TJ Admissions question

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Supposedly they don't look at the transcript.

My child is in the most advanced math but did get an A- in history last year and we are at a top feeder so I'm not sure if it means the child is out. So they really should take the transcript into account.

Colleges definitely do look at rigor.

Huh? If they’re not looking at the transcript, then that’s laughably easy to game. They can’t be that stupid… right?

Game how? The middle school verifies the GPA and that the kid is at least in Algebra I Honors in 8th grade with the required number of Honors/AAP classes in the other subjects.

If they're not looking at the transcript, can't you just take the easiest classes that will pass the cutoffs, get A's, and be ranked ahead of someone else who takes harder classes but doesn't get quite as good grades? (e.g. kid A, with an A in Alg. 1 Honors, gets placed above kid B, with an A- in Precalc Honors)

That's not really gaming the system. FCPS has decided that Algebra I + 3 honors courses is good enough, and they don't especially value any rigor beyond that. They've also decided not to weight the honors or AAP classes. They have most likely made these choices to promote equity. Sure, a kid could choose to take the easiest allowed course progression to maximize their TJ chances, and some probably will. It's not gaming the system. It's pretty blatantly allowed/encouraged by FCPS.

Most kids in AAP will be in Alg 1 HON. If their grades are comapred with kids taking only Alg 1 then AAP kids tends to have shorter end of the stick. Clearly, Honors class is tougher than non-honors class. Since they are looking at GPA, 3.90 GPA in Alg 1 honors is much better than 3.95 GPA in Alg 1. I sincerly hope they have some criteria in place to ensure kids in AAP are not over looked. Why run AAP programs/IAAT tests etc if they are going to be ignored for hard working kids. There is no equity in play here. All FCPS studnets have equal opportunity to be in AAP or in Alg 1 Hon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Supposedly they don't look at the transcript.

My child is in the most advanced math but did get an A- in history last year and we are at a top feeder so I'm not sure if it means the child is out. So they really should take the transcript into account.

Colleges definitely do look at rigor.

Huh? If they’re not looking at the transcript, then that’s laughably easy to game. They can’t be that stupid… right?

Game how? The middle school verifies the GPA and that the kid is at least in Algebra I Honors in 8th grade with the required number of Honors/AAP classes in the other subjects.

If they're not looking at the transcript, can't you just take the easiest classes that will pass the cutoffs, get A's, and be ranked ahead of someone else who takes harder classes but doesn't get quite as good grades? (e.g. kid A, with an A in Alg. 1 Honors, gets placed above kid B, with an A- in Precalc Honors)

Yes, you can, but now your kid has taken easier classes, and even if they did get in, would be less prepared for TJ.
Plus the GPA is not the entirety of the scoring.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know how unweighted GPA will be calcualted? I see only perecentage 98.5% etc in SIS ParentVue.
How will school determine top 1.5 %?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rent an apartment in one of the school districts.

Another tiger tj parent.

I thought the schools with the highest admit rate were in McLean and Langley feeders.

Yes, but students who were not admitted at those schools had higher scores than students who were admitted at the weaker schools.

Well, if that is true, and there's no real evidence of that, some schools are demonstrably better than others. Many people pay hundreds of thousands more to live in those school boundaries. It isn't right to penalize kids who are just as bright but lack the same advantages.

DP. FCPS has not released the cutoff scores for the top 1.5% of each school. So you are correct that there's no evidence that a higher score is required to make it into the top 1.5% of a McLean school vs. a lower SES school. What we do know is that after the top 1.5% is taken, the rest of the applicants are selected from a common pool based on their scores. Some schools had zero kids selected. Others had 30. So, we flat out know that the 40th best kid at, say, Carson had a higher score than the 9th best kid (who didn't get picked in the general pool) at one of the schools only sending their top 1.5%.

Seems more than adequate and fair to me. I guess the crazies are just mad it's not as easy to buy their way into TJ now.

