Number of Applicants for TJ this year ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:wow. Big changes. Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

My DS is a TJ senior (no prep, Title I ES and MS - loved it) so I have no dog in this fight.

For me, the biggest surprise is getting rid of teacher recommendations.

I also wonder if the move to regions will have the unintended effect of diversifying Langley and McLean pyramids if some families decide to move to have a better chance in lottery. LOL.

Next steps for me to see real change across FCPS - eliminate COGAT, private WISC, and parent referrals for AAP!

I agree that it could very well result in more diversity for Langley and McLean. Parents no longer feel like they MUST have their child at a certain middle school in order to have a hope of attending and can choose to live in a much wider variety of areas.

Another reason to implement it this proposal by the staff.

McLean is on track to be majority minority within the next 3 years regardless of what happens with TJ admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It fundamentally repurposes TJHSST from a high school intended to serve the most talented STEM students to a demonstration project that an almost random group of county students (a 3.5 GPA isn't tough to pull off in middle school) can take STEM classes.

Remind us again why we really need this school? There's a very good chance Langley will test higher than this version of TJ.

I mean, the big question really is this: What is involved in the holistic review? How is it determined which students actually get placed into the merit lottery? What's evaluated appears to be the new SIS and the report card. I severely doubt that every kid with a 3.5 is going to get placed in the lottery, and I would further bet that they will try to chop down the application pool to about 1000 or so using that holistic review.

The Holistic Review will be used to reduce Asian students and increase black/Hispanic students on the lottery list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymou[b wrote:s]It fundamentally repurposes TJHSST from a high school intended to serve the most talented STEM students to a demonstration project that an almost random group of county students (a 3.5 GPA isn't tough to pull off in middle school) can take STEM classes.[/b]

Remind us again why we really need this school? There's a very good chance Langley will test higher than this version of TJ.

The bolded is true. And it’s sad. What a waste of a gold standard program that provides a wonderfully challenging education to those who are ready and willing for it.

And changes only made because white applications were dwindling since they didn’t want to go to school with Asian American kids. Black and Hispanic kids have aways been underrepresented but this proposal comes to appease white families. See the podcast Nice, White Families, episode 3.

[Anonymous]

This proposal likely is not final. It will be voted on in whatever form it takes at the School Board meeting on 10/8. Possibility to see modifications between now and then.

[Anonymous]

Tj parent. This proposal sounds terrible. There is no guarantee that this will help any URM students get into the school. Random lotteries lead to random schools. So glad this won't effect my student. Sounds terrible. Instead of this open lottery, why don't they just fire all of the admissions team and get new employees. They are the ones who picked the same asian students every year. There ARE URMs that already apply. The admissions committee just doesn't pick them!

[Anonymous]

And changes only made because white applications were dwindling since they didn’t want to go to school with Asian American kids. Black and Hispanic kids have aways been underrepresented but this proposal comes to appease white families. See the podcast Nice, White Families, episode 3.

Not true.
Look at what else is being discussed today at the forums. This is all about BLM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

And changes only made because white applications were dwindling since they didn’t want to go to school with Asian American kids. Black and Hispanic kids have aways been underrepresented but this proposal comes to appease white families. See the podcast Nice, White Families, episode 3.

Not true.
Look at what else is being discussed today at the forums. This is all about BLM.

These changes are not being driven by white parents. Race has nothing to do with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

And changes only made because white applications were dwindling since they didn’t want to go to school with Asian American kids. Black and Hispanic kids have aways been underrepresented but this proposal comes to appease white families. See the podcast Nice, White Families, episode 3.

Not true.
Look at what else is being discussed today at the forums. This is all about BLM.

I agree with PP. This is about white families. When you look at the historical admissions data in the packet, black and Hispanic kids have always been underrepresented - their graph lines look quite steady - and nobody cared. The only demonstrable change that spurred this action (which started before George Floyd was killed and BLM became a national discussion) is the significant rise in Asian applications/acceptances and the significant drop in white applicationss/acceptances - the data tells the whole story.

[Anonymous]

Any idea under the new proposal, within each region, will be lottery space still need to be somehow evenly divided among all the based schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymou[b wrote:s]It fundamentally repurposes TJHSST from a high school intended to serve the most talented STEM students to a demonstration project that an almost random group of county students (a 3.5 GPA isn't tough to pull off in middle school) can take STEM classes.[/b]

Remind us again why we really need this school? There's a very good chance Langley will test higher than this version of TJ.

The bolded is true. And it’s sad. What a waste of a gold standard program that provides a wonderfully challenging education to those who are ready and willing for it.

And changes only made because white applications were dwindling since they didn’t want to go to school with Asian American kids. Black and Hispanic kids have aways been underrepresented but this proposal comes to appease white families. See the podcast Nice, White Families, episode 3.

Does it feel safer to you to asserting only white people are lobbying for reforms?

TJ admissions reform is a top priority for minority students at TJ, the Fairfax NAACP, and several School Board members who are minorities, including Karen Keys-Gamarra and Ricardy Anderson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any idea under the new proposal, within each region, will be lottery space still need to be somehow evenly divided among all the based schools?

There is no suggestion that is the case. Nor should it, given the wide variation in the number of students at different middle schools.

[Anonymous]

Under the new proposal, we can sending the message to the kids that hard work does not matter, life is random. No more try harder and don't give up ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Under the new proposal, we can sending the message to the kids that hard work does not matter, life is random. No more try harder and don't give up ...

Under the current policy, we are sending the message to non-Asian kids that they aren't as smart, don't work as hard, and don't deserve the same opportunities as the Asian kids who attend the right middle school feeders, know the right teachers, and take the best prep courses.

[Anonymous]

This is such a shame. It was a school where brilliant but eccentric kids could go have a normal high school experience where their quirks were welcomed and hard work and STEM passion admired. Now they are stuck at their base schools being the weird kids that don't get invited to parties and bullied.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Under the new proposal, we can sending the message to the kids that hard work does not matter, life is random. No more try harder and don't give up ...

Under the current policy, we are sending the message to non-Asian kids that they aren't as smart, don't work as hard, and don't deserve the same opportunities as the Asian kids who attend the right middle school feeders, know the right teachers, and take the best prep courses.

Again, not all Asian kids go to Curie and prep. My kid didn't, and she was not from Carson or Longfellow and certainly didn't know the "right teachers". Stop the hate!!