What changes in the TJ admissions procedure do you predict this year ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For anyone interested in actual suggestions, the school board will address TJ Admissions in September 15 meeting:

https://insys.fcps.edu/schoolboardapps/meetings.cfm

Interesting that the meeting is on Monday and the materials (attachments) are not yet posted. They have not posted them for the other work session that day either--regarding "anti-racism" curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For anyone interested in actual suggestions, the school board will address TJ Admissions in September 15 meeting:

https://insys.fcps.edu/schoolboardapps/meetings.cfm

Interesting that the meeting is on Monday and the materials (attachments) are not yet posted. They have not posted them for the other work session that day either--regarding "anti-racism" curriculum.

the 15th is a Tuesday but go off

[Anonymous]

Rumor is that Brabrand is going to recommend a lottery system based solely on MS GPA (as though grades in MS are equivalent among MS; as though spring 2020 grades had any validity after the COVID DL changes) with quotas for each MS.

This is a terrible idea that will lead to miserable kids who cannot deal with the rigor of TJ or TJ will be diminished in its educational quality.

If the reason for his recommendation is COVID and they cannot safely administer the fall TJ test, he should create a countywide pool for a lottery based on GPA and a teacher thumbs up, not quotas by MS. This would still create a class that will have many more challenges than a usual TJ class but it would bet better than his rumored proposal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rumor is that Brabrand is going to recommend a lottery system based solely on MS GPA (as though grades in MS are equivalent among MS; as though spring 2020 grades had any validity after the COVID DL changes) with quotas for each MS.

This is a terrible idea that will lead to miserable kids who cannot deal with the rigor of TJ or TJ will be diminished in its educational quality.

If the reason for his recommendation is COVID and they cannot safely administer the fall TJ test, he should create a countywide pool for a lottery based on GPA and a teacher thumbs up, not quotas by MS. This would still create a class that will have many more challenges than a usual TJ class but it would bet better than his rumored proposal.

Strongly pro-TJ reform here, and this would not be a good move at all. I would be shocked if this is the path they choose.

[Anonymous]

Strongly pro TJ- reform myself and TJ parent. And I do not envy the decision makers this year.

MS grades does not seem like a good baseline (wonder how they would distinguish AAP from Honors from Gen ED) -

I do support a minimum number of slots from each MS. My DS came from LJMS - only 3 of 4 kids went to TJ his year, but there were definitely more who would have done well at TJ.

I still think you need some standardized test info - if they can't manage to have 2500 kids take the TJ test safely (I question how hard this would be) - maybe the Iowa test and SOLs at a minimum?

And I think teacher recommendations should play a role.

[Anonymous]

I really hope the school board members press for an investigation into how one prep company (Curie) somehow got 28% of the class of 2024. I hope it is not just glossed over.

Every parent who is mad about the changes this year should place at least some of the blame on Curie AND the parents/kids that prepped at Curie. The idea of "merit-based admissions " is just laughable if the allegations that they somehow had special access to the Quant Q is true.

[Anonymous]

It would be a disaster not to have any testing component at all - you would have to revamp the curriculum entirely. And with GPA, grading varies by school, as others have said, and students are taking different levels of math. Will a student's A, let's say, be considered the same whether it's in Algebra, Geometry, or Algebra II? A STEM school should absolutely factor in what level of math a kid is taking.

[Anonymous]

Why can't they administer the test either online or at many different testing sites the same day, to allow social distancing (and the kids can wear masks).

[Anonymous]

I'm sure the purpose of the geographic/middle school system is to increase racial diversity and specifically to decrease the number of Asian Americans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why can't they administer the test either online or at many different testing sites the same day, to allow social distancing (and the kids can wear masks).

Online - massive cheating issues. If you don't believe that, you're surpremely naive.

Many different sites - FCPS doesn't see fit to even use a hybrid model right now - and even if they did just to handle the kids from Rachel Carson they would need 30 classrooms and 30 proctors at minimum. Plus you're creating another hurdle to admissions by asking parents to decide if they feel it's safe under the current circumstances to send their kids to a three-hour test in a room with ten other kids that they don't know. And if you know anything about TJ families - they absolutely will not keep their kid home if they're exhibiting symptoms.

There just isn't a way to do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Strongly pro TJ- reform myself and TJ parent. And I do not envy the decision makers this year.

MS grades does not seem like a good baseline (wonder how they would distinguish AAP from Honors from Gen ED) -

I do support a minimum number of slots from each MS. My DS came from LJMS - only 3 of 4 kids went to TJ his year, but there were definitely more who would have done well at TJ.

I still think you need some standardized test info - if they can't manage to have 2500 kids take the TJ test safely (I question how hard this would be) - maybe the Iowa test and SOLs at a minimum?

And I think teacher recommendations should play a role.

That sounds odd. Luther Jackson usually sends 20-25 kids per year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why can't they administer the test either online or at many different testing sites the same day, to allow social distancing (and the kids can wear masks).

They cannot offer it online. Potentially 28% of the class of 2024 was involved in a cheating scandal for the Quant Q. If FCPS offered the test online, the temptation for many parents to "help" would just be too much.

If just about every top university can go test-optional this year, so can a public high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Strongly pro TJ- reform myself and TJ parent. And I do not envy the decision makers this year.

MS grades does not seem like a good baseline (wonder how they would distinguish AAP from Honors from Gen ED) -

I do support a minimum number of slots from each MS. My DS came from LJMS - only 3 of 4 kids went to TJ his year, but there were definitely more who would have done well at TJ.

I still think you need some standardized test info - if they can't manage to have 2500 kids take the TJ test safely (I question how hard this would be) - maybe the Iowa test and SOLs at a minimum?

And I think teacher recommendations should play a role.

That sounds odd. Luther Jackson usually sends 20-25 kids per year.

It is odd. I think Curiegate threw so much of the historical data out the window

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure the purpose of the geographic/middle school system is to increase racial diversity and specifically to decrease the number of Asian Americans.

Well, one prep place that only serves Indian families went from 50 students two years to 133 students for the class of 2024. There are allagations that the Curie students systemically cheated. So, its not reducing certain ethnic groups so much as getting rid of the role that cheating/prep has played in gaining access to admissions for certain ethnic groups.

[Anonymous]

It's the lottery aspect that makes no sense whatsoever. If they want to increase diversity they could do what Univ of Texas does and reserve some portion of seats for the top students at each middle school. But to just choose by the flip of a coin will just result in large numbers of students who won't be able to access the curriculum and will leave out many kids who are very talented in STEM.