Not true.

Anonymous wrote:FCPS has just driven all of the TJ Prep companies out of business, which made the admissions test “pay to play”. This will also make it unnecessary for Asians to move in droves to areas where the MS has historically sent the most kids to TJ. Now, they would be better served moving to different areas. Lastly, Asian children will no longer have to spend 5 years of their life preparing for TJ. This will result in diversity. The other unintended consequences remain to be seen.

Are you joking?

My asian kid will still be preparing like crazy for college. This is something that we do as a culture even back in our home countries. Our kids will still be going to weekend language classes, STEM camps, extra math sessions and the like. Our kids grades won't suddenly drop by any means by destroying TJ.

You are right about moving patterns and housing values. Though you might see an influx of asian kids into areas that have had fewer kids who went to TJ to take advantage of that.

How will the admissions panel know the TJ applicant's race? By name? Check box for race?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS has just driven all of the TJ Prep companies out of business, which made the admissions test “pay to play”. This will also make it unnecessary for Asians to move in droves to areas where the MS has historically sent the most kids to TJ. Now, they would be better served moving to different areas. Lastly, Asian children will no longer have to spend 5 years of their life preparing for TJ. This will result in diversity. The other unintended consequences remain to be seen.

This will result in mediocrity. SJWs have ruined another institution dedicated to excellence.

and cheating to gain admission, don't forget the cheating component because it's a large portion of the institution's reputation

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS has just driven all of the TJ Prep companies out of business, which made the admissions test “pay to play”. This will also make it unnecessary for Asians to move in droves to areas where the MS has historically sent the most kids to TJ. Now, they would be better served moving to different areas. Lastly, Asian children will no longer have to spend 5 years of their life preparing for TJ. This will result in diversity. The other unintended consequences remain to be seen.

Stop with the generalizations. All Asian American kids do not prep. I bet you are all into anti racism training. Try directing some of it to your views on Asian Americans.

Different poster. Nice try claiming racism. Nobody said all asians prep. However, it is widely known the prep programs are predominantly asian.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Instead of a lottery, can't they just tweak the admissions process - the application/paperwork would be purely paperwork- grades, letters, test scores, etc.
Any multiple choice questions about race or gender are eliminated. Even home address, school pyramid, and full name should be done away with. Purely clinical.
You'd be identified solely by your student ID number that all fcps kids have.

They are looking to focus on race, not make it a blind process.

But if race seems to be defining factor, then take it out completely of the admissions process. What is the harm in a blind process? You're weeding out the "men from the boys" to achieve that desirable academic vigor that defines TJ.

It was race blind before. They didn’t like the outcome so now they want to change the selection to change the racial makeup.

It was NOT race blind. Those prep program were filled with Asians paying to play. That is not race blind.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS has just driven all of the TJ Prep companies out of business, which made the admissions test “pay to play”. This will also make it unnecessary for Asians to move in droves to areas where the MS has historically sent the most kids to TJ. Now, they would be better served moving to different areas. Lastly, Asian children will no longer have to spend 5 years of their life preparing for TJ. This will result in diversity. The other unintended consequences remain to be seen.

This isn't going to happen with a lottery. Well-educated Asians will be even more likely to live in the "top" pyramids. Their kids will still take a chance with the lottery. TJ lottery crap shoot vs. Langley/McLean/Oakton/Chantilly sure thing = win/win.

If the plan was to take the 70 highest-scoring kids in each of the five regions, you might see some arbitrage by region, especially with people moving to Region 3. That's not the proposal.

People are free to live where they want. Is this controversial?

Anonymous wrote:FCPS has just driven all of the TJ Prep companies out of business, which made the admissions test “pay to play”. This will also make it unnecessary for Asians to move in droves to areas where the MS has historically sent the most kids to TJ. Now, they would be better served moving to different areas. Lastly, Asian children will no longer have to spend 5 years of their life preparing for TJ. This will result in diversity. The other unintended consequences remain to be seen.