It is perhaps easier. Get an apartment and attend a weaker school for a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rent an apartment in one of the school districts.

Another tiger tj parent.

I thought the schools with the highest admit rate were in McLean and Langley feeders.

Yes, but students who were not admitted at those schools had higher scores than students who were admitted at the weaker schools.

Well, if that is true, and there's no real evidence of that, some schools are demonstrably better than others. Many people pay hundreds of thousands more to live in those school boundaries. It isn't right to penalize kids who are just as bright but lack the same advantages.

DP. FCPS has not released the cutoff scores for the top 1.5% of each school. So you are correct that there's no evidence that a higher score is required to make it into the top 1.5% of a McLean school vs. a lower SES school. What we do know is that after the top 1.5% is taken, the rest of the applicants are selected from a common pool based on their scores. Some schools had zero kids selected. Others had 30. So, we flat out know that the 40th best kid at, say, Carson had a higher score than the 9th best kid (who didn't get picked in the general pool) at one of the schools only sending their top 1.5%.

The claim is that the 41st kid, and many more, at Carson is higher than the 8th best kid and thus would benefit from a transfer.

[Anonymous]

My impression was that the GPA is merely a cutoff. Anyone with a certain GPA can apply, then they use the problem solving essay and the other stuff kids have to write (along with demographic information) to decide who is admitted. But I could be wrong.

Regardless, if you are basing your kid’s entire middle school courseload on what might give him/her the best shot at TJ, you’re doing it wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Supposedly they don't look at the transcript.

My child is in the most advanced math but did get an A- in history last year and we are at a top feeder so I'm not sure if it means the child is out. So they really should take the transcript into account.

Colleges definitely do look at rigor.

Huh? If they’re not looking at the transcript, then that’s laughably easy to game. They can’t be that stupid… right?

Game how? The middle school verifies the GPA and that the kid is at least in Algebra I Honors in 8th grade with the required number of Honors/AAP classes in the other subjects.

If they're not looking at the transcript, can't you just take the easiest classes that will pass the cutoffs, get A's, and be ranked ahead of someone else who takes harder classes but doesn't get quite as good grades? (e.g. kid A, with an A in Alg. 1 Honors, gets placed above kid B, with an A- in Precalc Honors)

That's not really gaming the system. FCPS has decided that Algebra I + 3 honors courses is good enough, and they don't especially value any rigor beyond that. They've also decided not to weight the honors or AAP classes. They have most likely made these choices to promote equity. Sure, a kid could choose to take the easiest allowed course progression to maximize their TJ chances, and some probably will. It's not gaming the system. It's pretty blatantly allowed/encouraged by FCPS.

Most kids in AAP will be in Alg 1 HON. If their grades are comapred with kids taking only Alg 1 then AAP kids tends to have shorter end of the stick. Clearly, Honors class is tougher than non-honors class. Since they are looking at GPA, 3.90 GPA in Alg 1 honors is much better than 3.95 GPA in Alg 1. I sincerly hope they have some criteria in place to ensure kids in AAP are not over looked. Why run AAP programs/IAAT tests etc if they are going to be ignored for hard working kids. There is no equity in play here. All FCPS studnets have equal opportunity to be in AAP or in Alg 1 Hon.

AAP is gaming. I mean that's open to anyone who can bankroll the appeals and get private evaluations. Why give wealthy families an even greater edge?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rent an apartment in one of the school districts.

Another tiger tj parent.

I thought the schools with the highest admit rate were in McLean and Langley feeders.

Yes, but students who were not admitted at those schools had higher scores than students who were admitted at the weaker schools.

Well, if that is true, and there's no real evidence of that, some schools are demonstrably better than others. Many people pay hundreds of thousands more to live in those school boundaries. It isn't right to penalize kids who are just as bright but lack the same advantages.

