Top 10% at TJ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 of my friends said their kids who recently graduated from TJ had GPA in the high 4.4 to high 4.5 range (straight As) and about 7 AP/post AP classes through junior year which is about standard for the “most rigorous” course load at TJ. Sure there will be a handful of kids with a few more but that is about the most a kid can take at TJ given the number of AP courses offered and other course requirements and restrictions (esp compared to base FCPS schools). Difference can be if a kid took band/orchestra etc (unweighted courses until this year but for current students their transcripts will be adjusted) and language.

Some students don’t take a language (place out through language credit exam) or just take a year or two (including AP level) and instead take more weighted classes which can increase the GPA vs a kid who takes 3 years of a language (unweighted) starting with level 1

My kid graduated with all As (only As and A+s) from TJ several years ago. He had taken about 9-10 APs/post-APs by end of his junior year and the weighted gpa was around 4.57. He was in the top 10% and probably in the top 1%.

With the new admission process, the bar is much higher now. The kid's scores are through the roof!!

This is not true.

SOLs for the new admissions cohort are lower than previous years by quite a lot. Also, level of math acceleration is lower than previous cohorts. And soon, PSAT scores will probably reveal a drop in scores. We shall see.

It’s OK the admissions were changed to include a more diverse set of kids, but there is no need to make up things about the scores.

It is sad that test scores at TJ have dropped so much since the admissions requirements were changed by the school board.

I mean, the old process overselected for test scores. You literally could not get into the school unless you were a strong test taker relative to the rest of the population taking the exams.

It never should have been surprising that exam scores would drop somewhat when you remove that needless criterion from the process.

The question we should be asking is "Why do we assume that all smart kids are good test takers, and why do we assume all good test takers are smart?"

I think there absolutely should be a place at TJ for exceptional test-takers, but it's a huge mistake if there's no room for anyone who isn't. That's why the new system is a better idea even if you see some test scores dropping to a somewhat-lower-but-still-exceptional range.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 of my friends said their kids who recently graduated from TJ had GPA in the high 4.4 to high 4.5 range (straight As) and about 7 AP/post AP classes through junior year which is about standard for the “most rigorous” course load at TJ. Sure there will be a handful of kids with a few more but that is about the most a kid can take at TJ given the number of AP courses offered and other course requirements and restrictions (esp compared to base FCPS schools). Difference can be if a kid took band/orchestra etc (unweighted courses until this year but for current students their transcripts will be adjusted) and language.

Some students don’t take a language (place out through language credit exam) or just take a year or two (including AP level) and instead take more weighted classes which can increase the GPA vs a kid who takes 3 years of a language (unweighted) starting with level 1

My kid graduated with all As (only As and A+s) from TJ several years ago. He had taken about 9-10 APs/post-APs by end of his junior year and the weighted gpa was around 4.57. He was in the top 10% and probably in the top 1%.

With the new admission process, the bar is much higher now. The kid's scores are through the roof!!

This is not true.

SOLs for the new admissions cohort are lower than previous years by quite a lot. Also, level of math acceleration is lower than previous cohorts. And soon, PSAT scores will probably reveal a drop in scores. We shall see.

It’s OK the admissions were changed to include a more diverse set of kids, but there is no need to make up things about the scores.

They were changed to include the top students from every school not just those who could afford to buy an advance copy of the entry test from a prep center.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 of my friends said their kids who recently graduated from TJ had GPA in the high 4.4 to high 4.5 range (straight As) and about 7 AP/post AP classes through junior year which is about standard for the “most rigorous” course load at TJ. Sure there will be a handful of kids with a few more but that is about the most a kid can take at TJ given the number of AP courses offered and other course requirements and restrictions (esp compared to base FCPS schools). Difference can be if a kid took band/orchestra etc (unweighted courses until this year but for current students their transcripts will be adjusted) and language.

Some students don’t take a language (place out through language credit exam) or just take a year or two (including AP level) and instead take more weighted classes which can increase the GPA vs a kid who takes 3 years of a language (unweighted) starting with level 1

My kid graduated with all As (only As and A+s) from TJ several years ago. He had taken about 9-10 APs/post-APs by end of his junior year and the weighted gpa was around 4.57. He was in the top 10% and probably in the top 1%.

With the new admission process, the bar is much higher now. The kid's scores are through the roof!!

This is not true.

