Reply to What is going on with TJ admissions this year?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have been advocating right from the beginning the best compromise would be 100 seats with rigorous admissions criteria + 450 lottery. [/quote]

The problem is the rigorous admission criteria are debatable. I'd argue for criteria that more closely resembled college admissions and took a broader view of the students and their accomplishments. A lottery isn't necessary, especially if they use local norms to ensure a level playing field to account for enrichment opportunities as a result of SES differences.[/quote]

Pro-reform and definitely agree. This is part of why I said earlier - the point-based rubric that spits out the class based on a combination of factors and identical weights is not a good way to choose a class.

People who are trained in admissions work understand how to evaluate an application in total and how to use information to develop a narrative.

I prefer the new way of doing things at TJ to the old because the old way had too many access points for hyper-motivated parents to put their thumbs on the scale. The new way is at least largely free of that issue, but doesn't gather enough information about applicants to really deliver a strong enough picture.

It's my hope that FCPS will continue its relentless march forward with this process as it becomes evident that students from all races and socioeconomic backgrounds can see TJ as an attractive option where they can succeed and contribute to an exceptional academic environment.[/quote]

+1000. This isn't complicated. A basic principle of admissions work is this: if you evaluate your entire group in one way, and look for the closest analogs to a pre-existing "ideal candidate", you will end up with an admitted group that is extremely similar to one another. This can work in very small academic environments, but selecting the 550 kids that look the closest to an arbitrary ideal is going to result in a toxic and hyper-competitive environment no matter the demographic backgrounds of the admitted group.[/quote]

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