Anyone know of a humanities magnet high school (alternative to TJ)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who is submitting the information to the FCAG website? I don't know anyone who has seen their children's scores for the essays and SIS- where is this information coming from for Student 1 and Student 2?

Also, the math portion of the exam and the math and science GPA enter into consideration twice. They have to be high enough to move the applicant from the first round to the second round, and then they are part of the scoring in the second round, also.

It's hard to take unsourced information seriously. I'll stick with the information published directly on the TJ admissions website.

the student 1 and student 2 on the FCAG site post may have been a hypothetical. It is hypothetically possible for that result to occur.

[Anonymous]

*Semi-finalist Pool Requiring Essay Grading DOUBLED
*TJ Exam Essays & Student Information Sheet Now Make up 70% of Admission Decisions

Is there a link or citation for this information? It looks like a misunderstanding of how the essay scores are used.

In Round 1, the math and verbal scores are used, essay scores are not included in determining whether an applicant moves on to the semifinalist round. Math scores, however, are used both in Round 1 to determine semifinalist status and again in Round 2 which determines the 480 accepted students. Math scores are counted twice in the process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

All semifinalists are evaluated for admission based on consideration of the following parts of the final application packet (weighting for each included in parentheses):

Essays (25%)
All applicants complete two essays along with the Admissions Test. Each essay is reviewed individually based on its content and clarity, then averaged together. Essays vary greatly and there are no particular phrases or specific responses for which we look.

Student Information Sheet (20%)
Student Information Sheets are completed by all semifinalists. Each Student Information Sheet is reviewed based on content and clarity in relation to the mission of TJHSST. Student Information Sheets vary greatly and there are no particular phrases or specific response for which we look.

Teacher Recommendation (20%)
All applicants submit two teacher recommendations. Teacher recommendations are reviewed individually then averaged together. Each teacher recommendation is evaluated based on each teacher’s account of the applicant’s characteristics, talents, and potential contributions to TJHSST’s group of learners.

Math Score from the Admissions Test (20%)
Semifinalist math test scores range from 30 out of 50 to 50 out of 50.

Math and Science Grade Point Average (15%)
The math and science grade point average includes marks from math and science courses taken in 7th grade and the first and second quarters of 8th grade.

No other materials are considered for any applicant.

These are the exact percentages used in the TJ admissions decision process, taken from the admissions office website. In the second (semifinalist) round, only the math score from the admissions test and science and math GPAs are included, a total of 35%. Teacher recs are 20%, with one required to be from a math or science teacher, but many kids ask a math or science teacher for the second rec also.
So that's at least 45% and possibly 55% math and science related.

One of the longer essays usually involves a question about the applicant's own science activities, the other is usually an ethically based question in a scientific setting. The SIS asks the students to write about their curricular and extracurricular activities. Many applicants choose to write about their pursuit of math and science both in and out of school.

So even if we only add in half the essay and SIS percentages, we still end up with at least 68.5% to 78.5% of the decision being directly related to the student's performance and demonstrated interest in math and science. Clearly, math and science background form the better part of the point scale for admission to TJ.

Link to the above information on the TJ admissions website:

http://www.fcps.edu/pla/TJHSST_Admissions/dec_freshman_winter_final.html

[Anonymous]

The weighting discussed is regarding the 2nd round scoring process. The 1st round review is based on combination of grades and exam scores and not really controversial and considered to be relatively easy to pass for an above average middle school student.

The link is at:

http://fcag.org/tjinfo.html

under:
FCPS School Board Briefing on TJ Admissions Process,

under:
Click here to see the FCAG Powerpoint on TJ Admissions.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the link.

Would it be possible to post the link to the specific information listed earlier about doubling the essay score?

Thank you.

[Anonymous]

The information on the 2nd round weighting and the semifinalist pool is found in the PowerPoint.

[Anonymous]

The power point has a clear agenda to get rid of the essays, particularly the one which asks students to consider an ethical issue in a scientific context. I actually was happy when I read that my child had to think and write about an ethical issue on the exam. Considering such issues at an early age and continuing to do so through their schooling can only be a benefit to students who would like careers as scientists.

Lots of comments are included to make TJ sound like it's on a downward spiral. I was present at the meetings last year about the letter the math teachers wrote and I came away from those meetings with a completely different sense of the extent of the problem, the possible causes (many were listed), and possible solutions.