DP. FCPS has not released the cutoff scores for the top 1.5% of each school. So you are correct that there's no evidence that a higher score is required to make it into the top 1.5% of a McLean school vs. a lower SES school. What we do know is that after the top 1.5% is taken, the rest of the applicants are selected from a common pool based on their scores. Some schools had zero kids selected. Others had 30. So, we flat out know that the 40th best kid at, say, Carson had a higher score than the 9th best kid (who didn't get picked in the general pool) at one of the schools only sending their top 1.5%.

The claim is that the 41st kid, and many more, at Carson is higher than the 8th best kid and thus would benefit from a transfer.

Well, maybe but likely they're only high because they go to a wealthy school that has advantages. At one of the lesser schools they'd also rank lower.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rent an apartment in one of the school districts.

Another tiger tj parent.

I thought the schools with the highest admit rate were in McLean and Langley feeders.

Yes, but students who were not admitted at those schools had higher scores than students who were admitted at the weaker schools.

Well, if that is true, and there's no real evidence of that, some schools are demonstrably better than others. Many people pay hundreds of thousands more to live in those school boundaries. It isn't right to penalize kids who are just as bright but lack the same advantages.

DP. FCPS has not released the cutoff scores for the top 1.5% of each school. So you are correct that there's no evidence that a higher score is required to make it into the top 1.5% of a McLean school vs. a lower SES school. What we do know is that after the top 1.5% is taken, the rest of the applicants are selected from a common pool based on their scores. Some schools had zero kids selected. Others had 30. So, we flat out know that the 40th best kid at, say, Carson had a higher score than the 9th best kid (who didn't get picked in the general pool) at one of the schools only sending their top 1.5%.

The claim is that the 41st kid, and many more, at Carson is higher than the 8th best kid and thus would benefit from a transfer.

Well, maybe but likely they're only high because they go to a wealthy school that has advantages. At one of the lesser schools they'd also rank lower.

Agree people pay a lot more $$$ to live in those good school districts for a reason. If you could simply do the same at any school then that would mean there was no real difference!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rent an apartment in one of the school districts.

Another tiger tj parent.

I thought the schools with the highest admit rate were in McLean and Langley feeders.

Yes, but students who were not admitted at those schools had higher scores than students who were admitted at the weaker schools.

Well, if that is true, and there's no real evidence of that, some schools are demonstrably better than others. Many people pay hundreds of thousands more to live in those school boundaries. It isn't right to penalize kids who are just as bright but lack the same advantages.

DP. FCPS has not released the cutoff scores for the top 1.5% of each school. So you are correct that there's no evidence that a higher score is required to make it into the top 1.5% of a McLean school vs. a lower SES school. What we do know is that after the top 1.5% is taken, the rest of the applicants are selected from a common pool based on their scores. Some schools had zero kids selected. Others had 30. So, we flat out know that the 40th best kid at, say, Carson had a higher score than the 9th best kid (who didn't get picked in the general pool) at one of the schools only sending their top 1.5%.

Seems more than adequate and fair to me. I guess the crazies are just mad it's not as easy to buy their way into TJ now.

No dog in this fight, but I’m not sure that anything is crazier than suggesting people could just buy their kids’ way into TJ. But you sure seem committed to repeating that ad nauseam.

+1. "Buying your kid's way into TJ" means setting your kid up to wash out of the school or work their asses off only to end up in the bottom 1/4 of the class and then get poor college admissions. Nobody is doing that.

.... a lot of people have done that over the years. There are a lot of communities in Northern Virginia - especially in Western Fairfax, Ashburn, and South Riding - where that TJ car magnet is the end-all-be-all of social capital. A lot of these families overestimate their child's abilities and have no idea that they're setting their kids up to struggle to get into VCU, JMU, or Mason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Supposedly they don't look at the transcript.

My child is in the most advanced math but did get an A- in history last year and we are at a top feeder so I'm not sure if it means the child is out. So they really should take the transcript into account.

Colleges definitely do look at rigor.

What's your source to suggest that they don't look at the transcript?

