TJ results

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The tests and recs would end up looking similar. Asking teachers at some of the MS to write recs or do evaluations would mean no time for grading. How many kids apply from Carson, Longfellow, Cooper, Rocky Run, Kathrine Johnson and some of the others?

Mathcounts scores for winners, top 12, and the top 20 are separated by one or two answers.

If you are upset by this process, you are likely to be devastated by the College process in 4 years. When you have the number of applicants that apply to TJ, or the colleges I know you are targeting, the results are not going to be easily understood. Like it or not, there were 2,762 kids that met the criteria that the County set and the vast majority of those kids are 4.0 students in Geometry or A2H. They can’t all make it in.

Are you saying that testing would not result in a materially different entering class? Because that sounds pretty unlikely to me.

I think that most of the kids with A1H only and lower GPAs are coming from the schools filling quota and fewer from the feeder schools. I think that you have a lot of kids that look very similar on paper and tests are not going to change that because these are kids who excel in STEM and many have experience in competitions, math or science based. My kid is at Carson and participate in the STEM clubs, the kids who got in are not that different then the kids waitlisted. I could not tell you why the ones who got in where selected over the kids who were waitlisted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The tests and recs would end up looking similar. Asking teachers at some of the MS to write recs or do evaluations would mean no time for grading. How many kids apply from Carson, Longfellow, Cooper, Rocky Run, Kathrine Johnson and some of the others?

Mathcounts scores for winners, top 12, and the top 20 are separated by one or two answers.

If you are upset by this process, you are likely to be devastated by the College process in 4 years. When you have the number of applicants that apply to TJ, or the colleges I know you are targeting, the results are not going to be easily understood. Like it or not, there were 2,762 kids that met the criteria that the County set and the vast majority of those kids are 4.0 students in Geometry or A2H. They can’t all make it in.

Are you saying that testing would not result in a materially different entering class? Because that sounds pretty unlikely to me.

I think that most of the kids with A1H only and lower GPAs are coming from the schools filling quota and fewer from the feeder schools. I think that you have a lot of kids that look very similar on paper and tests are not going to change that because these are kids who excel in STEM and many have experience in competitions, math or science based. My kid is at Carson and participate in the STEM clubs, the kids who got in are not that different then the kids waitlisted. I could not tell you why the ones who got in where selected over the kids who were waitlisted.

The waitliested kids should've taken the essay writing class @Curie. My neighbor said it was like the golden ticket.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The tests and recs would end up looking similar. Asking teachers at some of the MS to write recs or do evaluations would mean no time for grading. How many kids apply from Carson, Longfellow, Cooper, Rocky Run, Kathrine Johnson and some of the others?

Mathcounts scores for winners, top 12, and the top 20 are separated by one or two answers.

If you are upset by this process, you are likely to be devastated by the College process in 4 years. When you have the number of applicants that apply to TJ, or the colleges I know you are targeting, the results are not going to be easily understood. Like it or not, there were 2,762 kids that met the criteria that the County set and the vast majority of those kids are 4.0 students in Geometry or A2H. They can’t all make it in.

Are you saying that testing would not result in a materially different entering class? Because that sounds pretty unlikely to me.

I think that most of the kids with A1H only and lower GPAs are coming from the schools filling quota and fewer from the feeder schools. I think that you have a lot of kids that look very similar on paper and tests are not going to change that because these are kids who excel in STEM and many have experience in competitions, math or science based. My kid is at Carson and participate in the STEM clubs, the kids who got in are not that different then the kids waitlisted. I could not tell you why the ones who got in where selected over the kids who were waitlisted.

The waitliested kids should've taken the essay writing class @Curie. My neighbor said it was like the golden ticket.

There are 500+ stuidents who are taking this at Curie. Admit rate is virtually identical to the overall rate!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The tests and recs would end up looking similar. Asking teachers at some of the MS to write recs or do evaluations would mean no time for grading. How many kids apply from Carson, Longfellow, Cooper, Rocky Run, Kathrine Johnson and some of the others?

Mathcounts scores for winners, top 12, and the top 20 are separated by one or two answers.

If you are upset by this process, you are likely to be devastated by the College process in 4 years. When you have the number of applicants that apply to TJ, or the colleges I know you are targeting, the results are not going to be easily understood. Like it or not, there were 2,762 kids that met the criteria that the County set and the vast majority of those kids are 4.0 students in Geometry or A2H. They can’t all make it in.