SOLs for the new admissions cohort are lower than previous years by quite a lot. Also, level of math acceleration is lower than previous cohorts. And soon, PSAT scores will probably reveal a drop in scores. We shall see.

It’s OK the admissions were changed to include a more diverse set of kids, but there is no need to make up things about the scores.

It is sad that test scores at TJ have dropped so much since the admissions requirements were changed by the school board.

I mean, the old process overselected for test scores. You literally could not get into the school unless you were a strong test taker relative to the rest of the population taking the exams.

It never should have been surprising that exam scores would drop somewhat when you remove that needless criterion from the process.

The question we should be asking is "Why do we assume that all smart kids are good test takers, and why do we assume all good test takers are smart?"

I think there absolutely should be a place at TJ for exceptional test-takers, but it's a huge mistake if there's no room for anyone who isn't. That's why the new system is a better idea even if you see some test scores dropping to a somewhat-lower-but-still-exceptional range.

Since people had access to many of the test questions in advance, I wouldn't put too much stock in the quality of students that did well on that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 of my friends said their kids who recently graduated from TJ had GPA in the high 4.4 to high 4.5 range (straight As) and about 7 AP/post AP classes through junior year which is about standard for the “most rigorous” course load at TJ. Sure there will be a handful of kids with a few more but that is about the most a kid can take at TJ given the number of AP courses offered and other course requirements and restrictions (esp compared to base FCPS schools). Difference can be if a kid took band/orchestra etc (unweighted courses until this year but for current students their transcripts will be adjusted) and language.

Some students don’t take a language (place out through language credit exam) or just take a year or two (including AP level) and instead take more weighted classes which can increase the GPA vs a kid who takes 3 years of a language (unweighted) starting with level 1

My kid graduated with all As (only As and A+s) from TJ several years ago. He had taken about 9-10 APs/post-APs by end of his junior year and the weighted gpa was around 4.57. He was in the top 10% and probably in the top 1%.

With the new admission process, the bar is much higher now. The kid's scores are through the roof!!

This is not true.

SOLs for the new admissions cohort are lower than previous years by quite a lot. Also, level of math acceleration is lower than previous cohorts. And soon, PSAT scores will probably reveal a drop in scores. We shall see.

It’s OK the admissions were changed to include a more diverse set of kids, but there is no need to make up things about the scores.

It is sad that test scores at TJ have dropped so much since the admissions requirements were changed by the school board.

Test scores at all schools have dropped because the pandemic took a toll on learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 of my friends said their kids who recently graduated from TJ had GPA in the high 4.4 to high 4.5 range (straight As) and about 7 AP/post AP classes through junior year which is about standard for the “most rigorous” course load at TJ. Sure there will be a handful of kids with a few more but that is about the most a kid can take at TJ given the number of AP courses offered and other course requirements and restrictions (esp compared to base FCPS schools). Difference can be if a kid took band/orchestra etc (unweighted courses until this year but for current students their transcripts will be adjusted) and language.

Some students don’t take a language (place out through language credit exam) or just take a year or two (including AP level) and instead take more weighted classes which can increase the GPA vs a kid who takes 3 years of a language (unweighted) starting with level 1

My kid graduated with all As (only As and A+s) from TJ several years ago. He had taken about 9-10 APs/post-APs by end of his junior year and the weighted gpa was around 4.57. He was in the top 10% and probably in the top 1%.

With the new admission process, the bar is much higher now. The kid's scores are through the roof!!

This is not true.

SOLs for the new admissions cohort are lower than previous years by quite a lot. Also, level of math acceleration is lower than previous cohorts. And soon, PSAT scores will probably reveal a drop in scores. We shall see.

It’s OK the admissions were changed to include a more diverse set of kids, but there is no need to make up things about the scores.

They were changed to include the top students from every school not just those who could afford to buy an advance copy of the entry test from a prep center.

Fictitious prep center?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 of my friends said their kids who recently graduated from TJ had GPA in the high 4.4 to high 4.5 range (straight As) and about 7 AP/post AP classes through junior year which is about standard for the “most rigorous” course load at TJ. Sure there will be a handful of kids with a few more but that is about the most a kid can take at TJ given the number of AP courses offered and other course requirements and restrictions (esp compared to base FCPS schools). Difference can be if a kid took band/orchestra etc (unweighted courses until this year but for current students their transcripts will be adjusted) and language.

