Reply to Predictions on how many TJ applicants there will be this year?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Not trying to be rude, bit it astounds me that you/your child believe they are so superior to other potential applicants. You are aware that each year there were 1000 plus kids who did well enough on the standardized test to get to the semi-final round but only 400+ accepted? [/quote]

Yes, probably most of those 1000+ would have been highly advanced and capable. However, the admission criteria are very different now and will produce a cohort with a much broader range of abilities. This is not about being superior.[/quote]

You are implying that bright kids who might not have applied in the past are less capable/intelligent/advanced then the kids who applied and were not accepted in the past. So you are willing to not apply because there might be a small percentage of kids who might apply and be guaranteed acceptance when those kids meet all the same criteria as the past except a math test?

Because the differences this year are no math test and 1.5% of seats set aside for every MS in FCPS who meet the eligibility requirements.

I am totally fine with your kid not applying. I hope that your kid eventually understands who narrow minded that decision was and how they may very well have given up on an amazing opportunity because they were raised to think that kids from less privileged schools are lesser and could not possibly be as a smart and motivated as kids from more privileged schools who have had more access to tutoring and programs that gave them a leg up in testing and taking Algebra a year earlier then others.

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No math test and 1.5% are not the only differences.  There are no teacher recommendations allowed and the test also covered English and science.[/quote]

I am pro reform and I struggle with them dropping teacher recs. While I understand that they can and frequently are subject to bias, I think it's one of the only ways to help develop the picture of what the student is actually like in the classroom and how they contribute to the learning environment. I think a skilled admissions office would be able to contextualize each rec against the student's report cards and responses to create a realistic picture of the student even in the presence of some biases. A pair of opinions from trained teachers gives me way, WAY more information than a suite of standardized tests.[/quote]

That is literally the most subjective component of the admissions process.  [b]Your kid must be a terrible test taker,[/b] but a big kiss-ass to be advocating for dropping a standardized test in favor of teacher recommendations.[/quote]

PP. I actually don't have kids, but I have been around TJ for a very long time. Subjectivity is going to be the reality of the rest of these kids' lives, from college all the way through their careers, no matter their field. Employers are subjective in their evaluations, and consumers are even moreso. Take a seat and get real.[/quote]

I see.  So if teachers have a subjective belief that URM are ill-preparred for the rigor of TJ, they just need to get real?  Race-blind testing is as fair as life gets.

[/quote]

Admissions personnel do not take teacher recommendations as gospel. They use them along with other pieces of the application to construct a narrative about each student. Especially when it comes to the high-volume TJ factory middle schools, it becomes fairly easy to contextualize each of the recommenders.

And no, race-blind testing is not as fair as life gets. Race-neutral testing might be, but that doesn't exist in today's society.[/quote]

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