Top ranked at base school but bottom at TJ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s amazing how so many TJ parents here don’t even mention the IBET cohort and the fact that many students start with Geometry in the 8th grade do very well.

Even the TJ outreach committee addressed this topic several times during their Q and A and strongly encouraged kids to take Geometry at TJ because the one offered in middle school or summer is not as deep and intense as the one at TJ.

Why are people spreading FUD about TJ?

I would be surprised to hear that the TJ Outreach Committee had been telling parents that their kids are better served taking Geometry at TJ 3 years ago. I would guess that is being said more now because they are concerned about kids taking Geometry over the summer to catch up with the kids who are in Algebra II at TJ. Kids have been attending TJ having completed Geometry at the MS for years and thriving at TJ, so I doubt that it has anything to do with how the MS teach Geometry.

My kid took Geometry over the summer and is getting As in TJ math despite other kids not getting As.

The message boards here have plenty of topics discussing kids dropping out of Geometry in the summer or expunging the grade and retaking it. It is not an easy class for most students. I think kids with innate math skills would be fine. I think kids with previous exposure would be fine. I think plenty of kids might be able to make it through with a good grade and then later on find out that they have gaps in their knowledge because they took the class over the summer.

[Anonymous]

OP, here are a few things to consider.
1. Why didn't your kid take algebra I in 7th? I'd be concerned if the reason is that he just isn't especially strong in math.
2. Does your kid feel that the MS classes are way too easy for him and a huge waste of his time?
3. Does he feel like he needs a lot more rigor than what he's getting, or is he pretty comfortable in his MS classes?
4. Do the MS math and science teachers view him as one of the strongest kids they've ever had?

I think a kid could do well at TJ even in 8th grade Algebra if the answer is yes for #2, #4, and the first part of #3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s amazing how so many TJ parents here don’t even mention the IBET cohort and the fact that many students start with Geometry in the 8th grade do very well.

Even the TJ outreach committee addressed this topic several times during their Q and A and strongly encouraged kids to take Geometry at TJ because the one offered in middle school or summer is not as deep and intense as the one at TJ.

Why are people spreading FUD about TJ?

I would be surprised to hear that the TJ Outreach Committee had been telling parents that their kids are better served taking Geometry at TJ 3 years ago. I would guess that is being said more now because they are concerned about kids taking Geometry over the summer to catch up with the kids who are in Algebra II at TJ. Kids have been attending TJ having completed Geometry at the MS for years and thriving at TJ, so I doubt that it has anything to do with how the MS teach Geometry.

My kid took Geometry over the summer and is getting As in TJ math despite other kids not getting As.

Summer geometry is tricky, because there's going to be a huge difference in outcomes between the kids taking it between 7th and 8th to reach Algebra II in 8th vs. those who are taking it between 8th and 9th. The first group is on average much more mathematically talented. There's also going to be a huge difference in outcomes between the kids who have already taken geometry through outside enrichment programs and are just jumping through a FCPS hoop vs. the kids who haven't already learned most of the course content.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a 90% chance that your kid is not going to be in the top 10% at TJ.

This "is likely to be among the top of the class after accepting their TJ offer" would lead to pressure that could lead to cheating...

Go to TJ, do the best that you can and dont try to force yourself to be among the top x% of TJ. This would kill all the joy of attending TJ.

Given the math level, I would modify the above and say there is a more than 95% chance that your kid will not be in the top 10% at TJ.

False, the math level is not directly related to these outcomes. Some schools lack the same opportunities as others. Being in Calc BC as a freshman won't put you at the top of the class. This isn't even a strong intelligence indicator as much as outside enrichment and high-SES schools, where there are more opportunities for acceleration.

Fair or not, if you didn't have that opportunity, then you are not well prepared. A bright but not exceptional kid might be able to middle their easy through TJ with reasonable results but even they are much more likely to get better results at their base school. An exceptionally intelligent student from an under resourced school can overcome their lack of preparation but TJ is not selection for intelligence. If TJ really wanted to find the "diamonds in the rough" it would use a standardized test to identify them. Sure some kids don't test will but that is a tiny minority. Standardized tests catch almost all the smart kids. This is why places like Harvard have returned to test required.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s amazing how so many TJ parents here don’t even mention the IBET cohort and the fact that many students start with Geometry in the 8th grade do very well.

Even the TJ outreach committee addressed this topic several times during their Q and A and strongly encouraged kids to take Geometry at TJ because the one offered in middle school or summer is not as deep and intense as the one at TJ.

Why are people spreading FUD about TJ?

I would be surprised to hear that the TJ Outreach Committee had been telling parents that their kids are better served taking Geometry at TJ 3 years ago. I would guess that is being said more now because they are concerned about kids taking Geometry over the summer to catch up with the kids who are in Algebra II at TJ. Kids have been attending TJ having completed Geometry at the MS for years and thriving at TJ, so I doubt that it has anything to do with how the MS teach Geometry.

My kid took Geometry over the summer and is getting As in TJ math despite other kids not getting As.

The message boards here have plenty of topics discussing kids dropping out of Geometry in the summer or expunging the grade and retaking it. It is not an easy class for most students. I think kids with innate math skills would be fine. I think kids with previous exposure would be fine. I think plenty of kids might be able to make it through with a good grade and then later on find out that they have gaps in their knowledge because they took the class over the summer.

