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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
[b]I am betting that you're grossly overestimating the number of students who actually take physics classes beyond AP Physics C[/b], and grossly underestimating the number of TJ-unique courses that students take that don't require significant advancement in math.

And no, Alg2 in 9th grade isn't hyper-advanced. We certainly agree there. But it is a point of fact that an ever-growing number of students each year are artificially and needlessly advanced well-beyond that point for no better reason than to enhance their TJ application - and that's not a behavior that the Admissions Office should be rewarding. The school (which, remember, operates completely independently from the Admissions Office) certainly doesn't want huge numbers of students walking in in Calc BC.[/quote]

Sure, but it's the kids in the high level physics and math classes who are winning national competitions and establishing the reputation for TJ.

Aside from that, I don't think we necessarily disagree.  In the FCPS framework, the smart kids take Algebra in 7th.  Algebra in 7th will open doors for higher level math, physics, and computer science classes.  The people handling TJ selections should not necessarily reward artificial advancement, but that doesn't mean they should ignore the fact that the kids who don't take Algebra until 8th in FCPS are not the best and brightest FCPS has to offer.

My understanding is that they'll take the top 1.5% from each middle school based on GPA without any credit or boost given to those who take Algebra in 7th rather than M7H.  L[b]ike, the kid who gets 1 A- in 7th grade AAP English, but took Algebra in 7th with a high A will be rated lower than someone with straight A's and M7H in 7th[/b].  This is absurd and will surely lead to a reduction in the talent pool of those admitted to TJ.  [/quote]

We'll never know the answer to this (as it should be), but I don't buy that it will be this cut and dried. There will be many more factors that contribute to the overall narrative.

And really, the kids who are winning the national competitions are still going to get in, and they're still going to be stimulated by an exceptional environment. What you're going to lose are some of the more, frankly, mediocre kids who are trying to make themselves look like the studs by over-prepping themselves, and replace them with kids who are going to be the best versions of other archetypes that are underrepresented at TJ (and I don't just mean racially). And those more mediocre kids are going to be better served looking like studs in their base school environment.[/quote]

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