Are you saying that testing would not result in a materially different entering class? Because that sounds pretty unlikely to me.

I think that most of the kids with A1H only and lower GPAs are coming from the schools filling quota and fewer from the feeder schools. I think that you have a lot of kids that look very similar on paper and tests are not going to change that because these are kids who excel in STEM and many have experience in competitions, math or science based. My kid is at Carson and participate in the STEM clubs, the kids who got in are not that different then the kids waitlisted. I could not tell you why the ones who got in where selected over the kids who were waitlisted.

The waitliested kids should've taken the essay writing class @Curie. My neighbor said it was like the golden ticket.

There are 500+ stuidents who are taking this at Curie. Admit rate is virtually identical to the overall rate!

Wow. We’re coming from Arlington and I haven’t even heard of this. I must not be in the right circles

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the admissions office should change the requirements to have a test required for entrance again. No minimum score do they can still offer bonus experience points to students to get the desired diversity, but for the rest of the kids it would be a fair process for them to enroll students who are actually the top of the school. I don’t see how they can fairly determine which students have the most aptitude for stem from schools like Longfellow, Cooper, and Rachel Carson.

How is it possible that students with all As and in Algebra II or Precalc not getting jn, but students with one grading period of Algebra I are getting in from those schools?

Students entering TJ with only Algebra I won’t be able to take any of the advanced math classes past Calculus and can’t take any of the advanced Physics classes until senior year. They can get the same classes at their base school. Students in Algebra II in 8th grade will run out of math options at base schools.

In my son’s Precalc BC class this year at TJ (as a 9th grader), there were 4 juniors in his class, they all dropped down to Precalc AB after the 1st semester because BC was too hard for them. None of the 9th/10th graders had to drop down.

I’m not against having a pathway for students who enter with Algebra I from middle schools that don’t have advanced math classes at their school, but for other middle schools when kids are taking the most advanced classes and proving that they have the math skills, they shouldn’t be rejected for kids with lower grades/the lowest math levels. The process really isn’t fair.

Yes, I agree with this. The so called holistic admissions process is really just testing the student’s writing skills more than anything. The pse is also just basic algebra that doesn’t allow the students to demonstrate their capabilities. Many students with perfect grades and in the highest math class are getting waitlisted or rejected. I think the admissions process should consider the gpa more and also require a preview of the student’s standard test grades and achievements. This would help the process become more fair.

It’s good to have excellent writers at TJ though, kids can be math superstars but lacking in writing.

They don’t have to get rid of the essays, just add an objective way to determine abilities related to math/science.

Teachers recc’s. This would easily tease out the top layer of kids at each school.

That's not enough. Some schools do not prepare enough kids for TJ to fill their quota.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The tests and recs would end up looking similar. Asking teachers at some of the MS to write recs or do evaluations would mean no time for grading. How many kids apply from Carson, Longfellow, Cooper, Rocky Run, Kathrine Johnson and some of the others?

Mathcounts scores for winners, top 12, and the top 20 are separated by one or two answers.

If you are upset by this process, you are likely to be devastated by the College process in 4 years. When you have the number of applicants that apply to TJ, or the colleges I know you are targeting, the results are not going to be easily understood. Like it or not, there were 2,762 kids that met the criteria that the County set and the vast majority of those kids are 4.0 students in Geometry or A2H. They can’t all make it in.

Are you saying that testing would not result in a materially different entering class? Because that sounds pretty unlikely to me.

I think that most of the kids with A1H only and lower GPAs are coming from the schools filling quota and fewer from the feeder schools. I think that you have a lot of kids that look very similar on paper and tests are not going to change that because these are kids who excel in STEM and many have experience in competitions, math or science based. My kid is at Carson and participate in the STEM clubs, the kids who got in are not that different then the kids waitlisted. I could not tell you why the ones who got in where selected over the kids who were waitlisted.

The waitliested kids should've taken the essay writing class @Curie. My neighbor said it was like the golden ticket.

There are 500+ stuidents who are taking this at Curie. Admit rate is virtually identical to the overall rate!

