What is going on with TJ admissions this year?

[Anonymous]

So regarding the selection procedure of TJ students - What is it they are looking for after the top 1.5% of students are sorted?

If the Student portrait sheet and problem-solving essay are good, is the next step is they look if the student's math grades are good? Again in Math grades, will they prefer Algebra 1 or Geometry students if both students have Grade A?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have an eighth grader considering TJ. I was following TJ admissions last year but then lost track after appeals.

Is FCPS still doing the top kids from each middle school?
Will there still be extra weight on if you are free lunch or URM?
Will there be a test this year and when?

Yes to top kids from each middle school
Yes to students from economically disadvantaged families
No to racial groups - this has never been the case
No to a content oriented exam, but yes to a student portrait sheet

All of this subject to change based on court decisions coming up early this year.

Early this year? It's already August. Do you mean early next year? Or late this year?

Early this school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have an eighth grader considering TJ. I was following TJ admissions last year but then lost track after appeals.

Is FCPS still doing the top kids from each middle school?
Will there still be extra weight on if you are free lunch or URM?
Will there be a test this year and when?

Yes to top kids from each middle school
Yes to students from economically disadvantaged families
No to racial groups - this has never been the case
No to a content oriented exam, but yes to a student portrait sheet

All of this subject to change based on court decisions coming up early this year.

Are you seriously going to say there was no push to get more URMs?

There's a difference between "a push to get more students from underrepresented groups" and "extra weight if you are one". The former, yes, the latter, no.

The whole point of the portrait sheet and to a lesser extent the writing sample was to do this. Additionally there were actual bonus points for URM and FARMS folks.

Wasn’t that what the courts deemed illegal before fcps appealed?

The lawsuit lost on appeal no changes were made

The only thing I have to go on is a link to the sheet that was an exhibit from the lawsuit

I don't think anyone really knows what rubric was finally used.

The appeal is still pending. It will get argued on Sept. 16 and decided months later. One thing to keep in mind is that the Virginia Attorney General filed a brief and will be presenting an argument in favor of the lower court decision and the equal protection claim raised by Coalition for TJ.

He already essentially did this when he filed an amicus brief prior to the Fourth Circuit granting the emergency stay of Hilton’s decision.

Both Hilton’s decision and Miyares’ brief were essentially copied and pasted from the Coalition’s original filings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So regarding the selection procedure of TJ students - What is it they are looking for after the top 1.5% of students are sorted?

If the Student portrait sheet and problem-solving essay are good, is the next step is they look if the student's math grades are good? Again in Math grades, will they prefer Algebra 1 or Geometry students if both students have Grade A?

It's a point system that has been posted somewhere else on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So regarding the selection procedure of TJ students - What is it they are looking for after the top 1.5% of students are sorted?

If the Student portrait sheet and problem-solving essay are good, is the next step is they look if the student's math grades are good? Again in Math grades, will they prefer Algebra 1 or Geometry students if both students have Grade A?

They look at 3 things: SPS, problem-solving essay, GPA in selected classes. As far as we know, the first two are weighted equally and GPA is weighted much less. They add any experience factor points as appropriate. That's it. This creates a ranking of all applicants.

Take the top 1.5% from each school/division based on that ranking. Then take the top remaining applicants, also based on that ranking, until 550 total students have been selected.

Taking at least algebra is a requirement to be eligible to apply. There is no advantage to taking geometry or more advanced math.

Math grades are only relevant to the extent that they are a component of the GPA and the GPA is a component of the ranking.

Of course, all of this describes the system used to select the classes of 2025 and 2026, which is now obsolete.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So regarding the selection procedure of TJ students - What is it they are looking for after the top 1.5% of students are sorted?

If the Student portrait sheet and problem-solving essay are good, is the next step is they look if the student's math grades are good? Again in Math grades, will they prefer Algebra 1 or Geometry students if both students have Grade A?

It's a point system that has been posted somewhere else on DCUM.

A friend of mine who is connected claims it's going to be a lottery next year to put an end to all this nonsense once and for all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So regarding the selection procedure of TJ students - What is it they are looking for after the top 1.5% of students are sorted?

