kids, last year MD kids, etc. I don't understand why DC kids are held to this higher standard. It's not logical.

Sure it is.

Without this rule, the DC cut off would be even higher based on the relatively large number of extremely high scorers.

Tying DC to The highest state is giving DC a slight break.

This is sarcasm, right?
But in case it is not, DC cut-off would have been much much lower without tying it to the highest state.

No, it is true. If DC's segment were allocated by percentage of total graduating seniors in U.S. like the rest of the country, we would only have 16 NMSF, and the cut scores would be based on the top dozen or so test takers in DC. That would be a very high score. Using the highest state cut lets more DC kid qualify. DC usually has 30-40 when you use the current method, as opposed to the 16 we'd get under the state allocation method.

I understand what you are saying but the problem is the cut-off is not based on the top performers of the state but on the OVERALL performance of the state.
So if DC was a state, it would be allocated about 16 NMSFs but the cut-off would be lower.

That makes no sense. And it isn't correct. Why would the cut off be lower if only 16 were awarded?

The state by state qualifying score is set at whatever score will get them closest to having the right percentage of kids qualifying in each state based on the proportional rule, which usually works out to less than the top 1% of scores (the actual percentage varies year to year, and state to state). So DC's score would be set at whatever number was needed to only qualify ~16 students (including ties for the lowest of those). You seem to think the 16 kids who would have been the ones from whom the cut score was derived all would have scored lower than the current qualifying score -- which obviously isn't the case since more that 30 kids met the current qualifying score, ergo the top 16 of those kids likely had scores higher than the cut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The way this works is all so screwy. My kid missed the cutoff in DC by one point. He would be a NMSF if he went to school in VA or MD. Doesn't seem to make much sense. Oh well...

Oh well indeed. He did not make the cut with his DC cohort. Everyone can find another cohort to make the cut with ... Alabama, Montana, or prison (GED)!!
What's so screwy about not making the bar in one's cohort?

Get a life folk. Be grateful for your own unique gifts.

It's not that he didn't make the cut in the DC cohort...for some random reason, the cutoff for DC is automatically the cutoff of the highest state. DC kids aren't compared to other DC kids. This year, they were compared to NJ kids, last year MD kids, etc. I don't understand why DC kids are held to this higher standard. It's not logical.

Sure it is.

Without this rule, the DC cut off would be even higher based on the relatively large number of extremely high scorers.

Tying DC to The highest state is giving DC a slight break.

This is sarcasm, right?
But in case it is not, DC cut-off would have been much much lower without tying it to the highest state.

No, it is true. If DC's segment were allocated by percentage of total graduating seniors in U.S. like the rest of the country, we would only have 16 NMSF, and the cut scores would be based on the top dozen or so test takers in DC. That would be a very high score. Using the highest state cut lets more DC kid qualify. DC usually has 30-40 when you use the current method, as opposed to the 16 we'd get under the state allocation method.

I understand what you are saying but the problem is the cut-off is not based on the top performers of the state but on the OVERALL performance of the state.
So if DC was a state, it would be allocated about 16 NMSFs but the cut-off would be lower.

That makes no sense. And it isn't correct. Why would the cut off be lower if only 16 were awarded?

The state by state qualifying score is set at whatever score will get them closest to having the right percentage of kids qualifying in each state based on the proportional rule, which usually works out to less than the top 1% of scores (the actual percentage varies year to year, and state to state). So DC's score would be set at whatever number was needed to only qualify ~16 students (including ties for the lowest of those). You seem to think the 16 kids who would have been the ones from whom the cut score was derived all would have scored lower than the current qualifying score -- which obviously isn't the case since more that 30 kids met the current qualifying score, ergo the top 16 of those kids likely had scores higher than the cut.

where does the "16 students" come from? DC's schools (public and private) have only 1600 students in grade 12?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The way this works is all so screwy. My kid missed the cutoff in DC by one point. He would be a NMSF if he went to school in VA or MD. Doesn't seem to make much sense. Oh well...

Oh well indeed. He did not make the cut with his DC cohort. Everyone can find another cohort to make the cut with ... Alabama, Montana, or prison (GED)!!
What's so screwy about not making the bar in one's cohort?

Get a life folk. Be grateful for your own unique gifts.

It's not that he didn't make the cut in the DC cohort...for some random reason, the cutoff for DC is automatically the cutoff of the highest state. DC kids aren't compared to other DC kids. This year, they were compared to NJ kids, last year MD kids, etc. I don't understand why DC kids are held to this higher standard. It's not logical.

Sure it is.

Without this rule, the DC cut off would be even higher based on the relatively large number of extremely high scorers.

Tying DC to The highest state is giving DC a slight break.

This is sarcasm, right?
But in case it is not, DC cut-off would have been much much lower without tying it to the highest state.