Some students don’t take a language (place out through language credit exam) or just take a year or two (including AP level) and instead take more weighted classes which can increase the GPA vs a kid who takes 3 years of a language (unweighted) starting with level 1

My kid graduated with all As (only As and A+s) from TJ several years ago. He had taken about 9-10 APs/post-APs by end of his junior year and the weighted gpa was around 4.57. He was in the top 10% and probably in the top 1%.

With the new admission process, the bar is much higher now. The kid's scores are through the roof!!

This is not true.

SOLs for the new admissions cohort are lower than previous years by quite a lot. Also, level of math acceleration is lower than previous cohorts. And soon, PSAT scores will probably reveal a drop in scores. We shall see.

It’s OK the admissions were changed to include a more diverse set of kids, but there is no need to make up things about the scores.

It is sad that test scores at TJ have dropped so much since the admissions requirements were changed by the school board.

I mean, the old process overselected for test scores. You literally could not get into the school unless you were a strong test taker relative to the rest of the population taking the exams.

It never should have been surprising that exam scores would drop somewhat when you remove that needless criterion from the process.

The question we should be asking is "Why do we assume that all smart kids are good test takers, and why do we assume all good test takers are smart?"

I think there absolutely should be a place at TJ for exceptional test-takers, but it's a huge mistake if there's no room for anyone who isn't. That's why the new system is a better idea even if you see some test scores dropping to a somewhat-lower-but-still-exceptional range.

Test scores are the best aggregate metric of school performance that we have. If you have a better metric which shows the newer classes of TJ are just as strong, then go ahead and prove it's validity and show us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 of my friends said their kids who recently graduated from TJ had GPA in the high 4.4 to high 4.5 range (straight As) and about 7 AP/post AP classes through junior year which is about standard for the “most rigorous” course load at TJ. Sure there will be a handful of kids with a few more but that is about the most a kid can take at TJ given the number of AP courses offered and other course requirements and restrictions (esp compared to base FCPS schools). Difference can be if a kid took band/orchestra etc (unweighted courses until this year but for current students their transcripts will be adjusted) and language.

Some students don’t take a language (place out through language credit exam) or just take a year or two (including AP level) and instead take more weighted classes which can increase the GPA vs a kid who takes 3 years of a language (unweighted) starting with level 1

My kid graduated with all As (only As and A+s) from TJ several years ago. He had taken about 9-10 APs/post-APs by end of his junior year and the weighted gpa was around 4.57. He was in the top 10% and probably in the top 1%.

With the new admission process, the bar is much higher now. The kid's scores are through the roof!!

This is not true.

SOLs for the new admissions cohort are lower than previous years by quite a lot. Also, level of math acceleration is lower than previous cohorts. And soon, PSAT scores will probably reveal a drop in scores. We shall see.

It’s OK the admissions were changed to include a more diverse set of kids, but there is no need to make up things about the scores.

It is sad that test scores at TJ have dropped so much since the admissions requirements were changed by the school board.

I mean, the old process overselected for test scores. You literally could not get into the school unless you were a strong test taker relative to the rest of the population taking the exams.

It never should have been surprising that exam scores would drop somewhat when you remove that needless criterion from the process.

The question we should be asking is "Why do we assume that all smart kids are good test takers, and why do we assume all good test takers are smart?"

I think there absolutely should be a place at TJ for exceptional test-takers, but it's a huge mistake if there's no room for anyone who isn't. That's why the new system is a better idea even if you see some test scores dropping to a somewhat-lower-but-still-exceptional range.

Since people had access to many of the test questions in advance, I wouldn't put too much stock in the quality of students that did well on that.

Actually, you make a good point - if so much of the old TJ class was there purely there on test buying rather than any academic skill, what does the fact that they still outperformed the newer class on unbuyable tests say about the level of the new class' academic skill, and by extension, the validity of the new selection method? Maybe the test buying wasn't as bad as people said, or the new class is much worse than even most people thought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 of my friends said their kids who recently graduated from TJ had GPA in the high 4.4 to high 4.5 range (straight As) and about 7 AP/post AP classes through junior year which is about standard for the “most rigorous” course load at TJ. Sure there will be a handful of kids with a few more but that is about the most a kid can take at TJ given the number of AP courses offered and other course requirements and restrictions (esp compared to base FCPS schools). Difference can be if a kid took band/orchestra etc (unweighted courses until this year but for current students their transcripts will be adjusted) and language.

