Is this proposal for this year's applicants, or for next year?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/BTGKX652F413/$file/TJHSST%20Admissions%20Merit%20Lottery%20Proposal.pdf

With lottery system, TJ will just become a glorified charter school and it will no longer be a magnet school. Anyone with 3.5+ GPA with Algebra I in 7th or 8th grade will have an equal chance, which will be a lot. I see that Regions 1 and 2, which usually send majority of the kids to TJ will stand to lose most and Regions 3 and 4 will gain significantly with 70 students cap.

In our case, our base school comes under Franklin (Region 5), where as AAP center is Carson (Region 1). DS started his 7th grade in Carson as he is in AAP. Few of his AAP classmates chose to go to Franklin Level IV for personal reasons - may be it will work out better for them. I am thinking if we should also transfer back to Franklin in 8th grade as application pool will be much larger in Region 1 as compared to Region 5. What do you think?

Your student should go to the middle school where they will get the best educational experience for 8th grade. Strategizing for TJ is not a good move given the amount of chance in the process.

+1.

What this really does is downgrade TJ as a "destination" school. It becomes a demonstration project that a more diverse group of students can study in a STEM-oriented environment. But admission will be more random, and the school's profile and achievement levels will be lower.

Some have suggested this will make the pyramids with the middle schools that currently send the most kids to TJ less attractive. In fact, it's just as likely to make the pyramids with the strongest neighborhood high schools more attractive. Who is going to game the new system by sending their kid to Whitman if it's a crap shoot and their kid will more likely end up at Mount Vernon. Just go with Irving/West Springfield and be done with it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/BTGKX652F413/$file/TJHSST%20Admissions%20Merit%20Lottery%20Proposal.pdf

With lottery system, TJ will just become a glorified charter school and it will no longer be a magnet school. Anyone with 3.5+ GPA with Algebra I in 7th or 8th grade will have an equal chance, which will be a lot. I see that Regions 1 and 2, which usually send majority of the kids to TJ will stand to lose most and Regions 3 and 4 will gain significantly with 70 students cap.

In our case, our base school comes under Franklin (Region 5), where as AAP center is Carson (Region 1). DS started his 7th grade in Carson as he is in AAP. Few of his AAP classmates chose to go to Franklin Level IV for personal reasons - may be it will work out better for them. I am thinking if we should also transfer back to Franklin in 8th grade as application pool will be much larger in Region 1 as compared to Region 5. What do you think?

I think the proposal said lottery is based on students' base schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/BTGKX652F413/$file/TJHSST%20Admissions%20Merit%20Lottery%20Proposal.pdf

With lottery system, TJ will just become a glorified charter school and it will no longer be a magnet school. Anyone with 3.5+ GPA with Algebra I in 7th or 8th grade will have an equal chance, which will be a lot. I see that Regions 1 and 2, which usually send majority of the kids to TJ will stand to lose most and Regions 3 and 4 will gain significantly with 70 students cap.

In our case, our base school comes under Franklin (Region 5), where as AAP center is Carson (Region 1). DS started his 7th grade in Carson as he is in AAP. Few of his AAP classmates chose to go to Franklin Level IV for personal reasons - may be it will work out better for them. I am thinking if we should also transfer back to Franklin in 8th grade as application pool will be much larger in Region 1 as compared to Region 5. What do you think?

I read the proposal to mean you are in Region 5 because Franklin is your kid's base even if he attends Carson AAP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/BTGKX652F413/$file/TJHSST%20Admissions%20Merit%20Lottery%20Proposal.pdf

With lottery system, TJ will just become a glorified charter school and it will no longer be a magnet school. Anyone with 3.5+ GPA with Algebra I in 7th or 8th grade will have an equal chance, which will be a lot. I see that Regions 1 and 2, which usually send majority of the kids to TJ will stand to lose most and Regions 3 and 4 will gain significantly with 70 students cap.