If the Student portrait sheet and problem-solving essay are good, is the next step is they look if the student's math grades are good? Again in Math grades, will they prefer Algebra 1 or Geometry students if both students have Grade A?

It's a point system that has been posted somewhere else on DCUM.

A friend of mine who is connected claims it's going to be a lottery next year to put an end to all this nonsense once and for all.

The lottery was thrown out. There is no way a lotter would pass with Youngkin as governor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So regarding the selection procedure of TJ students - What is it they are looking for after the top 1.5% of students are sorted?

If the Student portrait sheet and problem-solving essay are good, is the next step is they look if the student's math grades are good? Again in Math grades, will they prefer Algebra 1 or Geometry students if both students have Grade A?

It's a point system that has been posted somewhere else on DCUM.

A friend of mine who is connected claims it's going to be a lottery next year to put an end to all this nonsense once and for all.

The lottery was thrown out. There is no way a lotter would pass with Youngkin as governor.

He is a Governor, not a King. I have not memorized the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia but I doubt that the Governor is granted the power to determine how a specific school in the Commonwealth chooses its students. His Cabinet selections and other appointments can effect the Department of Education, and TJ through that, but they are not going to be able to say yes or no to a lottery at TJ. And TJ is a niche issue with a niche section of voters, outside of ads targeting the small group of parents obsessed with TJ, he is not running on reforming TJ admissions as a part of his platform.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So regarding the selection procedure of TJ students - What is it they are looking for after the top 1.5% of students are sorted?

If the Student portrait sheet and problem-solving essay are good, is the next step is they look if the student's math grades are good? Again in Math grades, will they prefer Algebra 1 or Geometry students if both students have Grade A?

It's a point system that has been posted somewhere else on DCUM.

A friend of mine who is connected claims it's going to be a lottery next year to put an end to all this nonsense once and for all.

The lottery was thrown out. There is no way a lotter would pass with Youngkin as governor.

He is a Governor, not a King. I have not memorized the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia but I doubt that the Governor is granted the power to determine how a specific school in the Commonwealth chooses its students. His Cabinet selections and other appointments can effect the Department of Education, and TJ through that, but they are not going to be able to say yes or no to a lottery at TJ. And TJ is a niche issue with a niche section of voters, outside of ads targeting the small group of parents obsessed with TJ, he is not running on reforming TJ admissions as a part of his platform.

But the Publicans think they can ignore the rule of law and feel they can act unilaterally in all matters. Look at Trump making off with classified documents. Anyone else would be in jail for treason for this nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So regarding the selection procedure of TJ students - What is it they are looking for after the top 1.5% of students are sorted?

If the Student portrait sheet and problem-solving essay are good, is the next step is they look if the student's math grades are good? Again in Math grades, will they prefer Algebra 1 or Geometry students if both students have Grade A?

It's a point system that has been posted somewhere else on DCUM.

A friend of mine who is connected claims it's going to be a lottery next year to put an end to all this nonsense once and for all.

A friend of mine says your friend is like Trump - full of it.

[Anonymous]

A lot of people are saying it's a lottery already, that the top kids are not getting in at their school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of people are saying it's a lottery already, that the top kids are not getting in at their school.

Chances are they have a very limited idea of what constitutes "top kids".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of people are saying it's a lottery already, that the top kids are not getting in at their school.

The facts indicate otherwise. The top kids from each shool are getting in. Some are angry mostly because they can't buy their way into the program like in years past.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of people are saying it's a lottery already, that the top kids are not getting in at their school.

The facts indicate otherwise. The top kids from each shool are getting in. Some are angry mostly because they can't buy their way into the program like in years past.

They're also angry that their kids weren't evaluated as the "top kids".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of people are saying it's a lottery already, that the top kids are not getting in at their school.

The facts indicate otherwise. The top kids from each shool are getting in. Some are angry mostly because they can't buy their way into the program like in years past.

+1

People choose to ignore inconvenient facts.