No, it is true. If DC's segment were allocated by percentage of total graduating seniors in U.S. like the rest of the country, we would only have 16 NMSF, and the cut scores would be based on the top dozen or so test takers in DC. That would be a very high score. Using the highest state cut lets more DC kid qualify. DC usually has 30-40 when you use the current method, as opposed to the 16 we'd get under the state allocation method.

I understand what you are saying but the problem is the cut-off is not based on the top performers of the state but on the OVERALL performance of the state.
So if DC was a state, it would be allocated about 16 NMSFs but the cut-off would be lower.

That makes no sense. And it isn't correct. Why would the cut off be lower if only 16 were awarded?

The state by state qualifying score is set at whatever score will get them closest to having the right percentage of kids qualifying in each state based on the proportional rule, which usually works out to less than the top 1% of scores (the actual percentage varies year to year, and state to state). So DC's score would be set at whatever number was needed to only qualify ~16 students (including ties for the lowest of those). You seem to think the 16 kids who would have been the ones from whom the cut score was derived all would have scored lower than the current qualifying score -- which obviously isn't the case since more that 30 kids met the current qualifying score, ergo the top 16 of those kids likely had scores higher than the cut.

where does the "16 students" come from? DC's schools (public and private) have only 1600 students in grade 12?

The state number is set by the state’s percentage of total u. s graduating seniors; which is why DC, a city, has a different process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The way this works is all so screwy. My kid missed the cutoff in DC by one point. He would be a NMSF if he went to school in VA or MD. Doesn't seem to make much sense. Oh well...

Oh well indeed. He did not make the cut with his DC cohort. Everyone can find another cohort to make the cut with ... Alabama, Montana, or prison (GED)!!
What's so screwy about not making the bar in one's cohort?

Get a life folk. Be grateful for your own unique gifts.

It's not that he didn't make the cut in the DC cohort...for some random reason, the cutoff for DC is automatically the cutoff of the highest state. DC kids aren't compared to other DC kids. This year, they were compared to NJ kids, last year MD kids, etc. I don't understand why DC kids are held to this higher standard. It's not logical.

Sure it is.

Without this rule, the DC cut off would be even higher based on the relatively large number of extremely high scorers.

Tying DC to The highest state is giving DC a slight break.

This is sarcasm, right?
But in case it is not, DC cut-off would have been much much lower without tying it to the highest state.

No, it is true. If DC's segment were allocated by percentage of total graduating seniors in U.S. like the rest of the country, we would only have 16 NMSF, and the cut scores would be based on the top dozen or so test takers in DC. That would be a very high score. Using the highest state cut lets more DC kid qualify. DC usually has 30-40 when you use the current method, as opposed to the 16 we'd get under the state allocation method.

I understand what you are saying but the problem is the cut-off is not based on the top performers of the state but on the OVERALL performance of the state.
So if DC was a state, it would be allocated about 16 NMSFs but the cut-off would be lower.

That makes no sense. And it isn't correct. Why would the cut off be lower if only 16 were awarded?

The state by state qualifying score is set at whatever score will get them closest to having the right percentage of kids qualifying in each state based on the proportional rule, which usually works out to less than the top 1% of scores (the actual percentage varies year to year, and state to state). So DC's score would be set at whatever number was needed to only qualify ~16 students (including ties for the lowest of those). You seem to think the 16 kids who would have been the ones from whom the cut score was derived all would have scored lower than the current qualifying score -- which obviously isn't the case since more that 30 kids met the current qualifying score, ergo the top 16 of those kids likely had scores higher than the cut.

The same way North Dakota and Wyoming have lower cut-off even though they are only awarded about the same amount.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The way this works is all so screwy. My kid missed the cutoff in DC by one point. He would be a NMSF if he went to school in VA or MD. Doesn't seem to make much sense. Oh well...

Oh well indeed. He did not make the cut with his DC cohort. Everyone can find another cohort to make the cut with ... Alabama, Montana, or prison (GED)!!
What's so screwy about not making the bar in one's cohort?

Get a life folk. Be grateful for your own unique gifts.

It's not that he didn't make the cut in the DC cohort...for some random reason, the cutoff for DC is automatically the cutoff of the highest state. DC kids aren't compared to other DC kids. This year, they were compared to NJ kids, last year MD kids, etc. I don't understand why DC kids are held to this higher standard. It's not logical.

Sure it is.

Without this rule, the DC cut off would be even higher based on the relatively large number of extremely high scorers.

Tying DC to The highest state is giving DC a slight break.

This is sarcasm, right?
But in case it is not, DC cut-off would have been much much lower without tying it to the highest state.

No, it is true. If DC's segment were allocated by percentage of total graduating seniors in U.S. like the rest of the country, we would only have 16 NMSF, and the cut scores would be based on the top dozen or so test takers in DC. That would be a very high score. Using the highest state cut lets more DC kid qualify. DC usually has 30-40 when you use the current method, as opposed to the 16 we'd get under the state allocation method.