In our case, our base school comes under Franklin (Region 5), where as AAP center is Carson (Region 1). DS started his 7th grade in Carson as he is in AAP. Few of his AAP classmates chose to go to Franklin Level IV for personal reasons - may be it will work out better for them. I am thinking if we should also transfer back to Franklin in 8th grade as application pool will be much larger in Region 1 as compared to Region 5. What do you think?

The lottery is based on where you live, not what school you attend. It doesn't matter if you attend Franklin or Carson; you will be put into the Franklin-based lottery if you live in the Franklin attendance area.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/BTGKX652F413/$file/TJHSST%20Admissions%20Merit%20Lottery%20Proposal.pdf

With lottery system, TJ will just become a glorified charter school and it will no longer be a magnet school. Anyone with 3.5+ GPA with Algebra I in 7th or 8th grade will have an equal chance, which will be a lot. I see that Regions 1 and 2, which usually send majority of the kids to TJ will stand to lose most and Regions 3 and 4 will gain significantly with 70 students cap.

In our case, our base school comes under Franklin (Region 5), where as AAP center is Carson (Region 1). DS started his 7th grade in Carson as he is in AAP. Few of his AAP classmates chose to go to Franklin Level IV for personal reasons - may be it will work out better for them. I am thinking if we should also transfer back to Franklin in 8th grade as application pool will be much larger in Region 1 as compared to Region 5. What do you think?

Your student should go to the middle school where they will get the best educational experience for 8th grade. Strategizing for TJ is not a good move given the amount of chance in the process.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/BTGKX652F413/$file/TJHSST%20Admissions%20Merit%20Lottery%20Proposal.pdf

With lottery system, TJ will just become a glorified charter school and it will no longer be a magnet school. Anyone with 3.5+ GPA with Algebra I in 7th or 8th grade will have an equal chance, which will be a lot. I see that Regions 1 and 2, which usually send majority of the kids to TJ will stand to lose most and Regions 3 and 4 will gain significantly with 70 students cap.

In our case, our base school comes under Franklin (Region 5), where as AAP center is Carson (Region 1). DS started his 7th grade in Carson as he is in AAP. Few of his AAP classmates chose to go to Franklin Level IV for personal reasons - may be it will work out better for them. I am thinking if we should also transfer back to Franklin in 8th grade as application pool will be much larger in Region 1 as compared to Region 5. What do you think?

PP here ... Oops.. I take it back.. It looks like the region will be based on the base school not AAP center.

Anonymous wrote:https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/BTGKX652F413/$file/TJHSST%20Admissions%20Merit%20Lottery%20Proposal.pdf

With lottery system, TJ will just become a glorified charter school and it will no longer be a magnet school. Anyone with 3.5+ GPA with Algebra I in 7th or 8th grade will have an equal chance, which will be a lot. I see that Regions 1 and 2, which usually send majority of the kids to TJ will stand to lose most and Regions 3 and 4 will gain significantly with 70 students cap.

In our case, our base school comes under Franklin (Region 5), where as AAP center is Carson (Region 1). DS started his 7th grade in Carson as he is in AAP. Few of his AAP classmates chose to go to Franklin Level IV for personal reasons - may be it will work out better for them. I am thinking if we should also transfer back to Franklin in 8th grade as application pool will be much larger in Region 1 as compared to Region 5. What do you think?

Anonymous wrote:Rumor is that Brabrand is going to recommend a lottery system based solely on MS GPA (as though grades in MS are equivalent among MS; as though spring 2020 grades had any validity after the COVID DL changes) with quotas for each MS.

This is a terrible idea that will lead to miserable kids who cannot deal with the rigor of TJ or TJ will be diminished in its educational quality.

If the reason for his recommendation is COVID and they cannot safely administer the fall TJ test, he should create a countywide pool for a lottery based on GPA and a teacher thumbs up, not quotas by MS. This would still create a class that will have many more challenges than a usual TJ class but it would bet better than his rumored proposal.

