Reply to Coalition4TJ’s request to block TJ admissions process DENIED 6-3 by Supreme Court

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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]Another idiot who doesn’t believe that a student can take the test cold and succeed.  What’s your connection to TJHSST again?[/quote]

Does seeing the format of the questions help at all? 
[/quote]

It wasn't just seeing the format. Many claimed they saw the actual questions ahead of time. [/quote]

That's a great reason to eliminate the Quant-Q.  It doesn't explain why the process was gutted to the point that it's impossible to distinguish between a highly gifted kid and a somewhat above average one.  They could have retained a baseline proficiency test, teacher recommendations, more substantial problem solving essays, credit for notable accomplishments etc. while still minimizing the impact of extreme prep.  [/quote]

Well with people buying the test the quantQ didn't help differentiate between students either.[/quote]

just a complete digression to dehumanise Asian kids. [/quote]

No one is trying to dehumanized Asian kids. People just don't want access to[b] expensive prep centers [/b]to be a significant factor to get into a public school. Pretty sure Asian kids aren't the one paying the $4,000 and trying to game the system. That's all on adults.[/quote]

The prep center is just an excuse, a red herring to distract from the underlying racist discrimination against Asians. Parents, not just Asian parents, are all resourceful when it comes to the upbringing of their children. Even if you narrowly tailor a law outlawing academic prep centers and tutoring, as authoritarian China has recently done (it's true, look it up), parents will find some other way to raise their kids how they see fit - and some of them will go to great lengths to prepare their kids for a future in STEMP field and target a high school like TJ. [/quote]

No I think it's an actual problem when the majority of kids being admitted attend one of these centers. This reduces the chances of anyone who doesn't attend. The allegations that one center even had test questions is also concerning.[/quote]

Unless the prep center is doing something illegal or unethical - like cheating or bribery - there is nothing wrong with one center being successful at providing the type of academic tutoring that makes students successful at applying to a specific selective school. I'll keep reminding people of the fact that the kids who attend this prep school are a self-selected population. Kids don't just show up randomly at this prep center for general tutoring and then magically test into TJ. Kids show up there because they 1) specifically want to attend TJ and 2) already have the academic credentials that make admissions highly likely. I would wager that 100% of all kids who got a 1600 on their SAT, took a sample test from prior test sessions. Does that mean the availability of old tests gives an unfair advantage to kids who score 1600 on SATs?

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Curie prepared students for a secured exam using questions that they had to have gotten from previous students.

The vast majority of questions on the Quant-Q are multi-layered word problems, so for students to see questions word for word on their exams that they had seen previously at Curie suggests that materials were delivered to them in a way that was at least unethical.

Comparisons to the SAT are not valid here because [i]the SAT is not a secured exam[/i]. No one has to sign an NDA after seeing it in the way that they do after seeing the Quant-Q.[/quote]

If there is cheating, then that's a different problem. The act of parents purchasing academic prep and tutoring is not the problem. To blame instances of cheating on prep and tutoring is like saying we should get rid of all government because some agencies or politicians are corrupt. [/quote]

I agree that prepped students have an unfair advantage over the up prepped. Prepping is extremely common in any sort of competition, be it education, sports and life in general. It is a human (or animal) nature continuously look for ways to gain advantage over each other. Its just the way of life. But, it is not appropriate to blame the students of cheating as they did nothing wrong by attending any prep classes. If there is something illegal, then it should be punished, otherwise, you have no right to blame the kids. I am sure if there was a legal case for punishment, it would have been pursued by now. Even the current TJ screening can be prepped - tutoring to improve grades, take special writing classes for essays etc. [/quote]

You're exactly right on all counts - and I argue for pro-reform causes. The students and parents who attended Curie and benefited from their services should not be held accountable in any way, and I'm not even sure Curie should because it's not 100% clear that what they did was illegal even though it was unquestionably unethical.

FCPS needs to increase the number of inputs into the system - perhaps by allowing optional test submissions like the SSAT and reinstituting a revamped teacher recommendation system that requires teachers to compare the students they teach with each other on metrics that include but go beyond mere academic preparedness - and then they need to junk the points-based rubric in favor of an actual holistic evaluation that allows the Admissions Office to evaluate the student's entire profile and create a class that complements each other rather than a collection of students who all appear the closest to some ideal standard.[/quote]

You are correct - colleges seem to have figured this out and their holistic approach tries to achieve the both racial and geographical balance as much as possible. The difference is their approach is completely opaque to public and may be TJ needs to do the same. Ask the students submit everything they can, ask schools do the same about the students and then let the committee decide the merits of their submissions based on individual student abilities and how well the student fit into TJ. If they can't do it, then TJ should just opt for lottery. [/quote]

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