Anonymous
10/13/2023 12:03
Subject: Re:Did TJ release the stats of admission by middle school?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The School Board has been a disaster over the past four years, but most people don't pay attention and tend to vote a party line. Then they wonder why their schools are kind of a mess and/or their kids aren't getting as rigorous an education as they'd hoped, but then tend to either suck it up or pull their kids out of FCPS.
Realistically, the real pressure on the School Board will come eventually from the Board of Supervisors. They are also mostly from the same party and can see that the School Board is flailing. To some extent, they don't want to get involved with FCPS matters, because then it becomes their mess as well, but some know that FCPS was once a big draw for the county and that's no longer the case.
We need a Republican Party in Fairfax County that is serious about the business of governing. We're long past being able to have that across the country, but there are enough sensible conservatives in Northern Virginia that we should end up with better candidates than Harry Jackson and Debbie Tisler and Saundra Davis. The Fairfax County GOP - at least based on their Twitter account and their endorsements - seems to be obsessed with being as Trumpy as possible when that tack has been proven repeatedly to be unsuccessful in this area. Fairfax County is not a place to appeal to the lowest common denominator and we should demand better.
Saundra Davis is a good candidate. So is Paul Bartkowski. Maybe Debra Tisler is as well; not my district.
You want to lump every GOP-endorsed candidate along with Harry Jackson because you know he’s polarizing. No different than suggesting every FCDC-endorsed candidate is a carbon copy of Abrar Omeish or Karl Frisch (both awful).
Would be great if voters would look at individual candidates and recognize we need diverse views on the board again.
PP. I will grant you that Omeish is terrible. I am thankful she is not running again, especially after her anti-Semitic stunt at the last Board meeting. Karl Frisch is fine - he's nothing special, but he's perfectly suited to do the job and in this field, "not actively harmful" is a plus.
Bartkowski is too focused on students' genitals, and I have no patience for anyone who is interested in book-banning or who genuinely believes that there is "porn in schools".
And Harry Jackson isn't polarizing. He's a serial abuser.
Anonymous
10/13/2023 11:13
Subject: Re:Did TJ release the stats of admission by middle school?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The School Board has been a disaster over the past four years, but most people don't pay attention and tend to vote a party line. Then they wonder why their schools are kind of a mess and/or their kids aren't getting as rigorous an education as they'd hoped, but then tend to either suck it up or pull their kids out of FCPS.
Realistically, the real pressure on the School Board will come eventually from the Board of Supervisors. They are also mostly from the same party and can see that the School Board is flailing. To some extent, they don't want to get involved with FCPS matters, because then it becomes their mess as well, but some know that FCPS was once a big draw for the county and that's no longer the case.
Have to disagree. They've done a tremendous job reworking TJ selection so it's now open to the entire county not just a handful of kids from the wealthiest schools.
Are you saying that the nonwealthy schools are stupid? Because you don't input your wealth into the admission process it should just be test scores and GPA.
Anonymous
10/13/2023 11:10
Subject: Re:Did TJ release the stats of admission by middle school?
Anonymous wrote:The School Board has been a disaster over the past four years, but most people don't pay attention and tend to vote a party line. Then they wonder why their schools are kind of a mess and/or their kids aren't getting as rigorous an education as they'd hoped, but then tend to either suck it up or pull their kids out of FCPS.
Realistically, the real pressure on the School Board will come eventually from the Board of Supervisors. They are also mostly from the same party and can see that the School Board is flailing. To some extent, they don't want to get involved with FCPS matters, because then it becomes their mess as well, but some know that FCPS was once a big draw for the county and that's no longer the case.
Have to disagree. They've done a tremendous job reworking TJ selection so it's now open to the entire county not just a handful of kids from the wealthiest schools.
Anonymous
10/13/2023 10:54
Subject: Did TJ release the stats of admission by middle school?
Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know how top 1.5% is picked? 30% of the students at our MS scored straight A last school year. What else are counted?
The top 1.5% just refers to the number of guaranteed seats. If your school has 600 8th graders, then there would be 9 guaranteed seats.
All applicants are scored based on GPA, their portrait of a graduate paragraphs, their problem solving essay, and any experience factors. The top 9 scorers are given spots, and the rest go into the general pool of applicants.
Anonymous
10/13/2023 08:53
Subject: Did TJ release the stats of admission by middle school?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A quick google search is all that is needed .. https://www.fcps.edu/node/47920
SMH at the number of people who are spewing venom because that is what they are good at
Is it true that 30 Longfellow kids got in out of 200 applicants versus 1 Whitman kid out of 2 applicants?
What is FCPS hiding by not releasing the number of applicants from each school?
This convoluted percentage game is masking the actual number of applicants per school. If that were disclosed, it would expose the inconvenient truth of admissions manipulation.