[Anonymous]

So a student with a 4.0 vs. a 3.8 are given the same points in the holistic process?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rent an apartment in one of the school districts.

Another tiger tj parent.

I thought the schools with the highest admit rate were in McLean and Langley feeders.

Yes, but students who were not admitted at those schools had higher scores than students who were admitted at the weaker schools.

Well, if that is true, and there's no real evidence of that, some schools are demonstrably better than others. Many people pay hundreds of thousands more to live in those school boundaries. It isn't right to penalize kids who are just as bright but lack the same advantages.

DP. FCPS has not released the cutoff scores for the top 1.5% of each school. So you are correct that there's no evidence that a higher score is required to make it into the top 1.5% of a McLean school vs. a lower SES school. What we do know is that after the top 1.5% is taken, the rest of the applicants are selected from a common pool based on their scores. Some schools had zero kids selected. Others had 30. So, we flat out know that the 40th best kid at, say, Carson had a higher score than the 9th best kid (who didn't get picked in the general pool) at one of the schools only sending their top 1.5%.

The claim is that the 41st kid, and many more, at Carson is higher than the 8th best kid and thus would benefit from a transfer.

Here's the problem. At a place like Carson, it's hard to know if your kid is the 70th best or the 120th best - and one of the reasons for this change in the admissions process is that it's not reasonable to suggest that the 3rd most qualified kid from say, Holmes, is less deserving than the 80th strongest from Carson. There really isn't nearly as much difference between these kids as you think there is in terms of readiness for the course load that they're going to take at TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rent an apartment in one of the school districts.

Another tiger tj parent.

I thought the schools with the highest admit rate were in McLean and Langley feeders.

Yes, but students who were not admitted at those schools had higher scores than students who were admitted at the weaker schools.

Well, if that is true, and there's no real evidence of that, some schools are demonstrably better than others. Many people pay hundreds of thousands more to live in those school boundaries. It isn't right to penalize kids who are just as bright but lack the same advantages.

DP. FCPS has not released the cutoff scores for the top 1.5% of each school. So you are correct that there's no evidence that a higher score is required to make it into the top 1.5% of a McLean school vs. a lower SES school. What we do know is that after the top 1.5% is taken, the rest of the applicants are selected from a common pool based on their scores. Some schools had zero kids selected. Others had 30. So, we flat out know that the 40th best kid at, say, Carson had a higher score than the 9th best kid (who didn't get picked in the general pool) at one of the schools only sending their top 1.5%.

The claim is that the 41st kid, and many more, at Carson is higher than the 8th best kid and thus would benefit from a transfer.

So you're sending your kid to a school that you acknowledge is weaker, and giving your child a lesser education in your own mind for a year or two, all for a gamble that you've properly evaluated that they're in that little sliver of kids who wouldn't get in from Carson but would get in from Poe?

And what happens when 20 other families in your community decide to do the same thing and you all show up on day 1 of school looking like the Spider-Man meme where everyone's pointing at each other? And you're all competing with each other for the same six spots - and then you realize that... oh wait... there are a few really bright kids here too who have straight A's and more bonus points than my kid does?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look up the schools in FCPS, PWCPS and LCPS that sent very few students last year. Rent an apartment in one of the school districts.

Your child will then have a high likelihood of being admitted.

Do not assume that if your child is highly gifted he/she will be admitted. In our middle school (Cooper) there were several students who were admitted who were very VERY weak. As in struggled in AAP and should likely have been in GE. And many students with straight As and in Algebra II who were denied.

If TJ is important to your child, you should temporally move to give them a fighting chance.

Not exactly sure how this would work now, but when my kid was at TJ (class of 2020), we were repeatedly told that you had to inform the school if you moved, because this could affect your eligibility to be at the school. I think this was particularly aimed at kids from non-Fairfax County jurisdictions (like Arlington or Loudoun), but I don't know what would happen if now if you moved from your South County address used to admit your kid to a more TJ-traditional address in a different part of Fairfax.