Lowell High School admissions will return to merit-based system after S.F. school board vote

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Lowell High School will return to academic-based admissions, the San Francisco Board of Education decided Wednesday evening in a 4-3 vote.

The board's decision restores merit-based admissions for the 2023-24 school year at Lowell, which had been suspended during the pandemic in favor of lottery-based admissions.

The board had decided in early 2021 to make the lottery-based admissions permanent, but a Superior Court judge ruled late last year that the board had violated California's open meeting law. The judge's ruling came too late for the 2022 academic year.

The board's vote on Wednesday turned down a recommendation from Superintendent Vince Matthews to keep the lottery system in place for another year."

https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/Board-Of-Education-Votes-To-Return-Merit-Based-17259839.php

I think public schools should base junior high/middle school and high school merit programs on a combination of stats and school.

Let test schools base admissions on stats, or stats plus reasonably objective holistic standards (essays and recommendations, activities), but require the test school to choose at least half of the class by taking a certain number of top-performing kids from each grade school, junior high or middle school, or school zone.

That way, the test school creates space for the kinds of kids who’d be wildly out of place in ordinary schools (maybe it could choose half of the class based solely on stats, if it wants), but great, motivated kids at rotten schools still have a chance to show they’re great, too.

Example: My understanding is that, for dumb education politics reasons, high-performing Black kids in low-income grade schools often have access only to “regular track” math classes. White, Asian and high-income Black kids usually have an easy time moving one grade level higher in math. That means great Black students may be one year behind in math when taking test school admission exams, through no fault of their own.

Basing test school admissions partly on school helps compensate for those types of opportunity differences.

That's exactly what they're doing with the new system at TJ.

It's lame. You end up with half a dozen kids from each "under-represented" middle school at TJ who are far behind their peers, and meanwhile the vast majority of kids at those "ordinary schools" have fewer options.

The fact that there is a noisy group of narcissistic TJ alumni (TJ Alumni Action Group) who think they are doing good doesn't change the fact that TJ has become an empty exercise in virtue signaling. It should be shut down ASAP

Yeah, no. It's doing just fine.

I heard they were so much more capable than the 3rd tier preppers that they were able to close the gap in no time.

There is only one reason that the 87th best student at Carson used to have a better chance at TJ than the 2nd best student at, say, Herndon.

And it's because the kid at Carson had access to TJ prep opportunities - and a community understanding of the admissions process from an early age - that the kid at Herndon could never have dreamed o

It's sad admissions were so rigged against regular people and so easily gamed by those in the know.

so true

What if the 87th person at Carson is smarter/more talented/higher IQ than the 2nd person at Herndon

Because this is what is happening now and it makes the whole TJ experience a joke. Does your employer take 5 employees from each state or do they take the top applicants period?

The indications are they have a lower IQ but were able to present as 87th only because of extensive prep and are typically below average.

Yes, the new process yielded an smarter more capable cohort than the previous system by replacing the low end preppers with naturally gifted students from less affluent schools who simply lacked access to those advantages.

there is 0 evidence this exists. Someone not even taking Algebra until 8th grade does not belong in a STEM focused school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Lowell High School will return to academic-based admissions, the San Francisco Board of Education decided Wednesday evening in a 4-3 vote.

The board's decision restores merit-based admissions for the 2023-24 school year at Lowell, which had been suspended during the pandemic in favor of lottery-based admissions.

The board had decided in early 2021 to make the lottery-based admissions permanent, but a Superior Court judge ruled late last year that the board had violated California's open meeting law. The judge's ruling came too late for the 2022 academic year.

The board's vote on Wednesday turned down a recommendation from Superintendent Vince Matthews to keep the lottery system in place for another year."

https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/Board-Of-Education-Votes-To-Return-Merit-Based-17259839.php

I think public schools should base junior high/middle school and high school merit programs on a combination of stats and school.

Let test schools base admissions on stats, or stats plus reasonably objective holistic standards (essays and recommendations, activities), but require the test school to choose at least half of the class by taking a certain number of top-performing kids from each grade school, junior high or middle school, or school zone.

That way, the test school creates space for the kinds of kids who’d be wildly out of place in ordinary schools (maybe it could choose half of the class based solely on stats, if it wants), but great, motivated kids at rotten schools still have a chance to show they’re great, too.

