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Anonymous
The majority of TJ students have always started HS with Algebra 2. They take calculus in their junior year and they take electives in their senior year. That is very typical. |
Anonymous
Do you really think that FCPS only rely on those 4 MS to keep their TJ standard? So kids who gets in from Loudoun, Arlington, Falls Church doesn’t count? Last time I checked Loudoun still the wealthiest county in the US and they also have school similar to TJ that is popular. |
Anonymous
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Students enrolling in highest math rigor take Diff equations in senior year, Multi var in junior, and Calc BC in sophomore
Most common path is Multi var in senior year, Calc BC in junior Relaxed pace ends with Calc BC in senior year Minimum required to graduate is at least Calc AB by senior year Majority also enroll in AP statistics, and top students follow it up with one more semester of post-AP statistics. Even if students start off having completed or enrolling in Algebra 2, TJ offers summer school math and allows skipping Calc AB before BC that supports pursuing advanced math electives. Talk to your counselor on how best to take advantage of all advanced math electives TJ offers |
Anonymous
If they're so overburdened with childcare or other responsibilities that they cannot even escape for a single day for an academic competition, how on earth are they going to have the time to be successful TJ students? TJ is a huge time sink, even for the kids who are minimally participating in all that TJ has to offer. |
Anonymous
Yes, FCPS relies on those top four academically wealthy to fill half of its quota of 300+ seats each year. Each participating county has its own approximate allocation, and they too send academically wealthy students to avoid the hassle of freshman dropouts and suffering with poor grades. Even poor families can be academically wealthy, if they make academics their priority, as opposed to sports, arts, recreation, or just waste time and resources with no goal. There are tons of rich families who are academically poor, whose students never make it to TJ. |
Anonymous
Access to algebra in 6th isn't a "wealthy school" thing or a "TJ feeder" thing. Mosaic is a mid-SES school, and they have a crop of kids each year take Algebra in 6th. Kids who need it are skipped ahead 1-2 years in math even in Title I schools (like my kid). If you look at the vdoe stats, kids in 5th or 6th grade Algebra I as well as kids in 8th grade Algebra II come from a variety of schools (including Glasgow MS). Most of the kids entering in pre-calc didn't take Algebra in 6th, but instead took summer Geometry to get ahead. No one at all is concerned that a kid like yours entering in Algebra II is behind in any way. That's the most normal TJ track out there. The only kids who should be viewed as behind are the ones entering in Geometry. Before even starting high school, those kids have already missed the boat for any post-AP math, post-AP physics, or several computer science courses. |
Anonymous
| Does FCPS offer free summer geometry? |
Anonymous
But what if a kid has to watch their younger brother and can’t take free summer geometry? |
Anonymous
There can be additional obstacles but does FCPS even offer this? We haven’t looked into summer options at all. Just curious. |
Anonymous
No, but free meals kids are only charged $37.50 for the summer geometry course. Normally, it's $375.00. https://www.fcps.edu/academics/summer-learning/online-campus |
Anonymous
new enrollment is not free to discourage abuse by taking up limited spots and not even attending the course. FARMS may be no tuition, check with your school. Credit recovery is free for all though. |
Anonymous
The family has to figure it out. Frequently this means extended family and friends helping out. Are you honestly concerned or just trying to make excuses? Because a lot of poor families make a lot of painful sacrifices to get the same opportunities that affluent families can take for granted and in the end, their kids simply will not get the same opportunities. We are never going to make access to opportunity perfectly level in one generation but each generation has the ability to improve their position so that they can provide that opportunity to the next generation. Most of the asian boomers and gen x born here were not wealthy growing up but their children generally have had all the resources necessary to access opportunity. We see a similar generational improvement among hispanic millenials and gen z that were born here. They were frequently not born into affluent conditions but have the resources so their children can access opportunities. The stubborn problem is the legacy black community. It is a very hard thing to excise the less helpful parts of your culture without losing the structural integrity of the culture. The culture is changing for black women but doesn't seem to be improving for black men. |
Anonymous
Well said! Additionally, each new minority cohort that starts off at lower level should be celebrating and not dragging down the cohort that had advanced just before them. |
Anonymous
The things people will say to thin the herd. 
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Anonymous
My kid is at TJ and to be fair, I'm not sure how prep classes can help with the essays. You definitely want to take practice tests to get a feel for the timing and to get a few thoughts lined up. |