I understand what you are saying but the problem is the cut-off is not based on the top performers of the state but on the OVERALL performance of the state.
So if DC was a state, it would be allocated about 16 NMSFs but the cut-off would be lower.

That makes no sense. And it isn't correct. Why would the cut off be lower if only 16 were awarded?

The state by state qualifying score is set at whatever score will get them closest to having the right percentage of kids qualifying in each state based on the proportional rule, which usually works out to less than the top 1% of scores (the actual percentage varies year to year, and state to state). So DC's score would be set at whatever number was needed to only qualify ~16 students (including ties for the lowest of those). You seem to think the 16 kids who would have been the ones from whom the cut score was derived all would have scored lower than the current qualifying score -- which obviously isn't the case since more that 30 kids met the current qualifying score, ergo the top 16 of those kids likely had scores higher than the cut.

The same way North Dakota and Wyoming have lower cut-off even though they are only awarded about the same amount.

There are way more high scoring kids in DC than in North Dakota or Wyoming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The way this works is all so screwy. My kid missed the cutoff in DC by one point. He would be a NMSF if he went to school in VA or MD. Doesn't seem to make much sense. Oh well...

Oh well indeed. He did not make the cut with his DC cohort. Everyone can find another cohort to make the cut with ... Alabama, Montana, or prison (GED)!!
What's so screwy about not making the bar in one's cohort?

Get a life folk. Be grateful for your own unique gifts.

It's not that he didn't make the cut in the DC cohort...for some random reason, the cutoff for DC is automatically the cutoff of the highest state. DC kids aren't compared to other DC kids. This year, they were compared to NJ kids, last year MD kids, etc. I don't understand why DC kids are held to this higher standard. It's not logical.

Sure it is.

Without this rule, the DC cut off would be even higher based on the relatively large number of extremely high scorers.

Tying DC to The highest state is giving DC a slight break.

This is sarcasm, right?
But in case it is not, DC cut-off would have been much much lower without tying it to the highest state.

No, it is true. If DC's segment were allocated by percentage of total graduating seniors in U.S. like the rest of the country, we would only have 16 NMSF, and the cut scores would be based on the top dozen or so test takers in DC. That would be a very high score. Using the highest state cut lets more DC kid qualify. DC usually has 30-40 when you use the current method, as opposed to the 16 we'd get under the state allocation method.

I understand what you are saying but the problem is the cut-off is not based on the top performers of the state but on the OVERALL performance of the state.
So if DC was a state, it would be allocated about 16 NMSFs but the cut-off would be lower.

That makes no sense. And it isn't correct. Why would the cut off be lower if only 16 were awarded?

The state by state qualifying score is set at whatever score will get them closest to having the right percentage of kids qualifying in each state based on the proportional rule, which usually works out to less than the top 1% of scores (the actual percentage varies year to year, and state to state). So DC's score would be set at whatever number was needed to only qualify ~16 students (including ties for the lowest of those). You seem to think the 16 kids who would have been the ones from whom the cut score was derived all would have scored lower than the current qualifying score -- which obviously isn't the case since more that 30 kids met the current qualifying score, ergo the top 16 of those kids likely had scores higher than the cut.

The same way North Dakota and Wyoming have lower cut-off even though they are only awarded about the same amount.

There are way more high scoring kids in DC than in North Dakota or Wyoming.

And there are lot more low scoring kids in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Walls: 6
Sidwell: 5
GDS: 4
STA: 3
Gonzaga: 3
NCS: 2
SAAS: 2
Basis DC: 1
JR/Wilson: 1
Maret: 1
WIS: 1
Whittle: 1

Impressive results for DC public schools:

Public: 8
Private: 22

Walls beat every private school in the DC—kudos to them!

And, for privates, Gonzaga bested NCS and SAAS.

What does this look like per capita?

Whittle 1/20 5%
Sidwell: 5/125 4%
Walls: 6/150 4%
SAAS: 2/50 4%
STA: 3/80 3.75%
GDS: 4/125 3.2%
NCS: 2/80 2.5%
Basis DC: 1/50 2%
Gonzaga: 3/225 1.3%
WIS: 1/80 1.3%
Maret: 1/125 0.8%
JR/Wilson: 1/375 0.2%

GDS has 125 students in class 2023? Isn't each grade in GDS upper school ~150 students?

4/150 2.7%

I dont know why you are so invested in this. My DC is a senior at GDS and the kids couldn’t care less about the PSAT. The school does not push PSAT.
But if it makes you feel better…

Just correcting the record pal. Don’t get your panties in a knot.

Not PP, but... You didn't correct anything, pal. You don't even know the number of seniors there. (But I just corrected your grammar.)

You corrected nothing. Unbunch your panties.