Data for middle schools for TJ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kilmer went to having the fourth or fifth highest number of TJ admissions behind Carson, Longfellow, and Rocky Run (and sometimes Frost) to having the lowest percentage admissions rate of any FCPS middle school for the TJ Class of 2025.

Kilmer is in the Providence District, represented by Karl Frisch. FCPS Pride gave Frisch an award this weekend for his service to FCPS, also specifically including the LBGTQIA community.

If you aren't as thrilled with what Frisch has done for Kilmer and other Providence District schools and families as FCPS Pride, you know what to do next fall when the School Board is up for re-election.

What makes Kilmer so inherently special that falling from 5th place means something is wrong with FCPS policy? Consider the other dozen middle schools that sent less than 10 kids every year for the past decade. Was nothing wrong with FCPS policy then? Of course, it was benefitting you so the policy was perfect in your eyes. Why does the Providence district deserve something that the Mount Vernon district doesn't?

because some kids are smarter than other kids. Sending kids that aren't as talented to a governors school makes 0 sense.

What I really mean is they're not actually smarter but spent more $$$ on prep classes so deserve the seat at TJ because they spent the $$$ which is kind of like hard work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Previous years.
https://www.fcag.org/tjstatistics.shtml

I haven’t seen the class of 2026 data yet.

Thank you! Just what I was looking for.

You will notice the traditional feeders were reduced 33-50% in the name of equity compare 2024 vs 2025

The top STEM students are no longer going to TJ

Yes, the affluent families from those schools were less able to game admissions.

+1

And this gives access to TJ for other hard-working kids in the community. Not just the kids who happen to come from affluent families who know how to exploit the system.

The best way to have exploited the new system was to be an above-average student at a middle school where the level of interest in TJ remained relatively low.

Do you have a list of those schools? We were thinking about moving into one in order to improve our kids chances?

I hear Longfellow or Kilmer are good choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Previous years.
https://www.fcag.org/tjstatistics.shtml

I haven’t seen the class of 2026 data yet.

Thank you! Just what I was looking for.

You will notice the traditional feeders were reduced 33-50% in the name of equity compare 2024 vs 2025

The top STEM students are no longer going to TJ

Yes, the affluent families from those schools were less able to game admissions.

+1

And this gives access to TJ for other hard-working kids in the community. Not just the kids who happen to come from affluent families who know how to exploit the system.

The best way to have exploited the new system was to be an above-average student at a middle school where the level of interest in TJ remained relatively low.

Do you have a list of those schools? We were thinking about moving into one in order to improve our kids chances?

I hear Longfellow or Kilmer are good choices.

PP is being sarcastic, of course. Being a Longfellow student lowers your chances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Previous years.
https://www.fcag.org/tjstatistics.shtml

I haven’t seen the class of 2026 data yet.

Thank you! Just what I was looking for.

You will notice the traditional feeders were reduced 33-50% in the name of equity compare 2024 vs 2025

The top STEM students are no longer going to TJ

Yes, the affluent families from those schools were less able to game admissions.

It is not affluent families gaming the system. You guys get it completely wrong. We bought older homes to live in McLean area for the schools. So the kids who are attending top feeders are really smart kids with lot of students with GPA 4. In addition, if you have noticed Longfellow MS made it to top 5 in Science Olympiad Nationals and also was in nationals in science bowl and other activities too. These are really hard working smart kids and we bought home what we thought was the right school for them. Just taking some TJ prep course won't help in all these.

Also there is nothing wrong in taking prep courses. We all are in life long learning. We learn from kids too and they learn from others as well. People who send to prep courses are not to get into TJ but to set a strong foundation for success

People who send their kids to enrichment course, like RSM or AoPS, build a strong foundation for success. They are learning skills and developing critical thinking abilities.

People who send their kids to prep classes are focused on one test and scoring high on that one test. That might help the kids for foundational skills but that is not the goal.

STEM clubs, enrichment classes and all that should be because the kids enjoy the activities and want to further their skills. That love of those activities will hopefully carry on into high school and college and adult life regardless of where they go to school.

Prep classes are to score well on one test. That could be the old Quant test for TJ or the SAT or the ACT but you don't continue prepping for a test after you have taken the test. It is not an activity that you are doing because you enjoy it. Prep classes have their place but the exams that people prep for have been declining in importance because admissions branches for programs across the board, from AAP to TJ to Universities, are aware that prep courses are inflating individuals scores and that those score differentials are more a mark of how well you are prepped and less of actual ability.