Yeah, that is BS and you know it. My kid has never taken a class at Curie and he was admitted. And plenty of places offer essay writing prep. It is not a surprise that kids take the classes, some take them because their parents make them, some ask to take them. I am guessing a good number of kids prepped for the writing element.

I would guess that a good number of waitlisted kids took the prep classes. The kid I am thinking of took summer geometry and a writing class. I know for a fact that not all the kids in Carsons A2H class were accepted, a good number were waitlisted.

We don’t know how they distinguish the kids who are accepted from the kids who are waitlisted and who are not accepted. And all the ways that people suggest to try and make it more fair are 1) deemed unfair by someone else 2) gamable. And even if they do chose the kids that everyone thinks are amazing, some of those kids will struggle. Just like happened in A1H in 7th. Even with the IAAT and Passing Advance on the SOL and high iReady scores, there were kids who took A1H and struggled.

There is no perfect system. I am sorry your kid didn’t get in, that would hurt. But they might not have gotten in under whatever system you think is best because 2,762 kids applied for 550 seats. Some great candidates were going to not make the cut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The tests and recs would end up looking similar. Asking teachers at some of the MS to write recs or do evaluations would mean no time for grading. How many kids apply from Carson, Longfellow, Cooper, Rocky Run, Kathrine Johnson and some of the others?

Mathcounts scores for winners, top 12, and the top 20 are separated by one or two answers.

If you are upset by this process, you are likely to be devastated by the College process in 4 years. When you have the number of applicants that apply to TJ, or the colleges I know you are targeting, the results are not going to be easily understood. Like it or not, there were 2,762 kids that met the criteria that the County set and the vast majority of those kids are 4.0 students in Geometry or A2H. They can’t all make it in.

Are you saying that testing would not result in a materially different entering class? Because that sounds pretty unlikely to me.

I think that most of the kids with A1H only and lower GPAs are coming from the schools filling quota and fewer from the feeder schools. I think that you have a lot of kids that look very similar on paper and tests are not going to change that because these are kids who excel in STEM and many have experience in competitions, math or science based. My kid is at Carson and participate in the STEM clubs, the kids who got in are not that different then the kids waitlisted. I could not tell you why the ones who got in where selected over the kids who were waitlisted.

The waitliested kids should've taken the essay writing class @Curie. My neighbor said it was like the golden ticket.

There are 500+ stuidents who are taking this at Curie. Admit rate is virtually identical to the overall rate!

Wow. We’re coming from Arlington and I haven’t even heard of this. I must not be in the right circles

Seriously? RSM sent out invites to all the 8th graders at RSM that they were having a 4 week writing class for TJ. Curie is a well known prep program. I would bet that there were plenty of other options out there if you had goggled. People were asking for recommendations on how to prepare on this site. Heck, there are Youtube videos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The tests and recs would end up looking similar. Asking teachers at some of the MS to write recs or do evaluations would mean no time for grading. How many kids apply from Carson, Longfellow, Cooper, Rocky Run, Kathrine Johnson and some of the others?

Mathcounts scores for winners, top 12, and the top 20 are separated by one or two answers.

If you are upset by this process, you are likely to be devastated by the College process in 4 years. When you have the number of applicants that apply to TJ, or the colleges I know you are targeting, the results are not going to be easily understood. Like it or not, there were 2,762 kids that met the criteria that the County set and the vast majority of those kids are 4.0 students in Geometry or A2H. They can’t all make it in.

Are you saying that testing would not result in a materially different entering class? Because that sounds pretty unlikely to me.

I think that most of the kids with A1H only and lower GPAs are coming from the schools filling quota and fewer from the feeder schools. I think that you have a lot of kids that look very similar on paper and tests are not going to change that because these are kids who excel in STEM and many have experience in competitions, math or science based. My kid is at Carson and participate in the STEM clubs, the kids who got in are not that different then the kids waitlisted. I could not tell you why the ones who got in where selected over the kids who were waitlisted.

The waitliested kids should've taken the essay writing class @Curie. My neighbor said it was like the golden ticket.

There are 500+ stuidents who are taking this at Curie. Admit rate is virtually identical to the overall rate!

Wow. We’re coming from Arlington and I haven’t even heard of this. I must not be in the right circles

Seriously? RSM sent out invites to all the 8th graders at RSM that they were having a 4 week writing class for TJ. Curie is a well known prep program. I would bet that there were plenty of other options out there if you had goggled. People were asking for recommendations on how to prepare on this site. Heck, there are Youtube videos.

