exemption from TJ calc AB requirement

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You really don't know what you're talking about, do you?

TJ has a minimum GPA requirement for applicants. A student who did badly enough in algebra to need to retake it would almost certainly be below that threshold.

Also, TJ doesn't offer Algebra. Are you suggesting that these students retook it elsewhere?

Of course I know what I’m talking about. The 3.5 GPA requirement is only for 7th grade and the first grading period of 8th grade. A student could do poorly after the first grading period and wouldn’t have their admissions recinded.

I understand that TJ doesn’t have Algebra I in the course catalog, but that doesn’t mean that they couldn’t add an Algebra I class for students that needed to retake it. You’re allowed to expunge any courses that you take in middle school.

There are no sections of Alg I at TJ. The tests could be students taking it to get a verified math credit that went to a private school in 8th and did not take an SOL. Easy to take Alg and have one less test to take during the Spring when you are trying to study for APs as an upperclassman.

[Anonymous]

At the TJ school preview for newly admitted students/parents this past spring there were parents at the currently taking Algebra I/Algebra II math track table asking about how to get out of the AP Calculus requirement and wondering why students need to take more math at TJ 🤦‍♀️.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't most of the kids coming in with Algebra I in the old system take RS1 and TJ Math 1, and then not be eligible to take the geometry SOL since they only finished half of geometry?

For the class of 2025, it is known that 161 students were admitted with only Algebra I. Most of those aren't appearing anywhere in the SOL data for their 9th grade year.

The SOL numbers do not bare this out. Only 28 students took the Geometry SOL last year. There are three explanations.

1) A lot of students chose not to take the SOL
2) A lot of students transferred back to their base school
3) Fewer then 161 students with Algebra 1 were admitted.

I am guessing that it is a combo of 2 and 3 but that the number of students selected with Algebra 1 was closer to 50.

SOL reports show that 98 kids in the class of 2025 took the Geometry SOL in 10th grade

I saw that as well, which was baffling to me. Algebra 1 is required to attend TJ so there is no reason for there to be that many kids, technically any kids, taking Geometry in 10th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At the TJ school preview for newly admitted students/parents this past spring there were parents at the currently taking Algebra I/Algebra II math track table asking about how to get out of the AP Calculus requirement and wondering why students need to take more math at TJ 🤦‍♀️.

Algebra 1 I can see asking that question, the kids don't have the same exposure to advanced math and might be coming from schools and families were the idea of taking calculus seems like a stretch. Algebra II kids in 8th grade should be aiming for more advanced math, unless they saw the acceleration as a reason to get their 4 years of mandatory math in and then drop math altogether, but those are not the families I would expect to apply to TJ.

Hopefully they heard the answer was no, it is a requirement and chose to stay at their base schools. It sounds like maybe not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't most of the kids coming in with Algebra I in the old system take RS1 and TJ Math 1, and then not be eligible to take the geometry SOL since they only finished half of geometry?

For the class of 2025, it is known that 161 students were admitted with only Algebra I. Most of those aren't appearing anywhere in the SOL data for their 9th grade year.

The SOL numbers do not bare this out. Only 28 students took the Geometry SOL last year. There are three explanations.

1) A lot of students chose not to take the SOL
2) A lot of students transferred back to their base school
3) Fewer then 161 students with Algebra 1 were admitted.

I am guessing that it is a combo of 2 and 3 but that the number of students selected with Algebra 1 was closer to 50.

SOL reports show that 98 kids in the class of 2025 took the Geometry SOL in 10th grade

I saw that as well, which was baffling to me. Algebra 1 is required to attend TJ so there is no reason for there to be that many kids, technically any kids, taking Geometry in 10th grade.

Those kids took half of Geometry (TJ math 1) and research stats 1 in 9th grade, and then the other half of geometry (TJ math 2) + algebra II (TJ math 3) in 10th. So they had to wait until 10th to take the SOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't most of the kids coming in with Algebra I in the old system take RS1 and TJ Math 1, and then not be eligible to take the geometry SOL since they only finished half of geometry?

For the class of 2025, it is known that 161 students were admitted with only Algebra I. Most of those aren't appearing anywhere in the SOL data for their 9th grade year.

The SOL numbers do not bare this out. Only 28 students took the Geometry SOL last year. There are three explanations.

1) A lot of students chose not to take the SOL
2) A lot of students transferred back to their base school
3) Fewer then 161 students with Algebra 1 were admitted.

I am guessing that it is a combo of 2 and 3 but that the number of students selected with Algebra 1 was closer to 50.

SOL reports show that 98 kids in the class of 2025 took the Geometry SOL in 10th grade

I saw that as well, which was baffling to me. Algebra 1 is required to attend TJ so there is no reason for there to be that many kids, technically any kids, taking Geometry in 10th grade.

Those kids took half of Geometry (TJ math 1) and research stats 1 in 9th grade, and then the other half of geometry (TJ math 2) + algebra II (TJ math 3) in 10th. So they had to wait until 10th to take the SOL.

Thank you for the explanation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the TJ school preview for newly admitted students/parents this past spring there were parents at the currently taking Algebra I/Algebra II math track table asking about how to get out of the AP Calculus requirement and wondering why students need to take more math at TJ 🤦‍♀️.

Algebra 1 I can see asking that question, the kids don't have the same exposure to advanced math and might be coming from schools and families were the idea of taking calculus seems like a stretch. Algebra II kids in 8th grade should be aiming for more advanced math, unless they saw the acceleration as a reason to get their 4 years of mandatory math in and then drop math altogether, but those are not the families I would expect to apply to TJ.

Hopefully they heard the answer was no, it is a requirement and chose to stay at their base schools. It sounds like maybe not.

It was only Algebra I parents asking about Calculus. Algebra II students are clearly already serious about math or they wouldn’t have completed 3 high school level honors math courses before high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Taking Calc, whether AB or BC, is a TJ requirement. If your DC doesn't want to, they shouldn't be there.

I agree 100%.

- a TJ parent

[Anonymous]

The Algebra 1 SOL scores at TJ are most likely from kids who previously attended private school or school out of state, and need to make up the missed test to meet graduation requirements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Algebra 1 SOL scores at TJ are most likely from kids who previously attended private school or school out of state, and need to make up the missed test to meet graduation requirements.

Useful thought.

[Anonymous]

What is the impact of not enrolling in Calc AB, assuming a waiver is granted? Is it a prerequisite for other courses?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the impact of not enrolling in Calc AB, assuming a waiver is granted? Is it a prerequisite for other courses?

Student misses point of going to TJ and won’t be in position to take certain science classes/labs. They also will not have the least rigorous schedule when comes time for college admissions.

[Anonymous]

Consider how it look to an AO when looking at the college application. A school known for STEM, with Calculus as a requirement for graduation and you have a student who wont take that class. Any AO would have second thoughts on admitting this student. There are 500 others, do I really need to admit this student who might not be able to handle the rigor?

[Anonymous]

This is going to be reddest of red flags to an AO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the impact of not enrolling in Calc AB, assuming a waiver is granted? Is it a prerequisite for other courses?

You can guarentee that a TJ kid graduating without Calculus is going to struggle with college admission. I would argue that TJ kids with only Calc AB are going to struggle with admissions. The whole point of attending TJ is to take advanced math and science classes. I believe that calculus is required for some of the advanced sciences so a kid without calculus will not be able to take the more advanced sciences, like Physics C.