It is not hiding anything. We all know that there are schools where a lot of kids apply and schools were only a handful apply. That is well established. Part of the reason they moved to seats for every MS was to increase the number of kids applying from all MS because kids would know that there were slots for kids from that MS. In the past kids would apply from a school and no one would be admitted. A history of this discouraged kids from applying.
Part of the reason why they moved to a requirement for a common course load and not extracurricular activities was so that kids from schools that did not have those extracurricular activities or access to RSM/AoPS/Curie/math enrichment classes would be evaluated on an equal footing.
They don’t identify numbers under 10 because it makes it too easy to individually identify a child. But everyone knows the schools that rarely had kids at TJ and can see that at least kids are applying and attending. Hopefully as kids at the MS see classmates attending, more kids see tj as attainable and work towards attending there. Hopefully that leads to more kids applying themselves in Math and Science and challenging themselves.
If there were 2 applicants from Whitman and only 1 was in the top 1.5%, that kid would be admitted, the other probably would not receive an offer. The remaining slots would go into the open pool.
Carson, Longfellow, and other schools have long had hundreds apply and not be accepted. The numbers have increased because of the guaranteed seats but they still dominate the admissions categories. I would like to see TJ applicants have Geometry by the end of 8th grade because I don’t think it makes sense to attend tJ and not have the math background to access the specialized math and science classes. That said, I think TJ is a FCPS magnet school and it should be open to all kids from FCPS. I like that there are seats for every school. And yes, this might bite my kid in the butt in a few years if he chooses to apply, he will be attending Carson because it is his base school.
If there are only 2 kids applying from Whitman and they meet the minimum qualifications they will both get admitted. You do not appear to understand how the 1.5% formula works.
Anonymous
10/13/2023 08:49
Subject: Re:Did TJ release the stats of admission by middle school?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The School Board has been a disaster over the past four years, but most people don't pay attention and tend to vote a party line. Then they wonder why their schools are kind of a mess and/or their kids aren't getting as rigorous an education as they'd hoped, but then tend to either suck it up or pull their kids out of FCPS.
Realistically, the real pressure on the School Board will come eventually from the Board of Supervisors. They are also mostly from the same party and can see that the School Board is flailing. To some extent, they don't want to get involved with FCPS matters, because then it becomes their mess as well, but some know that FCPS was once a big draw for the county and that's no longer the case.
We need a Republican Party in Fairfax County that is serious about the business of governing. We're long past being able to have that across the country, but there are enough sensible conservatives in Northern Virginia that we should end up with better candidates than Harry Jackson and Debbie Tisler and Saundra Davis. The Fairfax County GOP - at least based on their Twitter account and their endorsements - seems to be obsessed with being as Trumpy as possible when that tack has been proven repeatedly to be unsuccessful in this area. Fairfax County is not a place to appeal to the lowest common denominator and we should demand better.
Saundra Davis is a good candidate. So is Paul Bartkowski. Maybe Debra Tisler is as well; not my district.
You want to lump every GOP-endorsed candidate along with Harry Jackson because you know he’s polarizing. No different than suggesting every FCDC-endorsed candidate is a carbon copy of Abrar Omeish or Karl Frisch (both awful).
Would be great if voters would look at individual candidates and recognize we need diverse views on the board again.
Anonymous
10/13/2023 08:17
Subject: Did TJ release the stats of admission by middle school?
Does anyone know how top 1.5% is picked? 30% of the students at our MS scored straight A last school year. What else are counted?
Anonymous
10/13/2023 07:54
Subject: Did TJ release the stats of admission by middle school?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A quick google search is all that is needed .. https://www.fcps.edu/node/47920
SMH at the number of people who are spewing venom because that is what they are good at
Is it true that 30 Longfellow kids got in out of 200 applicants versus 1 Whitman kid out of 2 applicants?
What is FCPS hiding by not releasing the number of applicants from each school?
This convoluted percentage game is masking the actual number of applicants per school. If that were disclosed, it would expose the inconvenient truth of admissions manipulation.
It is not hiding anything. We all know that there are schools where a lot of kids apply and schools were only a handful apply. That is well established. Part of the reason they moved to seats for every MS was to increase the number of kids applying from all MS because kids would know that there were slots for kids from that MS. In the past kids would apply from a school and no one would be admitted. A history of this discouraged kids from applying.
Part of the reason why they moved to a requirement for a common course load and not extracurricular activities was so that kids from schools that did not have those extracurricular activities or access to RSM/AoPS/Curie/math enrichment classes would be evaluated on an equal footing.
They don’t identify numbers under 10 because it makes it too easy to individually identify a child. But everyone knows the schools that rarely had kids at TJ and can see that at least kids are applying and attending. Hopefully as kids at the MS see classmates attending, more kids see tj as attainable and work towards attending there. Hopefully that leads to more kids applying themselves in Math and Science and challenging themselves.