If you are struggling with geometry over the summer, TJ is going to be very challenging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s amazing how so many TJ parents here don’t even mention the IBET cohort and the fact that many students start with Geometry in the 8th grade do very well.

Even the TJ outreach committee addressed this topic several times during their Q and A and strongly encouraged kids to take Geometry at TJ because the one offered in middle school or summer is not as deep and intense as the one at TJ.

Why are people spreading FUD about TJ?

I would be surprised to hear that the TJ Outreach Committee had been telling parents that their kids are better served taking Geometry at TJ 3 years ago. I would guess that is being said more now because they are concerned about kids taking Geometry over the summer to catch up with the kids who are in Algebra II at TJ. Kids have been attending TJ having completed Geometry at the MS for years and thriving at TJ, so I doubt that it has anything to do with how the MS teach Geometry.

My kid took Geometry over the summer and is getting As in TJ math despite other kids not getting As.

The message boards here have plenty of topics discussing kids dropping out of Geometry in the summer or expunging the grade and retaking it. It is not an easy class for most students. I think kids with innate math skills would be fine. I think kids with previous exposure would be fine. I think plenty of kids might be able to make it through with a good grade and then later on find out that they have gaps in their knowledge because they took the class over the summer.

If you are struggling with geometry over the summer, TJ is going to be very challenging.

Geometry is a one semester course at TJ so the summer version is probably easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s amazing how so many TJ parents here don’t even mention the IBET cohort and the fact that many students start with Geometry in the 8th grade do very well.

Even the TJ outreach committee addressed this topic several times during their Q and A and strongly encouraged kids to take Geometry at TJ because the one offered in middle school or summer is not as deep and intense as the one at TJ.

Why are people spreading FUD about TJ?

I would be surprised to hear that the TJ Outreach Committee had been telling parents that their kids are better served taking Geometry at TJ 3 years ago. I would guess that is being said more now because they are concerned about kids taking Geometry over the summer to catch up with the kids who are in Algebra II at TJ. Kids have been attending TJ having completed Geometry at the MS for years and thriving at TJ, so I doubt that it has anything to do with how the MS teach Geometry.

My kid took Geometry over the summer and is getting As in TJ math despite other kids not getting As.

The message boards here have plenty of topics discussing kids dropping out of Geometry in the summer or expunging the grade and retaking it. It is not an easy class for most students. I think kids with innate math skills would be fine. I think kids with previous exposure would be fine. I think plenty of kids might be able to make it through with a good grade and then later on find out that they have gaps in their knowledge because they took the class over the summer.

If you are struggling with geometry over the summer, TJ is going to be very challenging.

Geometry is a one semester course at TJ so the summer version is probably easier.

The summer version is 6 weeks so it's much harder

[Anonymous]

They can do summer school or some outside classes to catch up.

[Anonymous]

Outside classes as in tutoring?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC is seeking confirmation on whether a middle school student with mostly A grades and a near-4.0 GPA, who will complete Algebra 1 in 8th grade, is likely to be among the top of the class after accepting their TJ offer. Based on feedback from current TJ parents, students entering with only Algebra 1 may face a steep learning curve to keep pace with peers who have progressed further in pre-calculus based math. How true is this?

So, is your DC offered admission?

[Anonymous]

The admissions team explicitly states you do not need geometry before being admitted and you certainly should not feel the need to take it during summer school. The woman presenter seemed very tired of hearing about that misconception.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The admissions team explicitly states you do not need geometry before being admitted and you certainly should not feel the need to take it during summer school. The woman presenter seemed very tired of hearing about that misconception.

Admissions team looks to build a diverse class, and which apparently is not possible unless algebra 1 students are included. So about 20% start with TJ Math1&2 which is Geometry while the majority start with Algebra 2 or higher and complete at least Calc BC or multivariable or few even go higher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The admissions team explicitly states you do not need geometry before being admitted and you certainly should not feel the need to take it during summer school. The woman presenter seemed very tired of hearing about that misconception.

This is what presenter said at our school too but of the kids at school accepted this year were all in algebra 2 in 8th grade except for 1. The kids all knew and talk to each other on who did essays so kids quickly shared results.

[Anonymous]

My kid is a genius, had a 4.0 at base school and is a mix of Bs and As at TJ. Almost failed Spanish. So, no, it's not easy to be the top at TJ at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a genius, had a 4.0 at base school and is a mix of Bs and As at TJ. Almost failed Spanish. So, no, it's not easy to be the top at TJ at all.

What colleges do these kids go to that get the Bs and As? Aren’t they the ones that go to UVA? If so, then to me same result for these A/B at TJ kids as if they had gone to base because base schools send so few to Ivy.

Many on here post about better to stay at base if want to go ivy, but everyone seems to be banking on their kid staying and being #1, but even if #1 at base, base schools send SO few to ivy and at least in past 30-40 going from TJ. Even more so if thought is if get A and Bs at TJ don’t get ivys, but do get but UVA, then seems even more no brainer to go to TJ. Didn’t 50 kids actually GO to UVA from TJ last year so even more accepted that didn’t go? And then if other 30-40 went to ivy schools (who likely all had offers at UVa as a backup)- to me that seems much much better odds for colleges being TJ. Does this year’s data show that’s wrong conclusion now?