We didn't end up needing it, got in from APS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The tests and recs would end up looking similar. Asking teachers at some of the MS to write recs or do evaluations would mean no time for grading. How many kids apply from Carson, Longfellow, Cooper, Rocky Run, Kathrine Johnson and some of the others?

Mathcounts scores for winners, top 12, and the top 20 are separated by one or two answers.

If you are upset by this process, you are likely to be devastated by the College process in 4 years. When you have the number of applicants that apply to TJ, or the colleges I know you are targeting, the results are not going to be easily understood. Like it or not, there were 2,762 kids that met the criteria that the County set and the vast majority of those kids are 4.0 students in Geometry or A2H. They can’t all make it in.

Are you saying that testing would not result in a materially different entering class? Because that sounds pretty unlikely to me.

I think that most of the kids with A1H only and lower GPAs are coming from the schools filling quota and fewer from the feeder schools. I think that you have a lot of kids that look very similar on paper and tests are not going to change that because these are kids who excel in STEM and many have experience in competitions, math or science based. My kid is at Carson and participate in the STEM clubs, the kids who got in are not that different then the kids waitlisted. I could not tell you why the ones who got in where selected over the kids who were waitlisted.

The waitliested kids should've taken the essay writing class @Curie. My neighbor said it was like the golden ticket.

There are 500+ stuidents who are taking this at Curie. Admit rate is virtually identical to the overall rate!

Wow. We’re coming from Arlington and I haven’t even heard of this. I must not be in the right circles

Seriously? RSM sent out invites to all the 8th graders at RSM that they were having a 4 week writing class for TJ. Curie is a well known prep program. I would bet that there were plenty of other options out there if you had goggled. People were asking for recommendations on how to prepare on this site. Heck, there are Youtube videos.

We didn't end up needing it, got in from APS

I am sure a good number of the kids who were accepted didn’t take a class. DS did, he knows that writing isn’t his strong suit. We saw it as a positive because he writing would improve due to practice and direct feedback, which would be useful whether he got in to TJ or not. He was accepted amd his writing has improved. Win-Win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The tests and recs would end up looking similar. Asking teachers at some of the MS to write recs or do evaluations would mean no time for grading. How many kids apply from Carson, Longfellow, Cooper, Rocky Run, Kathrine Johnson and some of the others?

Mathcounts scores for winners, top 12, and the top 20 are separated by one or two answers.

If you are upset by this process, you are likely to be devastated by the College process in 4 years. When you have the number of applicants that apply to TJ, or the colleges I know you are targeting, the results are not going to be easily understood. Like it or not, there were 2,762 kids that met the criteria that the County set and the vast majority of those kids are 4.0 students in Geometry or A2H. They can’t all make it in.

Are you saying that testing would not result in a materially different entering class? Because that sounds pretty unlikely to me.

I think that most of the kids with A1H only and lower GPAs are coming from the schools filling quota and fewer from the feeder schools. I think that you have a lot of kids that look very similar on paper and tests are not going to change that because these are kids who excel in STEM and many have experience in competitions, math or science based. My kid is at Carson and participate in the STEM clubs, the kids who got in are not that different then the kids waitlisted. I could not tell you why the ones who got in where selected over the kids who were waitlisted.

The waitliested kids should've taken the essay writing class @Curie. My neighbor said it was like the golden ticket.

There are 500+ stuidents who are taking this at Curie. Admit rate is virtually identical to the overall rate!

Yeah, that is BS and you know it. My kid has never taken a class at Curie and he was admitted. And plenty of places offer essay writing prep. It is not a surprise that kids take the classes, some take them because their parents make them, some ask to take them. I am guessing a good number of kids prepped for the writing element.

I would guess that a good number of waitlisted kids took the prep classes. The kid I am thinking of took summer geometry and a writing class. I know for a fact that not all the kids in Carsons A2H class were accepted, a good number were waitlisted.

We don’t know how they distinguish the kids who are accepted from the kids who are waitlisted and who are not accepted. And all the ways that people suggest to try and make it more fair are 1) deemed unfair by someone else 2) gamable. And even if they do chose the kids that everyone thinks are amazing, some of those kids will struggle. Just like happened in A1H in 7th. Even with the IAAT and Passing Advance on the SOL and high iReady scores, there were kids who took A1H and struggled.

