Reply to City Plan to Diversity and Fill Selective High Schools Not Controversial like NYC's

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Reply to "City Plan to Diversity and Fill Selective High Schools Not Controversial like NYC's"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]You posters are clueless about how NMSF works in DC.[/quote]

DC has the highest cut score in country, equal to MA and NJ. The score my kids in DC got would have meant they were finalists if we lived anywhere except those 3 places.

Students complete based on the state their high school is in vs where they live. Each year, most of DC’s finalists attend private schools and maybe 5-10 attend public schools.  not insignificant number of DC’s NMSF live in MD or VA but attend one of the private schools in the city. Given that I, unlike one of the other PPs, don’t think that is a meaningful way to compare high schools.

What am I missing? [/quote]

What you're missing is that the PSAT just isn't a tough test, no matter what the state cut-off score may be.

I'm from MA. I scored above the cut-off coming from an ordinary small town high school - more of my classmates joined the military or went on to community colleges than to four-year programs. My siblings were also semifinalists, as was my immigrant spouse in NYC and his sibling. My spouse's parents still struggle with English.

Give us a break- PSAT math was easy then and is easy now, and the verbal section has never presented any great challenge for a committed bookworm. The fact that the semifinalist tally in DC public remains in the single digits after an epic demographic shift in the City in the last two decades not only gives me pause, it forces me to question how good any of our public schools really are.  The selective HS admissions system needs to change.  Copy Chicago, Boston or NYC, don't stick with this highly discretionary nonsense for political reasons. [/quote]

I have exactly the same thoughts as you. One possible explanation is that bright kids in DC blow off the PSAT, because National Merit isn't prestigous or valuable these days.  Shrug. It got me a huge scholarship to a SLAC, so I'm still grateful. [/quote]

+1. [/quote]

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