Example: My understanding is that, for dumb education politics reasons, high-performing Black kids in low-income grade schools often have access only to “regular track” math classes. White, Asian and high-income Black kids usually have an easy time moving one grade level higher in math. That means great Black students may be one year behind in math when taking test school admission exams, through no fault of their own.

Basing test school admissions partly on school helps compensate for those types of opportunity differences.

That's exactly what they're doing with the new system at TJ.

It's lame. You end up with half a dozen kids from each "under-represented" middle school at TJ who are far behind their peers, and meanwhile the vast majority of kids at those "ordinary schools" have fewer options.

The fact that there is a noisy group of narcissistic TJ alumni (TJ Alumni Action Group) who think they are doing good doesn't change the fact that TJ has become an empty exercise in virtue signaling. It should be shut down ASAP

Yeah, no. It's doing just fine.

I heard they were so much more capable than the 3rd tier preppers that they were able to close the gap in no time.

There is only one reason that the 87th best student at Carson used to have a better chance at TJ than the 2nd best student at, say, Herndon.

And it's because the kid at Carson had access to TJ prep opportunities - and a community understanding of the admissions process from an early age - that the kid at Herndon could never have dreamed o

It's sad admissions were so rigged against regular people and so easily gamed by those in the know.

so true

What if the 87th person at Carson is smarter/more talented/higher IQ than the 2nd person at Herndon

Because this is what is happening now and it makes the whole TJ experience a joke. Does your employer take 5 employees from each state or do they take the top applicants period?

The indications are they have a lower IQ but were able to present as 87th only because of extensive prep and are typically below average.

Yes, the new process yielded an smarter more capable cohort than the previous system by replacing the low end preppers with naturally gifted students from less affluent schools who simply lacked access to those advantages.

there is 0 evidence this exists. Someone not even taking Algebra until 8th grade does not belong in a STEM focused school.

Not sure about that but there's definitely no evidence that it isn't true and it does make a lot of sense.

[Anonymous]

look AAP has the smartest kids. Folks in AAP should continue to get in vs random kids from other schools

The real focus should be on AAP and making sure there are more URM getting in there vs pushing parents getting their smart but not gifted kids in there.

Trying to do it during TJ admissions is too late and unfair to folks in AAP who again are most deserving of the spots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Lowell High School will return to academic-based admissions, the San Francisco Board of Education decided Wednesday evening in a 4-3 vote.

The board's decision restores merit-based admissions for the 2023-24 school year at Lowell, which had been suspended during the pandemic in favor of lottery-based admissions.

The board had decided in early 2021 to make the lottery-based admissions permanent, but a Superior Court judge ruled late last year that the board had violated California's open meeting law. The judge's ruling came too late for the 2022 academic year.

The board's vote on Wednesday turned down a recommendation from Superintendent Vince Matthews to keep the lottery system in place for another year."

https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/Board-Of-Education-Votes-To-Return-Merit-Based-17259839.php

I think public schools should base junior high/middle school and high school merit programs on a combination of stats and school.

Let test schools base admissions on stats, or stats plus reasonably objective holistic standards (essays and recommendations, activities), but require the test school to choose at least half of the class by taking a certain number of top-performing kids from each grade school, junior high or middle school, or school zone.

That way, the test school creates space for the kinds of kids who’d be wildly out of place in ordinary schools (maybe it could choose half of the class based solely on stats, if it wants), but great, motivated kids at rotten schools still have a chance to show they’re great, too.

Example: My understanding is that, for dumb education politics reasons, high-performing Black kids in low-income grade schools often have access only to “regular track” math classes. White, Asian and high-income Black kids usually have an easy time moving one grade level higher in math. That means great Black students may be one year behind in math when taking test school admission exams, through no fault of their own.

Basing test school admissions partly on school helps compensate for those types of opportunity differences.

That's exactly what they're doing with the new system at TJ.

It's lame. You end up with half a dozen kids from each "under-represented" middle school at TJ who are far behind their peers, and meanwhile the vast majority of kids at those "ordinary schools" have fewer options.

The fact that there is a noisy group of narcissistic TJ alumni (TJ Alumni Action Group) who think they are doing good doesn't change the fact that TJ has become an empty exercise in virtue signaling. It should be shut down ASAP

Yeah, no. It's doing just fine.

I heard they were so much more capable than the 3rd tier preppers that they were able to close the gap in no time.

There is only one reason that the 87th best student at Carson used to have a better chance at TJ than the 2nd best student at, say, Herndon.