There is no perfect system. I am sorry your kid didn’t get in, that would hurt. But they might not have gotten in under whatever system you think is best because 2,762 kids applied for 550 seats. Some great candidates were going to not make the cut.

Bunch of kids we know were at Curie… some spending entire days there. They didn’t get in. Even other top preps. Waitlisted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The tests and recs would end up looking similar. Asking teachers at some of the MS to write recs or do evaluations would mean no time for grading. How many kids apply from Carson, Longfellow, Cooper, Rocky Run, Kathrine Johnson and some of the others?

Mathcounts scores for winners, top 12, and the top 20 are separated by one or two answers.

If you are upset by this process, you are likely to be devastated by the College process in 4 years. When you have the number of applicants that apply to TJ, or the colleges I know you are targeting, the results are not going to be easily understood. Like it or not, there were 2,762 kids that met the criteria that the County set and the vast majority of those kids are 4.0 students in Geometry or A2H. They can’t all make it in.

Are you saying that testing would not result in a materially different entering class? Because that sounds pretty unlikely to me.

I think that most of the kids with A1H only and lower GPAs are coming from the schools filling quota and fewer from the feeder schools. I think that you have a lot of kids that look very similar on paper and tests are not going to change that because these are kids who excel in STEM and many have experience in competitions, math or science based. My kid is at Carson and participate in the STEM clubs, the kids who got in are not that different then the kids waitlisted. I could not tell you why the ones who got in where selected over the kids who were waitlisted.

The waitliested kids should've taken the essay writing class @Curie. My neighbor said it was like the golden ticket.

There are 500+ stuidents who are taking this at Curie. Admit rate is virtually identical to the overall rate!

Yeah, that is BS and you know it. My kid has never taken a class at Curie and he was admitted. And plenty of places offer essay writing prep. It is not a surprise that kids take the classes, some take them because their parents make them, some ask to take them. I am guessing a good number of kids prepped for the writing element.

I would guess that a good number of waitlisted kids took the prep classes. The kid I am thinking of took summer geometry and a writing class. I know for a fact that not all the kids in Carsons A2H class were accepted, a good number were waitlisted.

We don’t know how they distinguish the kids who are accepted from the kids who are waitlisted and who are not accepted. And all the ways that people suggest to try and make it more fair are 1) deemed unfair by someone else 2) gamable. And even if they do chose the kids that everyone thinks are amazing, some of those kids will struggle. Just like happened in A1H in 7th. Even with the IAAT and Passing Advance on the SOL and high iReady scores, there were kids who took A1H and struggled.

There is no perfect system. I am sorry your kid didn’t get in, that would hurt. But they might not have gotten in under whatever system you think is best because 2,762 kids applied for 550 seats. Some great candidates were going to not make the cut.

Bunch of kids we know were at Curie… some spending entire days there. They didn’t get in. Even other top preps. Waitlisted.

That doesn't surprise me. A bunch of kids who took Geometry int he summer so they could take A2H in 8th grade didn't get in either. One hopes that the kids are taking those classes because they enjoy the material and that they are going to be very well prepared for TJ or for their base school. The reality is that cram schools are prevalent through out many Asian cultures and those families seem to continue to follow that track in the US. The difference is that most of the HS in the US are not competitive entry, with the exception of a school like TJ and some of hte top private schools. Most of the kids at programs like Curie, AoPS, RSM and the like are not going to get into TJ, there is not enough space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the admissions office should change the requirements to have a test required for entrance again. No minimum score do they can still offer bonus experience points to students to get the desired diversity, but for the rest of the kids it would be a fair process for them to enroll students who are actually the top of the school. I don’t see how they can fairly determine which students have the most aptitude for stem from schools like Longfellow, Cooper, and Rachel Carson.

How is it possible that students with all As and in Algebra II or Precalc not getting jn, but students with one grading period of Algebra I are getting in from those schools?

Students entering TJ with only Algebra I won’t be able to take any of the advanced math classes past Calculus and can’t take any of the advanced Physics classes until senior year. They can get the same classes at their base school. Students in Algebra II in 8th grade will run out of math options at base schools.