If you moved to a top school because academics are important to you, then not getting into TJ is disappointing but I am sure that your kids will have a great experience at McLean or Langley High School. Both of which offer a larger variety of courses then my kid will have a chance to take at South Lakes. The parents from Fox Mill had to petition and fight for math classes past Calculus because there were none when Fox Mill ES was switched to South Lakes. So few kids at SLHS got to that point that there were no options for the Fox Mill kids who were getting there. I doubt that has been an issue at McLean or Langley. The kids who are stronger in math and science in the lower SES MS schools have fewer opportunities then the kids at higher SES schools because the number of kids participating in the AP/IB programs is so much smaller. TJ is a world of difference for them in even the basic AP classes that are available.

HS across the county do not offer the same classes because the need for different types of classes is so starkly different. I get that TJ is important to a lot of bright kids and it is disappointing to not be accepted. But they are going to have opportunities at McLean or Langley or Oakton or Chantilly that kids at other HS won't.

Lots of bright, hard working kids are going to be disappointed with college acceptances as well. People are going to apply for jobs or promotions and not get them. Not getting what you want even when you work hard is a part of life. It is part of the parents job to teach their kid how to handle that with grace. So you can tell your kid "It is because you were the wrong race" or you can tell your kid "Rejection sucks. It's ok to be disappointed. But there are great opportunities at your base school and you will be able to study with more of your friends. What club or activity do you want to do that might push you? Let's find something after school."

Your argument is crap, every high school should offer advanced math and problem solve TJ can go back to taking the best students in STEM.

Look here's what actually needs to happen

They need to do a much better job identifying kids who actually belong in AAP and then those are the kids that should be going to TJ period. If you are taking Algebra 1 in 8th you aren't an advanced STEM student.

This geographic diversity and other needs equity garbage has to stop. As it currently stands TJ is no longer taking the best STEM students.

My Kid is going to take Algebra 1 in 8th.... a super strong STEM kid. DC is doing things that a high schooler or college student is doing. How will you define a top STEM kid? Should my DC stop hoping or dreaming about TJ?

What makes your kid a super strong STEM kid? What is your DC doing that high school or college kids are doing? If your kid is actually a STEM outlier, then hopefully your kid can write about it in their essays and get points that way.

I don't think the door should be closed to Algebra I in 8th grade students. I just think admissions should be pretty rare, as they were before the reforms. This could easily be done by giving bonus points to kids based on their math level. If kids can earn 90 points for being ED or 45 points for having a 504/IEP, then why not at least 30-45 points per math level beyond Algebra I in 8th? Kids like yours wouldn't be shut out under this system, but they would have to make up for those math points by really impressing the reviewer in the essays.

Advancement in Math has to be penalized not rewarded as per the Progressive's manifesto. It is playing out nationwide.

You need to read less RWNJ propaganda.

Read this -

https://quillette.com/2021/08/19/as-us-schools-prioritize-diversity-over-merit-china-is-becoming-the-worlds-stem-leader/

Scholarly article by mathematicians from Princeton, Georgia Tech, et al which talks to how we are driving our STEM education to the ground. It is a nuanced article that is not a propaganda piece and it also talks about the progressive efforts to remove math differentiation from California schools.

I support differentiation and even acceleration done properly. The problem is too many folks on these boards are sending their kids to camps and having their kids do extra math every day. That's not raw talent. Any smart kid will advance if they spend extra time on a topic.

We need to highlight folks that are advancing without needing extra time or support. Those are the actual folks that need to be nurtured and actually go to TJ.

Sounds Orwellian. Ignorance Is Talent!

Not to mention if more the kids now getting into TJ need "extra time or support" you'll be among the first to demand it...

Um.... It starts with the AAP process, no more appeals, no more gaming the system.

I think I'm on your side of actually wanting the best and brightest at TJ not who has spent years preparing....

You equate preparation with cheating, spoils with discernment, and some misguided notion of equity with excellence.

If by preparation you're talking about preparing by purchasing the test in advance from a 3rd party sure.

All of the way back to cogat prep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kilmer went to having the fourth or fifth highest number of TJ admissions behind Carson, Longfellow, and Rocky Run (and sometimes Frost) to having the lowest percentage admissions rate of any FCPS middle school for the TJ Class of 2025.

Kilmer is in the Providence District, represented by Karl Frisch. FCPS Pride gave Frisch an award this weekend for his service to FCPS, also specifically including the LBGTQIA community.

If you aren't as thrilled with what Frisch has done for Kilmer and other Providence District schools and families as FCPS Pride, you know what to do next fall when the School Board is up for re-election.

