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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
They aren't looking for advanced problem solvers either.  Each of the last two years, an 8th grade JMO qualifier got rejected from TJ.

I'm not even specifically stating that kids with high AMC 10 scores or kids taking Calculus in 8th or 9th grade ought to be guaranteed admissions.  I think that if a child is taking precalc in 8th, has straight As throughout, and has qualified for AIME a couple times, that kid is the real deal.  Kids like this should undoubtedly be accepted to TJ.  I would not be surprised if the majority of kids that FCPS has accelerated to Algebra in 5th or earlier would fit this profile.  [/quote]
How would they know about it, since JMO qualifier is well after applications are in.[/quote]

JMO qualifiers may not be known before applications are due, but the status is known well before TJ decisions are made.  Even if the kid didn't state their status on the application, because they wouldn't have known at the time, it would be entirely possible for TJ admissions to take note of the 1 or 2 FCPS 8th graders who made JMO, and then take that into consideration when evaluating applications.  The same is the case for Mathcounts.  By the end of March, the top kids in the state are known.  Someone could audit the TJ applications and make note of the kids who finish in the top 10 in the state.

Also, every JMO qualifier is going to have a very high AMC 10 score.  These scores are known before the applications are due.  When only 15 8th graders in VA are qualifying for AIME, and the bulk of those are within 10 points of the cutoff, the kids who are > 25 points above the cutoff should stand out.  [/quote]

How do you know that those things were NOT taken into consideration, and that those same students weren’t found wanting in other areas?

You don’t. Plain and simple.[/quote]

What we all do know is that no points are awarded for being in Calc rather than Algebra I and having As throughout.  No points are awarded for extraordinary STEM achievements.  Very few points are awarded for kids with 4.0s vs. kids with 3.5s.  Almost all of the points were based on essays about how the kid handles conflict, who the kid most admires, or other non merit based Portrait of a Graduate BS.  The current process is not looking for exceptional STEM students, and it has no mechanism for identifying and rewarding them.

I also know of several very mediocre kids who were admitted at my AAP center.  Had there been a comprehensive application or had pretty much anything of substance been considered, there's no way they would have been admitted.  [/quote]

There shouldn’t be points in the first place. There should be a comprehensive application that is evaluated with an eye towards putting together the class that is likely to create the best collaborative academic environment.[/quote]
We are in full agreement.  Elite colleges take in a lot of information and then holistically review each candidate. TJ admissions takes in very little information, and then assigns points based on how well the kid brags about themselves or feeds them their portrait of a graduate BS points.  If AIME and JMO qualifiers are legitimately filtered out through a comprehensive process, then fine.  If they’re filtered out because they didn’t have a good enough answer about which famous person they most admire in an otherwise sparse process, that’s not fine. [/quote]

PP. I’m the most pro-reform person on this board and I’m glad we are able to find common ground :)

What I am hoping is that the new process increases interest among historically excluded communities, and thus as the process begins to hopefully add more relevant information and metrics, those students are still captured and represented. TJ has suffered from a horrible chicken and egg problem for far too long where the most talented Black and Hispanic students either transfer out, reject their offer of admission, or don’t apply in the first place because they knew they would be largely alone in the environment.[/quote]

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