In my son’s Precalc BC class this year at TJ (as a 9th grader), there were 4 juniors in his class, they all dropped down to Precalc AB after the 1st semester because BC was too hard for them. None of the 9th/10th graders had to drop down.

I’m not against having a pathway for students who enter with Algebra I from middle schools that don’t have advanced math classes at their school, but for other middle schools when kids are taking the most advanced classes and proving that they have the math skills, they shouldn’t be rejected for kids with lower grades/the lowest math levels. The process really isn’t fair.

Yes, I agree with this. The so called holistic admissions process is really just testing the student’s writing skills more than anything. The pse is also just basic algebra that doesn’t allow the students to demonstrate their capabilities. Many students with perfect grades and in the highest math class are getting waitlisted or rejected. I think the admissions process should consider the gpa more and also require a preview of the student’s standard test grades and achievements. This would help the process become more fair.

It’s good to have excellent writers at TJ though, kids can be math superstars but lacking in writing.

They don’t have to get rid of the essays, just add an objective way to determine abilities related to math/science.

Teachers recc’s. This would easily tease out the top layer of kids at each school.

That's not enough. Some schools do not prepare enough kids for TJ to fill their quota.

I did not mean ONLY use teacher recc's. I meant add teacher recc's to the current process. Worst part of the current process is that at schools with lots of qualified kids the current approach doesn't do a good enough job at finding the top of that school's batch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the admissions office should change the requirements to have a test required for entrance again. No minimum score do they can still offer bonus experience points to students to get the desired diversity, but for the rest of the kids it would be a fair process for them to enroll students who are actually the top of the school. I don’t see how they can fairly determine which students have the most aptitude for stem from schools like Longfellow, Cooper, and Rachel Carson.

How is it possible that students with all As and in Algebra II or Precalc not getting jn, but students with one grading period of Algebra I are getting in from those schools?

Students entering TJ with only Algebra I won’t be able to take any of the advanced math classes past Calculus and can’t take any of the advanced Physics classes until senior year. They can get the same classes at their base school. Students in Algebra II in 8th grade will run out of math options at base schools.

In my son’s Precalc BC class this year at TJ (as a 9th grader), there were 4 juniors in his class, they all dropped down to Precalc AB after the 1st semester because BC was too hard for them. None of the 9th/10th graders had to drop down.

I’m not against having a pathway for students who enter with Algebra I from middle schools that don’t have advanced math classes at their school, but for other middle schools when kids are taking the most advanced classes and proving that they have the math skills, they shouldn’t be rejected for kids with lower grades/the lowest math levels. The process really isn’t fair.

Yes, I agree with this. The so called holistic admissions process is really just testing the student’s writing skills more than anything. The pse is also just basic algebra that doesn’t allow the students to demonstrate their capabilities. Many students with perfect grades and in the highest math class are getting waitlisted or rejected. I think the admissions process should consider the gpa more and also require a preview of the student’s standard test grades and achievements. This would help the process become more fair.

It’s good to have excellent writers at TJ though, kids can be math superstars but lacking in writing.

They don’t have to get rid of the essays, just add an objective way to determine abilities related to math/science.

Teachers recc’s. This would easily tease out the top layer of kids at each school.

That's not enough. Some schools do not prepare enough kids for TJ to fill their quota.

I did not mean ONLY use teacher recc's. I meant add teacher recc's to the current process. Worst part of the current process is that at schools with lots of qualified kids the current approach doesn't do a good enough job at finding the top of that school's batch.

Carson probably has around 200 kids apply for TJ. How do you think the limited number of teachers are supposed to write 200 letters of recommendation? With what time? And still do class preparation and grade and everything else that they do. Even if those 200 kids are spaced out among the 4 teams, that is 50 kids per team. And you know that they are going to be asking the Math and/or Science teacher for a letter of recommendation. They will probably ask the STEM electives teachers for a letter, so the Engineering and Computer Science teachers.

And your definition of the top student is different then someone elses definition. You can have a kid taking A1H in 8th grade that really likes math and science but took a bit longer to pick up the interest. The kid has a 4.0 GPA and an interest in robotics, is he lesser then the kid in Geometry or A2H with a 4.0 GPA and an interest in robotics?

