Reply to TJ Falls to 14th in the Nation Per US News

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It amazes me how many people think FCPS just used a racial quota for TJ admissions. Everyone — including the farthest-left member of the school board — knows that would be racist and illegal, so why does anyone think FCPS would give it a second thought?[/quote]

Clearly you haven’t read the emails between the two “farthest left” memebers of the school board who referenced EXACTLY this and how the percentage of Asian students would certainly be reduced by the criteria they were supporting.
They knew that it would.
That was fine with them.
It read as if they were laughing about it and thought it was funny.

So yeah—they don’t care because “white adjacent” I guess?[/quote]

So, those emails were about a different proposed but not adopted admissions process...[/quote]

The entire reason to redo admissions was to increase blacks and lower the amount of Asians. [/quote]

One of the main reasons to change admissions was to increase the number of Black students.  They increased the overall class size in order to not lower the number of Asian students.

They succeeded at both - without quotas or race used in the admissions process.  [/quote]

They absolutely reduced the number of Asians, as they wanted to. [/quote]

Went from 74% Asian to 61.64% Asians. They absolutely did reduce the number of Asians by increasing blacks and Hispanics, which was exactly the goal of changing admissions.[/quote]

The number of Asians stayed about the same, since they increased the class size to accommodate the increased numbers of URMs.  You are referring to percentage.  Why?  Look at numbers.  [/quote]

I’m not sure where that info is. The info I found and can see is that in the class of 2024, there were 57 kids from Longfellow and 33 kids from Cooper and for the class of 2027, there were 30 kids from Longfellow and only 16 kids from Cooper. I don’t think the kids from McLean are becoming less qualified for TJ but there is a significant drop in spots for kids from McLean.[/quote]

There was another thread showing the decline of Asian students. This year’s class is only 57%. That is quite a drop. So the drop in rankings is a direct reflection of admission changes. Many people were saying that only the last class was based on the new admissions model, which isn’t true.

https://www.fcps.edu/news/offers-extended-thomas-jefferson-high-school-science-and-technology-class-2028

Merit Test based Admissions:
Class of 2019, Asian American students received 70.20%
Class of 2020, Asian American students received 71.34%
Class of 2021, Asian American students received 74.90%
Class of 2023, Asian American students received 72.87%
Class of 2024, Asian American students received 73.05%

Admissions changed to Essay based, and increased enrollment of 8th grade algebra1 students:
Class of 2025, Asian American students received 54.36%
Class of 2026, Asian American students received 59.82%
Class of 2027, Asian American students received 61.64%.
Class of 2028, Asian American students received 57.27%
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This is not the sole factor for decline; there are two additional aspects. Firstly, the caliber of Asian students admitted has decreased. Previously, the merit-based admission test in math, science, and English ensured that the 315 admitted asian students from a pool of 1500 asian applicants were all proficient, advanced, and top-notch. However, the current lottery process makes random selections from the 1500 asian applicant pool, leading to a wide variety of math levels and proficiencies among the selected Asian students. Secondly, while there were previously only 20+ Algebra 1 students admitted before the admission changes, there are now approximately 150 Algebra 1 students admitted into each class. However, these lower level math admissions have taken seats that were previously offered to two year advanced math students from Longfellow, Oakton, etc.
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I have a freshman at Langley and he knows several kids who really should be at TJ. It is ridiculous that a kid in remedial math is at TJ while kids who are two grades ahead in math and winning science and math competitions did not get in.[/quote]

I thought I remembered seeing it posted in other thread here that used to be over 50% (was it as high as 70%??) of students were coming it taking algebra 2 in 8th grade? Saw now 150 might be admitted that are taking algebra 1 in 8th grade (v algebra 2)- that is what had me wanting to remember the % of incoming students that would have completed algebra 2 before starting TJ. I thought it was a huge % pre- admissions change.[/quote]
Before admissions change, 35% of admits were algebra 2, and 61% were geometry, and 4% were algebra 1.  
After admissions change,  18% of admits are algebra 2, 51 percent are geometry, and 31% are algebra 1.[/quote]

Great. Kids who weren’t on the super accelerated track from early ES have a chance to attend. There is not just one path towards STEM.

I had college-educated, English speaking, engaged parents and I didn’t really take off in math until middle school. Then I went on to excel in STEM in HS, college, and grad school (top 10 programs). Not every future STEM star is going to do well on a test in 2nd grade that gets them on the multiyear acceleration train.

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I have 2 kids in AAP. Both tested into Algebra in 7th grade with no preparation. They don’t test into it in 2nd grade. You can also be put into an advanced math track even if you didn’t test into AAP in 2nd grade. My second son puts absolutely zero effort into school. I didn’t want him to do algebra in 7th and he still tested in by testing high on the IAAT, getting advanced pass on SOLs and getting a 4 in math. This kid does not study at all and plays video games and basketball all day. He does not fit your test prepped kumon kid.[/quote]

We did not have this option. They "told" us the track with zero ability to change it. My kid was 99th percentile in math and put on the Algebra 8th grade track at 10. No ability to move up or change tracks.[/quote]

In FCPS?  If so, your principal pretty flagrantly violated FCPS policy.  Advanced math is offered in every single ES in FCPS, and kids who are performing well on beginning of year tests, iready, and/or SOLs can move up into advanced math even as late as 6th grade.  Kids in advanced math are allowed to sit for IAAT and the 7th grade math SOL when in 6th grade.  The kids who meet the benchmark are allowed to enroll in algebra in 7th grade.   A 99th percentile kid ought to be placed in advanced math, unless there's something else going on that you're not telling us.[/quote]

I’m skeptical about pp and her kid. If a kid is good in math, they would be in the more advanced math group. During the school year, these small math groups constantly change.

I’m the pp who said I have 2 kids in AAP including a lazy kid who still tested into Algebra. At my kids’ school, they give pre accessments in the beginning of the unit and group kids whether they know the material or not. That kid never knew the material so was in the lower math group but would always learn the math and get a 4 or master material by the end of the unit. That is how he got into algebra.[/quote]

I'm skeptical, too.  Either PP is lying, PP's kid isn't in FCPS, or PP's kid wasn't eligible for advanced math due to bombing the SOLs or school testing.

My kid was in advanced math at a Title I school.  They still had a full advanced math class, and pretty much any kid above average in math ability was allowed to participate.  There also were kids entering and leaving the program each year, including some who entered as late as 6th grade.  FCPS may not be perfect, but they have paths for 7th grade algebra at every single ES for all kids in AAP as well as all kids in gen ed advanced math.

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