What makes Kilmer so inherently special that falling from 5th place means something is wrong with FCPS policy? Consider the other dozen middle schools that sent less than 10 kids every year for the past decade. Was nothing wrong with FCPS policy then? Of course, it was benefitting you so the policy was perfect in your eyes. Why does the Providence district deserve something that the Mount Vernon district doesn't?

because some kids are smarter than other kids. Sending kids that aren't as talented to a governors school makes 0 sense.

What I really mean is they're not actually smarter but spent more $$$ on prep classes so deserve the seat at TJ because they spent the $$$ which is kind of like hard work.

Your statement assumes that all pre-2025 students at TJ prepped to get in. That is absolutely FALSE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kilmer went to having the fourth or fifth highest number of TJ admissions behind Carson, Longfellow, and Rocky Run (and sometimes Frost) to having the lowest percentage admissions rate of any FCPS middle school for the TJ Class of 2025.

Kilmer is in the Providence District, represented by Karl Frisch. FCPS Pride gave Frisch an award this weekend for his service to FCPS, also specifically including the LBGTQIA community.

If you aren't as thrilled with what Frisch has done for Kilmer and other Providence District schools and families as FCPS Pride, you know what to do next fall when the School Board is up for re-election.

What makes Kilmer so inherently special that falling from 5th place means something is wrong with FCPS policy? Consider the other dozen middle schools that sent less than 10 kids every year for the past decade. Was nothing wrong with FCPS policy then? Of course, it was benefitting you so the policy was perfect in your eyes. Why does the Providence district deserve something that the Mount Vernon district doesn't?

because some kids are smarter than other kids. Sending kids that aren't as talented to a governors school makes 0 sense.

What I really mean is they're not actually smarter but spent more $$$ on prep classes so deserve the seat at TJ because they spent the $$$ which is kind of like hard work.

Your statement assumes that all pre-2025 students at TJ prepped to get in. That is absolutely FALSE.

133 students on the class of 2024 came from the same prep company. That prep company published first and last names of the kids.

Prepping was pervasive. All did not prep of course, but it clearly was going on for better or for worse.

[Anonymous]

You are confusing causation for correlation. Prob everyone who was seriously interested felt it was a rite of passage to sign up because everyone was signing up even if they didn't need it. If 120 kids went then 480-120=360 kids did not go there. The attendance in that program doesn't prove anything.

[Anonymous]

The key question to prove causation would be how many of the kids who took the course were Rejected. If very few kids who took the course were rejected then I could see that the course caused an increased chance of admissions. Without that data saying only the prepped kids had a chance admission ia just casting aspersion at the asian kids who were admitted under the old system and attended this program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The key question to prove causation would be how many of the kids who took the course were Rejected. If very few kids who took the course were rejected then I could see that the course caused an increased chance of admissions. Without that data saying only the prepped kids had a chance admission ia just casting aspersion at the asian kids who were admitted under the old system and attended this program.

Most of the people I know who went there were rejected. One who was accepted would have made it anyways.

[Anonymous]

Why do both Longfellow and Cooper's admission to TJ this year lowers compared to the class of 2024? Could it due to less interest in these schools or does more have to do with quota?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do both Longfellow and Cooper's admission to TJ this year lowers compared to the class of 2024? Could it due to less interest in these schools or does more have to do with quota?

If you’re talking about the Class of 2025 vs Class of 2024, the decline was due to the new admissions system with minimum set-asides for every middle school in FCPS. That first affected the Class of 2025.

The admissions for the Class of 2026 have not yet been finalized, so it’s too early to compare the Class of 2026 vs. Class of 2025.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kilmer went to having the fourth or fifth highest number of TJ admissions behind Carson, Longfellow, and Rocky Run (and sometimes Frost) to having the lowest percentage admissions rate of any FCPS middle school for the TJ Class of 2025.

Kilmer is in the Providence District, represented by Karl Frisch. FCPS Pride gave Frisch an award this weekend for his service to FCPS, also specifically including the LBGTQIA community.

If you aren't as thrilled with what Frisch has done for Kilmer and other Providence District schools and families as FCPS Pride, you know what to do next fall when the School Board is up for re-election.

What makes Kilmer so inherently special that falling from 5th place means something is wrong with FCPS policy? Consider the other dozen middle schools that sent less than 10 kids every year for the past decade. Was nothing wrong with FCPS policy then? Of course, it was benefitting you so the policy was perfect in your eyes. Why does the Providence district deserve something that the Mount Vernon district doesn't?

because some kids are smarter than other kids. Sending kids that aren't as talented to a governors school makes 0 sense.

What I really mean is they're not actually smarter but spent more $$$ on prep classes so deserve the seat at TJ because they spent the $$$ which is kind of like hard work.

Your statement assumes that all pre-2025 students at TJ prepped to get in. That is absolutely FALSE.

I know it's only like 90%!