The lottery is on boarddocs. The FCPS allocation/quota per FCPS region is 70 students plus a set amount for sending school divisions. Included are new staff functions to support students in the TJ curriculum. What does that mean? TJ was started in the era of magnet schools and was a use for a building that was underutilized.

Also tech was a new and wonderful thing. Now is TJ even necessary? Perhaps use the labs as a 1/2 day academy course.

The 70 cap per region will reduce some and increase others like Region 3 base schools [not AAP center]:
Hayfield
Key
Sandburg
Twain
Whitman

Sen Survovell on TJ admissions https://forthuntherald.com/surovell-general-assembly-to-explore-more-equitable-admissions-policies-for-virginias-magnet-schools/

Perhaps his district will increase attendance. TJ test prep in other countries and visas? Odd. But why this? "Admissions to gifted programs are also keyed solely to intelligence instead of other variables such as creativity, problem-solving ability or other talents." I think the latter are enhanced by intelligence.

https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/BTGKX652F413/$file/TJHSST%20Admissions%20Merit%20Lottery%20Proposal.pdf

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure the purpose of the geographic/middle school system is to increase racial diversity and specifically to decrease the number of Asian Americans.

Well, one prep place that only serves Indian families went from 50 students two years to 133 students for the class of 2024. There are allagations that the Curie students systemically cheated. So, its not reducing certain ethnic groups so much as getting rid of the role that cheating/prep has played in gaining access to admissions for certain ethnic groups.

You don't know that they cheated. No one does.

This place does not restrict access to non-Indians.

You're just a racist hiding under whatever excuses you are managing to concoct in your head.

Prepping for TJ test has never been verboten.

When TJ students with nothing to gain WHO ATTENDED CURIE assert that they absolutely did cheat, I believe them.

And yes, prepping for the Quant-Q is supposed to be verboten. And yes, many people do it anyway. And that's why the upshot of CurieGate is that the QQ will be going away, likely as of later this afternoon.

Please share link or screen shots of TJ student attended Curie admitted that "they absolutely did cheat".

Curie shares names of students. That's a violation of privacy. No one is actually going to do it here. Hop on to TJ Vents or talk to some actual TJ students and educate yourself.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure the purpose of the geographic/middle school system is to increase racial diversity and specifically to decrease the number of Asian Americans.

Well, one prep place that only serves Indian families went from 50 students two years to 133 students for the class of 2024. There are allagations that the Curie students systemically cheated. So, its not reducing certain ethnic groups so much as getting rid of the role that cheating/prep has played in gaining access to admissions for certain ethnic groups.

You don't know that they cheated. No one does.

This place does not restrict access to non-Indians.

You're just a racist hiding under whatever excuses you are managing to concoct in your head.

Prepping for TJ test has never been verboten.

When TJ students with nothing to gain WHO ATTENDED CURIE assert that they absolutely did cheat, I believe them.

And yes, prepping for the Quant-Q is supposed to be verboten. And yes, many people do it anyway. And that's why the upshot of CurieGate is that the QQ will be going away, likely as of later this afternoon.

Please share link or screen shots of TJ student attended Curie admitted that "they absolutely did cheat".

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure the purpose of the geographic/middle school system is to increase racial diversity and specifically to decrease the number of Asian Americans.

Well, one prep place that only serves Indian families went from 50 students two years to 133 students for the class of 2024. There are allagations that the Curie students systemically cheated. So, its not reducing certain ethnic groups so much as getting rid of the role that cheating/prep has played in gaining access to admissions for certain ethnic groups.

You don't know that they cheated. No one does.

This place does not restrict access to non-Indians.

You're just a racist hiding under whatever excuses you are managing to concoct in your head.

Prepping for TJ test has never been verboten.

When TJ students with nothing to gain WHO ATTENDED CURIE assert that they absolutely did cheat, I believe them.

And yes, prepping for the Quant-Q is supposed to be verboten. And yes, many people do it anyway. And that's why the upshot of CurieGate is that the QQ will be going away, likely as of later this afternoon.

Well. The work session on admissions is this afternoon and the materials have not yet been posted.