And it's because the kid at Carson had access to TJ prep opportunities - and a community understanding of the admissions process from an early age - that the kid at Herndon could never have dreamed o

It's sad admissions were so rigged against regular people and so easily gamed by those in the know.

so true

What if the 87th person at Carson is smarter/more talented/higher IQ than the 2nd person at Herndon

Because this is what is happening now and it makes the whole TJ experience a joke. Does your employer take 5 employees from each state or do they take the top applicants period?

The indications are they have a lower IQ but were able to present as 87th only because of extensive prep and are typically below average.

Yes, the new process yielded an smarter more capable cohort than the previous system by replacing the low end preppers with naturally gifted students from less affluent schools who simply lacked access to those advantages.

there is 0 evidence this exists. Someone not even taking Algebra until 8th grade does not belong in a STEM focused school.

Not sure about that but there's definitely no evidence that it isn't true and it does make a lot of sense.

agree

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Lowell High School will return to academic-based admissions, the San Francisco Board of Education decided Wednesday evening in a 4-3 vote.

The board's decision restores merit-based admissions for the 2023-24 school year at Lowell, which had been suspended during the pandemic in favor of lottery-based admissions.

The board had decided in early 2021 to make the lottery-based admissions permanent, but a Superior Court judge ruled late last year that the board had violated California's open meeting law. The judge's ruling came too late for the 2022 academic year.

The board's vote on Wednesday turned down a recommendation from Superintendent Vince Matthews to keep the lottery system in place for another year."

https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/Board-Of-Education-Votes-To-Return-Merit-Based-17259839.php

I think public schools should base junior high/middle school and high school merit programs on a combination of stats and school.

Let test schools base admissions on stats, or stats plus reasonably objective holistic standards (essays and recommendations, activities), but require the test school to choose at least half of the class by taking a certain number of top-performing kids from each grade school, junior high or middle school, or school zone.

That way, the test school creates space for the kinds of kids who’d be wildly out of place in ordinary schools (maybe it could choose half of the class based solely on stats, if it wants), but great, motivated kids at rotten schools still have a chance to show they’re great, too.

Example: My understanding is that, for dumb education politics reasons, high-performing Black kids in low-income grade schools often have access only to “regular track” math classes. White, Asian and high-income Black kids usually have an easy time moving one grade level higher in math. That means great Black students may be one year behind in math when taking test school admission exams, through no fault of their own.

Basing test school admissions partly on school helps compensate for those types of opportunity differences.

That's exactly what they're doing with the new system at TJ.

It's lame. You end up with half a dozen kids from each "under-represented" middle school at TJ who are far behind their peers, and meanwhile the vast majority of kids at those "ordinary schools" have fewer options.

The fact that there is a noisy group of narcissistic TJ alumni (TJ Alumni Action Group) who think they are doing good doesn't change the fact that TJ has become an empty exercise in virtue signaling. It should be shut down ASAP

Yeah, no. It's doing just fine.

I heard they were so much more capable than the 3rd tier preppers that they were able to close the gap in no time.

There is only one reason that the 87th best student at Carson used to have a better chance at TJ than the 2nd best student at, say, Herndon.

And it's because the kid at Carson had access to TJ prep opportunities - and a community understanding of the admissions process from an early age - that the kid at Herndon could never have dreamed o

It's sad admissions were so rigged against regular people and so easily gamed by those in the know.

so true

What if the 87th person at Carson is smarter/more talented/higher IQ than the 2nd person at Herndon

Because this is what is happening now and it makes the whole TJ experience a joke. Does your employer take 5 employees from each state or do they take the top applicants period?

Well, elite colleges take the best students that they can find from each geographical area rather than just a group of students pulled form artificially "objective" process, and it works pretty well for them. So I'm going to go out on a limb and say that TJ is going to be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:look AAP has the smartest kids. Folks in AAP should continue to get in vs random kids from other schools

The real focus should be on AAP and making sure there are more URM getting in there vs pushing parents getting their smart but not gifted kids in there.

Trying to do it during TJ admissions is too late and unfair to folks in AAP who again are most deserving of the spots.

AAP kids still are FAR outpacing kids in Gen Ed in getting into TJ.

What the new system is doing is allowing kids who for whatever reason aren't in AAP but still are high-performing a shot to get into the school.

There are a lot of reasons that kids aren't in AAP centers that go beyond "not being smart enough".