If there were 2 applicants from Whitman and only 1 was in the top 1.5%, that kid would be admitted, the other probably would not receive an offer. The remaining slots would go into the open pool.
Carson, Longfellow, and other schools have long had hundreds apply and not be accepted. The numbers have increased because of the guaranteed seats but they still dominate the admissions categories. I would like to see TJ applicants have Geometry by the end of 8th grade because I don’t think it makes sense to attend tJ and not have the math background to access the specialized math and science classes. That said, I think TJ is a FCPS magnet school and it should be open to all kids from FCPS. I like that there are seats for every school. And yes, this might bite my kid in the butt in a few years if he chooses to apply, he will be attending Carson because it is his base school.
Anonymous
10/12/2023 23:45
Subject: Did TJ release the stats of admission by middle school?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A quick google search is all that is needed .. https://www.fcps.edu/node/47920
SMH at the number of people who are spewing venom because that is what they are good at
Is it true that 30 Longfellow kids got in out of 200 applicants versus 1 Whitman kid out of 2 applicants?
What is FCPS hiding by not releasing the number of applicants from each school?
This convoluted percentage game is masking the actual number of applicants per school. If that were disclosed, it would expose the inconvenient truth of admissions manipulation.
Anonymous
10/12/2023 23:27
Subject: Did TJ release the stats of admission by middle school?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A quick google search is all that is needed .. https://www.fcps.edu/node/47920
SMH at the number of people who are spewing venom because that is what they are good at
Is it true that 30 Longfellow kids got in out of 200 applicants versus 1 Whitman kid out of 2 applicants?
What is FCPS hiding by not releasing the number of applicants from each school?
15:40 poster here
Another quick google search is all that is needed ..https://www.fcps.edu/news/thomas-jefferson-high-school-continues-increase-access-all
This is the new way of reporting ..
Anonymous
10/12/2023 23:10
Subject: Did TJ release the stats of admission by middle school?
Anonymous wrote:Is it true that 30 Longfellow kids got in out of 200 applicants versus 1 Whitman kid out of 2 applicants?
What is FCPS hiding by not releasing the number of applicants from each school?
Top 1.5% of every middle school get admitted. Longfellow has around 600 (top 1.5=9), and Whiteman has around 440.
Anonymous
10/12/2023 22:34
Subject: Did TJ release the stats of admission by middle school?
Anonymous wrote:A quick google search is all that is needed .. https://www.fcps.edu/node/47920
SMH at the number of people who are spewing venom because that is what they are good at
Is it true that 30 Longfellow kids got in out of 200 applicants versus 1 Whitman kid out of 2 applicants?
What is FCPS hiding by not releasing the number of applicants from each school?
Anonymous
10/12/2023 19:37
Subject: Did TJ release the stats of admission by middle school?
pettifogger wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Or get spanked by the voters (parents) which I highly doubt.
If it's really as bad as everyone says it is, then the School Board elections should go overwhelmingly in the conservatives' favor.
My guess is that most parents are not nearly as unhappy as the very small subsegment of folks who comment on this board alongside the very vocal superminority on Twitter.
Not to mention the folks that were nominated for the School Board on that side are so far outside the mainstream of Fairfax County education policy as to be unrecognizable - and that several are running with the express intent of financially kneecapping the public school system....
Prepare to be disappointed. Become a serious party if you intend to create change.
I don't know or really care about party affiliation, but if education is a priority, one should be taking a close look at those who actively teach. For instance, Peter Gabor (https://petergabor.org/) is a TJ teacher, majored in math from MIT, has a phD in computer science from Princeton, and taught and is still teaching at TJ for many years. This is promising to see, because we really need more actual teachers running for the school board who have deep content expertise and are actually close to the students and the learning.
WaPo posted all the candidates running here. If folks want to vote for meaningful change, they should be closely studying this.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/10/07/fairfax-county-school-board-election-guide/
Excellent Teacher!!! My vote is sure for him
Anonymous
10/12/2023 17:20
Subject: Did TJ release the stats of admission by middle school?
A lot of very talented Cooper kids were waitlisted for the class of 2027. I am surprised that only 16 got in from Cooper.
Anonymous
10/12/2023 16:24
Subject: Did TJ release the stats of admission by middle school?
Anonymous wrote:A quick google search is all that is needed .. https://www.fcps.edu/node/47920
SMH at the number of people who are spewing venom because that is what they are good at
I imagine the press release will not satisfy people because they did not release the number of applicants alongside the number admitted, as had been done in previous years. People want to see that 30 Longfellow kids got in out of 200 applicants versus 11 Glasgow kids out of 40, or some such nonsense.