The fact is, Northern Virginia has lots of kids who are extremely talented in math and have also read widely and can write well. There is no need to accept kids who are great at math but need help in writing when there are so many who can do both. With only so many spaces available at the school, it makes sense to fill them with students who can do the math and science and then write about it, too.

[Anonymous]

You make some valid points but some people think there is too much emphasis on essays/SIS/rec. (some 84%), the subjective and non-math and science factors, and thus the math/science remediation issue etc. for a STEM school. That's the rationale behind referring to TJ as both STEM & Humanities Magnet School.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You make some valid points but some people think there is too much emphasis on essays/SIS/rec. (some 84%), the subjective and non-math and science factors, and thus the math/science remediation issue etc. for a STEM school. That's the rationale behind referring to TJ as both STEM & Humanities Magnet School.

nobody but one person on here (you?) has referred to it as anything but a STEM magnet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The power point has a clear agenda to get rid of the essays, particularly the one which asks students to consider an ethical issue in a scientific context. I actually was happy when I read that my child had to think and write about an ethical issue on the exam. Considering such issues at an early age and continuing to do so through their schooling can only be a benefit to students who would like careers as scientists.

Lots of comments are included to make TJ sound like it's on a downward spiral. I was present at the meetings last year about the letter the math teachers wrote and I came away from those meetings with a completely different sense of the extent of the problem, the possible causes (many were listed), and possible solutions.

The fact is, Northern Virginia has lots of kids who are extremely talented in math and have also read widely and can write well. There is no need to accept kids who are great at math but need help in writing when there are so many who can do both. With only so many spaces available at the school, it makes sense to fill them with students who can do the math and science and then write about it, too.

+1

The link below addresses many of the items raised in the FCAG PowerPoint:

http://www.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/8YFN9Y5EE5CD/$file/TJ%20Weighting%20of%20Admisssion%20Criteria%20-%20September%2024.pdf

[Anonymous]

... some people think there is too much emphasis on essays/SIS/rec. (some 84%)...

This number is a misreading of how the various parts of the application are weighted. Post 17:26 above gives a much better idea of how the parts are weighted. When looking at the numbers, one has to keep in mind that the essays and the SIS are about math and science. In addition, the teacher recs are about how the student has performed in and shown an interest in math and science. Important points to keep in mind.

[Anonymous]

The following is a good illustration of what can happens with too much subjectivity (post from another thread):

"My (Asian) daughter didn't get in after 4.0, 100% on the test, stellar teacher recommendations, Decent Essays, a math passionate person in Algebra2/Trig in 8th grade, Chess champion, Chamber violinist, an all-star basketball player, Science Olympiad participant, Math counts winner. What else do you need? A paid student information sheet writer to write politically pleasing words?? "

[Anonymous]

Individual anecdotes do not prove that the system is not working. While the above might describe a well-qualified applicant among many well-qualified applicants, there is no real way of knowing what the teacher recommendations and essays were like.

I certainly feel bad when a young person is disappointed, but there just are not enough spaces at TJ for all the qualified applicants and FCPS has to have a process to select a freshman class. A particular case may seem unfair when viewed from the outside, but may appear very different if one could see the entire application package.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The following is a good illustration of what can happens with too much subjectivity (post from another thread):

"My (Asian) daughter didn't get in after 4.0, 100% on the test, stellar teacher recommendations, Decent Essays, a math passionate person in Algebra2/Trig in 8th grade, Chess champion, Chamber violinist, an all-star basketball player, Science Olympiad participant, Math counts winner. What else do you need? A paid student information sheet writer to write politically pleasing words?? "

Your daughter definitely would get in if your race is not Asian.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The following is a good illustration of what can happens with too much subjectivity (post from another thread):

"My (Asian) daughter didn't get in after 4.0, 100% on the test, stellar teacher recommendations, Decent Essays, a math passionate person in Algebra2/Trig in 8th grade, Chess champion, Chamber violinist, an all-star basketball player, Science Olympiad participant, Math counts winner. What else do you need? A paid student information sheet writer to write politically pleasing words?? "

Your daughter definitely would get in if your race is not Asian.

hard to believe that since about 2/3 of the new admissions were Asian. I suspect the pp before yours was right. Something about her essays didn't grab the admissions committee.