As 22:30 pointed out, this is really an admissions issue. And it is a touchy subject for a school that is 64%Asian (and another 4% or so mixed Asian) and last year admitted just 7 black students, but enrolled just 6. The number of girls admitted continues to fall every year. In some ways it calls into question the entire enterprise at TJ. Cal Tech and MIT don't just admit the students with the highest grades and scores, otherwise, they wouldn't need admissions committees, but just a formula.



In any event, I'm not sure that what TJ has become is really what the County set out to do by creating it, namely to improve science, math, and tech education in the county. It does improve it for 400 or so students a year.

Anonymous wrote:Or maybe

http://mclean.patch.com/articles/fairfax-school-board-explores-changes-to-thomas-jefferson-admissions

Or why not take a quick trip to TJ's own website?
http://www.tjhsst.edu/studentlife/publications/tjtoday/wordpress/?p=1696

But alas, this is DCUM, so the less curious or lazy just shoot the messenger.

Or maybe the messenger could just post the links initially as a basis for the conversation. Starting a topic like this on an anonymous forum without substantiation is kinda lazy.

Or maybe

http://mclean.patch.com/articles/fairfax-school-board-explores-changes-to-thomas-jefferson-admissions

Or why not take a quick trip to TJ's own website?
http://www.tjhsst.edu/studentlife/publications/tjtoday/wordpress/?p=1696

But alas, this is DCUM, so the less curious or lazy just shoot the messenger.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the source on this OP? Do you teach at TJ? Was there an article in the Post? Did your neighbor tell you?

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-05-25/opinions/35458412_1_jefferson-students-admissions-policy-math-and-science

Ummm, an opinion piece from last May does not count as factual evidence.

Oh, there is more out there. But only to those with Internet access. See e.g.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/one-third-of-tj-freshmen-need-math-science-remediation/article/623696

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the source on this OP? Do you teach at TJ? Was there an article in the Post? Did your neighbor tell you?

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-05-25/opinions/35458412_1_jefferson-students-admissions-policy-math-and-science

Ummm, an opinion piece from last May does not count as factual evidence.

I am reading this thread in the voice of Sulu.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To many qualified students have been turned away from TJ to allow students who need help in remedial math to take their places. There are 10 students who were denied a space for every remedial student at TJ. That is why this year, an independednt panel is deciding. Long over due IMHO.

The admission process became too political. Many years ago, math take half of the weight in the admission test. Now language take up 2/3. It is not a surprise that some kids are getting weaker in math.

And you know why they did this? To admit less Asians. They were getting too many Asians, so they changed the admissions to count Math less and language more, including more emphasis on the essays, hoping it would make it harder on Asians. And I think it worked. Obviously, there are still a lot of Asians there, but I think there would be even more without the change.

That's good in a way in that it helps screen out the multitude of Koreans that bring their kids over here to this country just for TJ. Husband stays in Korea to work while mom and kids come here for the schools. I'd rather have a kid attend whose family is actually invested into this area.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To many qualified students have been turned away from TJ to allow students who need help in remedial math to take their places. There are 10 students who were denied a space for every remedial student at TJ. That is why this year, an independednt panel is deciding. Long over due IMHO.

The admission process became too political. Many years ago, math take half of the weight in the admission test. Now language take up 2/3. It is not a surprise that some kids are getting weaker in math.

And you know why they did this? To admit less Asians. They were getting too many Asians, so they changed the admissions to count Math less and language more, including more emphasis on the essays, hoping it would make it harder on Asians. And I think it worked. Obviously, there are still a lot of Asians there, but I think there would be even more without the change.

Anonymous wrote:My kid got a 96 on the Iowa and had to repeat Algebra in grade 8. We would not have considered him TJ material anyway.

My daughter did very well with algbra I and geometry in 7th and 8th grade, but struggled with precal HN and received only a C. So it is actually not a bad idea to repeat the course in high school to have a solid foundation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid got a 96 on the Iowa and had to repeat Algebra in grade 8. We would not have considered him TJ material anyway.

Is this AAP Algebra I honors in 7th he failed?

When FCPS 7th graders take algebra, that is the course they take. Regular Algebra I is not offered to 7th graders.

Anonymous wrote:To many qualified students have been turned away from TJ to allow students who need help in remedial math to take their places. There are 10 students who were denied a space for every remedial student at TJ. That is why this year, an independednt panel is deciding. Long over due IMHO.

The admission process became too political. Many years ago, math take half of the weight in the admission test. Now language take up 2/3. It is not a surprise that some kids are getting weaker in math.

Anonymous wrote:My kid got a 96 on the Iowa and had to repeat Algebra in grade 8. We would not have considered him TJ material anyway.

Is this AAP Algebra I honors in 7th he failed?

My kid got a 96 on the Iowa and had to repeat Algebra in grade 8. We would not have considered him TJ material anyway.

"The Sky is Falling" crowd is certainly well represented on this site.

Another TJ parent here. They did tell us at the time that they'd been seeing some entering students having problems with the Honors Algebra II class for a number of years previous to last year, but had decided during the summer of 2011 to look at the situation in a more formal way starting with the fall of 2011. They kept close track of the numbers of kids needing help and required those needing help to attend in-school help sessions.
So this wasn't a problem that suddenly appeared with last year's entering class.