Some students don’t take a language (place out through language credit exam) or just take a year or two (including AP level) and instead take more weighted classes which can increase the GPA vs a kid who takes 3 years of a language (unweighted) starting with level 1

My kid graduated with all As (only As and A+s) from TJ several years ago. He had taken about 9-10 APs/post-APs by end of his junior year and the weighted gpa was around 4.57. He was in the top 10% and probably in the top 1%.

With the new admission process, the bar is much higher now. The kid's scores are through the roof!!

This is not true.

SOLs for the new admissions cohort are lower than previous years by quite a lot. Also, level of math acceleration is lower than previous cohorts. And soon, PSAT scores will probably reveal a drop in scores. We shall see.

It’s OK the admissions were changed to include a more diverse set of kids, but there is no need to make up things about the scores.

It is sad that test scores at TJ have dropped so much since the admissions requirements were changed by the school board.

I mean, the old process overselected for test scores. You literally could not get into the school unless you were a strong test taker relative to the rest of the population taking the exams.

It never should have been surprising that exam scores would drop somewhat when you remove that needless criterion from the process.

The question we should be asking is "Why do we assume that all smart kids are good test takers, and why do we assume all good test takers are smart?"

I think there absolutely should be a place at TJ for exceptional test-takers, but it's a huge mistake if there's no room for anyone who isn't. That's why the new system is a better idea even if you see some test scores dropping to a somewhat-lower-but-still-exceptional range.

Since people had access to many of the test questions in advance, I wouldn't put too much stock in the quality of students that did well on that.

Actually, you make a good point - if so much of the old TJ class was there purely there on test buying rather than any academic skill, what does the fact that they still outperformed the newer class on unbuyable tests say about the level of the new class' academic skill, and by extension, the validity of the new selection method? Maybe the test buying wasn't as bad as people said, or the new class is much worse than even most people thought.

Tests matter. But the new system places emphasis on a minimal GPA and whether someone is poor. That’s about it. The essays and associated selection don’t provide any rigor for understanding a students capabilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 of my friends said their kids who recently graduated from TJ had GPA in the high 4.4 to high 4.5 range (straight As) and about 7 AP/post AP classes through junior year which is about standard for the “most rigorous” course load at TJ. Sure there will be a handful of kids with a few more but that is about the most a kid can take at TJ given the number of AP courses offered and other course requirements and restrictions (esp compared to base FCPS schools). Difference can be if a kid took band/orchestra etc (unweighted courses until this year but for current students their transcripts will be adjusted) and language.

Some students don’t take a language (place out through language credit exam) or just take a year or two (including AP level) and instead take more weighted classes which can increase the GPA vs a kid who takes 3 years of a language (unweighted) starting with level 1

My kid graduated with all As (only As and A+s) from TJ several years ago. He had taken about 9-10 APs/post-APs by end of his junior year and the weighted gpa was around 4.57. He was in the top 10% and probably in the top 1%.

With the new admission process, the bar is much higher now. The kid's scores are through the roof!!

This is not true.

SOLs for the new admissions cohort are lower than previous years by quite a lot. Also, level of math acceleration is lower than previous cohorts. And soon, PSAT scores will probably reveal a drop in scores. We shall see.

It’s OK the admissions were changed to include a more diverse set of kids, but there is no need to make up things about the scores.

It is sad that test scores at TJ have dropped so much since the admissions requirements were changed by the school board.

I mean, the old process overselected for test scores. You literally could not get into the school unless you were a strong test taker relative to the rest of the population taking the exams.

It never should have been surprising that exam scores would drop somewhat when you remove that needless criterion from the process.

The question we should be asking is "Why do we assume that all smart kids are good test takers, and why do we assume all good test takers are smart?"

I think there absolutely should be a place at TJ for exceptional test-takers, but it's a huge mistake if there's no room for anyone who isn't. That's why the new system is a better idea even if you see some test scores dropping to a somewhat-lower-but-still-exceptional range.

Since people had access to many of the test questions in advance, I wouldn't put too much stock in the quality of students that did well on that.

Actually, you make a good point - if so much of the old TJ class was there purely there on test buying rather than any academic skill, what does the fact that they still outperformed the newer class on unbuyable tests say about the level of the new class' academic skill, and by extension, the validity of the new selection method? Maybe the test buying wasn't as bad as people said, or the new class is much worse than even most people thought.