A quant test that gives an automatic advantage to kids who were accelerated in math is some how more fair in your mind. Even when many of those kids have been in outside prep since ES? My kid has done RSM grade level and then math comp since 3rd grade. He would crush a quant test because he has been exposed to more math, is that really a good measure when there are kids who have not been outside enrichment?

There are a lot of interested kids and the vast majority would fit the definition of well qualified. You don't like the current method, plenty of other peopel didn't like the old method. No one is going to agree on one approach. Lots of qualified kids were put ont he wait list or not admitted. Again, if you think this is bad, wait for college admissions in 4 years. Most of the schools some of you are targetting have less then 10% admission.

[Anonymous]

Add to PP.
Plus, likely teacher has to deal with parents emails, who likely want the supreme customize personalization teacher recommendations for their Larla and Larlo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the admissions office should change the requirements to have a test required for entrance again. No minimum score do they can still offer bonus experience points to students to get the desired diversity, but for the rest of the kids it would be a fair process for them to enroll students who are actually the top of the school. I don’t see how they can fairly determine which students have the most aptitude for stem from schools like Longfellow, Cooper, and Rachel Carson.

How is it possible that students with all As and in Algebra II or Precalc not getting jn, but students with one grading period of Algebra I are getting in from those schools?

Students entering TJ with only Algebra I won’t be able to take any of the advanced math classes past Calculus and can’t take any of the advanced Physics classes until senior year. They can get the same classes at their base school. Students in Algebra II in 8th grade will run out of math options at base schools.

In my son’s Precalc BC class this year at TJ (as a 9th grader), there were 4 juniors in his class, they all dropped down to Precalc AB after the 1st semester because BC was too hard for them. None of the 9th/10th graders had to drop down.

I’m not against having a pathway for students who enter with Algebra I from middle schools that don’t have advanced math classes at their school, but for other middle schools when kids are taking the most advanced classes and proving that they have the math skills, they shouldn’t be rejected for kids with lower grades/the lowest math levels. The process really isn’t fair.

Yes, I agree with this. The so called holistic admissions process is really just testing the student’s writing skills more than anything. The pse is also just basic algebra that doesn’t allow the students to demonstrate their capabilities. Many students with perfect grades and in the highest math class are getting waitlisted or rejected. I think the admissions process should consider the gpa more and also require a preview of the student’s standard test grades and achievements. This would help the process become more fair.

It’s good to have excellent writers at TJ though, kids can be math superstars but lacking in writing.

They don’t have to get rid of the essays, just add an objective way to determine abilities related to math/science.

Teachers recc’s. This would easily tease out the top layer of kids at each school.

That's not enough. Some schools do not prepare enough kids for TJ to fill their quota.

I did not mean ONLY use teacher recc's. I meant add teacher recc's to the current process. Worst part of the current process is that at schools with lots of qualified kids the current approach doesn't do a good enough job at finding the top of that school's batch.

Carson probably has around 200 kids apply for TJ. How do you think the limited number of teachers are supposed to write 200 letters of recommendation? With what time? And still do class preparation and grade and everything else that they do. Even if those 200 kids are spaced out among the 4 teams, that is 50 kids per team. And you know that they are going to be asking the Math and/or Science teacher for a letter of recommendation. They will probably ask the STEM electives teachers for a letter, so the Engineering and Computer Science teachers.

And your definition of the top student is different then someone elses definition. You can have a kid taking A1H in 8th grade that really likes math and science but took a bit longer to pick up the interest. The kid has a 4.0 GPA and an interest in robotics, is he lesser then the kid in Geometry or A2H with a 4.0 GPA and an interest in robotics?

A quant test that gives an automatic advantage to kids who were accelerated in math is some how more fair in your mind. Even when many of those kids have been in outside prep since ES? My kid has done RSM grade level and then math comp since 3rd grade. He would crush a quant test because he has been exposed to more math, is that really a good measure when there are kids who have not been outside enrichment?

There are a lot of interested kids and the vast majority would fit the definition of well qualified. You don't like the current method, plenty of other peopel didn't like the old method. No one is going to agree on one approach. Lots of qualified kids were put ont he wait list or not admitted. Again, if you think this is bad, wait for college admissions in 4 years. Most of the schools some of you are targetting have less then 10% admission.

If only standardized tests existed we could eliminate this issue.