Reply to TJ Kids that needed remedial math

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[quote=Anonymous]My child goes to TJ. There are a few things going on here. First, there are no kids at TJ in "remedial math". What that article referred to was the fact that 1/3 of last year's freshman class had a B average or below which meant they were on the academic watch list and were receiving extra tutoring (students must maintain a 3.0 GPA to stay at TJ). The low grades in the math classes were partially due to the vast majority of students entering TJ having already taken Geometry in middle school, as opposed to just a few years ago when most students took Geometry in 9th grade at TJ. Since classes at TJ are taught at a higher, more accelerated level, the students who had already taken Geometry weren't as well prepared for the Algebra 2/precalculus curriculum as they were in the past.  Also, many of the newer math teachers do not give partial credit for test answers that may have been done correctly, except for perhaps missing the correct units or reversing a sign.

I agree with the article that the admissions process is not designed to select math geniuses. The math portion of the admissions test only counts for 20% of the final decision while test essays and the student information sheet (which this year was 3 very subjective essays given under controlled testing conditions) count for 45% of the final decision score. There seems to be a disconnect between the admissions office and the school staff as to what kind of student they believe belongs at the school. For example, the biology teachers design tests that reward rote memorization of picky little points (ie: what's the chemical formula for this one particular enzyme), instead of testing on the overarching concepts and problem-solving. But the admissions office seems to be selecting students who have a strong interest in STEM, as well as being more holistic thinkers - these students are not doing well on these tests, and the overwhelming majority of their grades is based on tests and quizzes, not labs. [/quote]

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