Tests matter. But the new system places emphasis on a minimal GPA and whether someone is poor. That’s about it. The essays and associated selection don’t provide any rigor for understanding a students capabilities.

The essays seem to have worked at our school to select the top students. Not necessarily grades but smarts. Ymmv

[Anonymous]

Essays to select admits for stem school? What's the need for farcical essay when applicants are asked to provide their skin color?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 of my friends said their kids who recently graduated from TJ had GPA in the high 4.4 to high 4.5 range (straight As) and about 7 AP/post AP classes through junior year which is about standard for the “most rigorous” course load at TJ. Sure there will be a handful of kids with a few more but that is about the most a kid can take at TJ given the number of AP courses offered and other course requirements and restrictions (esp compared to base FCPS schools). Difference can be if a kid took band/orchestra etc (unweighted courses until this year but for current students their transcripts will be adjusted) and language.

Some students don’t take a language (place out through language credit exam) or just take a year or two (including AP level) and instead take more weighted classes which can increase the GPA vs a kid who takes 3 years of a language (unweighted) starting with level 1

My kid graduated with all As (only As and A+s) from TJ several years ago. He had taken about 9-10 APs/post-APs by end of his junior year and the weighted gpa was around 4.57. He was in the top 10% and probably in the top 1%.

With the new admission process, the bar is much higher now. The kid's scores are through the roof!!

This is not true.

SOLs for the new admissions cohort are lower than previous years by quite a lot. Also, level of math acceleration is lower than previous cohorts. And soon, PSAT scores will probably reveal a drop in scores. We shall see.

It’s OK the admissions were changed to include a more diverse set of kids, but there is no need to make up things about the scores.

They were changed to include the top students from every school not just those who could afford to buy an advance copy of the entry test from a prep center.

That completely fails to address or rebut the post that you're replying to. It's merely a gesture of frustration on your part because you don't have an answer.

If we're each fighting our own boogeymen, mine would be the one where rich, snotty kids try to force school to be easier - and academic laurels easier to buy out - by finding some inside-out excuse to throw out any appropriately objective notion of merit in high-level education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 of my friends said their kids who recently graduated from TJ had GPA in the high 4.4 to high 4.5 range (straight As) and about 7 AP/post AP classes through junior year which is about standard for the “most rigorous” course load at TJ. Sure there will be a handful of kids with a few more but that is about the most a kid can take at TJ given the number of AP courses offered and other course requirements and restrictions (esp compared to base FCPS schools). Difference can be if a kid took band/orchestra etc (unweighted courses until this year but for current students their transcripts will be adjusted) and language.

Some students don’t take a language (place out through language credit exam) or just take a year or two (including AP level) and instead take more weighted classes which can increase the GPA vs a kid who takes 3 years of a language (unweighted) starting with level 1

My kid graduated with all As (only As and A+s) from TJ several years ago. He had taken about 9-10 APs/post-APs by end of his junior year and the weighted gpa was around 4.57. He was in the top 10% and probably in the top 1%.

With the new admission process, the bar is much higher now. The kid's scores are through the roof!!

This is not true.

SOLs for the new admissions cohort are lower than previous years by quite a lot. Also, level of math acceleration is lower than previous cohorts. And soon, PSAT scores will probably reveal a drop in scores. We shall see.

It’s OK the admissions were changed to include a more diverse set of kids, but there is no need to make up things about the scores.

They were changed to include the top students from every school not just those who could afford to buy an advance copy of the entry test from a prep center.

#backdoorKaren and #fakenews

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 of my friends said their kids who recently graduated from TJ had GPA in the high 4.4 to high 4.5 range (straight As) and about 7 AP/post AP classes through junior year which is about standard for the “most rigorous” course load at TJ. Sure there will be a handful of kids with a few more but that is about the most a kid can take at TJ given the number of AP courses offered and other course requirements and restrictions (esp compared to base FCPS schools). Difference can be if a kid took band/orchestra etc (unweighted courses until this year but for current students their transcripts will be adjusted) and language.

Some students don’t take a language (place out through language credit exam) or just take a year or two (including AP level) and instead take more weighted classes which can increase the GPA vs a kid who takes 3 years of a language (unweighted) starting with level 1

My kid graduated with all As (only As and A+s) from TJ several years ago. He had taken about 9-10 APs/post-APs by end of his junior year and the weighted gpa was around 4.57. He was in the top 10% and probably in the top 1%.

With the new admission process, the bar is much higher now. The kid's scores are through the roof!!

This is not true.

SOLs for the new admissions cohort are lower than previous years by quite a lot. Also, level of math acceleration is lower than previous cohorts. And soon, PSAT scores will probably reveal a drop in scores. We shall see.

It’s OK the admissions were changed to include a more diverse set of kids, but there is no need to make up things about the scores.

It is sad that test scores at TJ have dropped so much since the admissions requirements were changed by the school board.

I mean, the old process overselected for test scores. You literally could not get into the school unless you were a strong test taker relative to the rest of the population taking the exams.

It never should have been surprising that exam scores would drop somewhat when you remove that needless criterion from the process.

The question we should be asking is "Why do we assume that all smart kids are good test takers, and why do we assume all good test takers are smart?"

I think there absolutely should be a place at TJ for exceptional test-takers, but it's a huge mistake if there's no room for anyone who isn't. That's why the new system is a better idea even if you see some test scores dropping to a somewhat-lower-but-still-exceptional range.

Test scores are the best aggregate metric of school performance that we have. If you have a better metric which shows the newer classes of TJ are just as strong, then go ahead and prove it's validity and show us.

Yes, and test scores are down everywhere since the pandemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 of my friends said their kids who recently graduated from TJ had GPA in the high 4.4 to high 4.5 range (straight As) and about 7 AP/post AP classes through junior year which is about standard for the “most rigorous” course load at TJ. Sure there will be a handful of kids with a few more but that is about the most a kid can take at TJ given the number of AP courses offered and other course requirements and restrictions (esp compared to base FCPS schools). Difference can be if a kid took band/orchestra etc (unweighted courses until this year but for current students their transcripts will be adjusted) and language.

Some students don’t take a language (place out through language credit exam) or just take a year or two (including AP level) and instead take more weighted classes which can increase the GPA vs a kid who takes 3 years of a language (unweighted) starting with level 1

My kid graduated with all As (only As and A+s) from TJ several years ago. He had taken about 9-10 APs/post-APs by end of his junior year and the weighted gpa was around 4.57. He was in the top 10% and probably in the top 1%.

With the new admission process, the bar is much higher now. The kid's scores are through the roof!!

This is not true.

SOLs for the new admissions cohort are lower than previous years by quite a lot. Also, level of math acceleration is lower than previous cohorts. And soon, PSAT scores will probably reveal a drop in scores. We shall see.

It’s OK the admissions were changed to include a more diverse set of kids, but there is no need to make up things about the scores.

They were changed to include the top students from every school not just those who could afford to buy an advance copy of the entry test from a prep center.

This is old news. It's been discussed here over and over. Yes, people cheated. Numerous first-hand accounts and articles, including the Wapo, the TJ student paper, and even some Facebook groups, covered it. Maybe it's time to move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 of my friends said their kids who recently graduated from TJ had GPA in the high 4.4 to high 4.5 range (straight As) and about 7 AP/post AP classes through junior year which is about standard for the “most rigorous” course load at TJ. Sure there will be a handful of kids with a few more but that is about the most a kid can take at TJ given the number of AP courses offered and other course requirements and restrictions (esp compared to base FCPS schools). Difference can be if a kid took band/orchestra etc (unweighted courses until this year but for current students their transcripts will be adjusted) and language.

Some students don’t take a language (place out through language credit exam) or just take a year or two (including AP level) and instead take more weighted classes which can increase the GPA vs a kid who takes 3 years of a language (unweighted) starting with level 1

My kid graduated with all As (only As and A+s) from TJ several years ago. He had taken about 9-10 APs/post-APs by end of his junior year and the weighted gpa was around 4.57. He was in the top 10% and probably in the top 1%.

With the new admission process, the bar is much higher now. The kid's scores are through the roof!!

This is not true.

SOLs for the new admissions cohort are lower than previous years by quite a lot. Also, level of math acceleration is lower than previous cohorts. And soon, PSAT scores will probably reveal a drop in scores. We shall see.

It’s OK the admissions were changed to include a more diverse set of kids, but there is no need to make up things about the scores.

It is sad that test scores at TJ have dropped so much since the admissions requirements were changed by the school board.

Test scores at all schools have dropped because the pandemic took a toll on learning.

Aren't standardized tests normed?

PSAT scores seem to have stayed relatively flat in Virginia