This isn't going to happen with a lottery. Well-educated Asians will be even more likely to live in the "top" pyramids. Their kids will still take a chance with the lottery. TJ lottery crap shoot vs. Langley/McLean/Oakton/Chantilly sure thing = win/win.

If the plan was to take the 70 highest-scoring kids in each of the five regions, you might see some arbitrage by region, especially with people moving to Region 3. That's not the proposal.

Anonymous wrote:FCPS has just driven all of the TJ Prep companies out of business, which made the admissions test “pay to play”. This will also make it unnecessary for Asians to move in droves to areas where the MS has historically sent the most kids to TJ. Now, they would be better served moving to different areas. Lastly, Asian children will no longer have to spend 5 years of their life preparing for TJ. This will result in diversity. The other unintended consequences remain to be seen.

This will result in mediocrity. SJWs have ruined another institution dedicated to excellence.

Maybe TJ will be able to field a real football team now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Instead of a lottery, can't they just tweak the admissions process - the application/paperwork would be purely paperwork- grades, letters, test scores, etc.
Any multiple choice questions about race or gender are eliminated. Even home address, school pyramid, and full name should be done away with. Purely clinical.
You'd be identified solely by your student ID number that all fcps kids have.

They are looking to focus on race, not make it a blind process.

But if race seems to be defining factor, then take it out completely of the admissions process. What is the harm in a blind process? You're weeding out the "men from the boys" to achieve that desirable academic vigor that defines TJ.

It was race blind before. They didn’t like the outcome so now they want to change the selection to change the racial makeup.

Anonymous wrote:FCPS has just driven all of the TJ Prep companies out of business, which made the admissions test “pay to play”. This will also make it unnecessary for Asians to move in droves to areas where the MS has historically sent the most kids to TJ. Now, they would be better served moving to different areas. Lastly, Asian children will no longer have to spend 5 years of their life preparing for TJ. This will result in diversity. The other unintended consequences remain to be seen.

Stop with the generalizations. All Asian American kids do not prep. I bet you are all into anti racism training. Try directing some of it to your views on Asian Americans.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Instead of a lottery, can't they just tweak the admissions process - the application/paperwork would be purely paperwork- grades, letters, test scores, etc.
Any multiple choice questions about race or gender are eliminated. Even home address, school pyramid, and full name should be done away with. Purely clinical.
You'd be identified solely by your student ID number that all fcps kids have.

They are looking to focus on race, not make it a blind process.

But if race seems to be defining factor, then take it out completely of the admissions process. What is the harm in a blind process? You're weeding out the "men from the boys" to achieve that desirable academic vigor that defines TJ.

FCPS has just driven all of the TJ Prep companies out of business, which made the admissions test “pay to play”. This will also make it unnecessary for Asians to move in droves to areas where the MS has historically sent the most kids to TJ. Now, they would be better served moving to different areas. Lastly, Asian children will no longer have to spend 5 years of their life preparing for TJ. This will result in diversity. The other unintended consequences remain to be seen.

Anonymous wrote:Their process has been so closed and secretive just like the state’s. It is so disappointing that they plan to wholesaled changes with just 3 weeks of public comment. They did back room negotiations and rolled this out hoping to stifle any dissent. The board members speaking about emails they’ve received from unhappy people — those who are happy didn’t even know this proposal was in the works! Of course all the students and alum who love the place didn’t reach out.

Governor’s Schools have a mandate to serve gifted kids; a 3.5 middle school gpa does not make a child gifted.

What will happen to McLean HS under this plan? The place is way overcrowded already (with no plan to remedy it) and now they will have to take another huge number of kids from Longfellow who normally would have gone to TJ.

Elaine Tholen alluded to this indirectly yesterday. It is on her radar.

Three of the four pyramids that currently send the most kids to TJ have overcrowded high schools - Chantilly, McLean, and Oakton. The fourth - Langley - is under-enrolled, but more kids at Langley means fewer seats to accommodate McLean overcrowding (and there is also a large new Toll Brothers development zoned to Langley off Route 7). Under a lottery-by-pyramid approach, within four years each of these four schools would have about 100 more students who otherwise would have gone to TJ based on the historical numbers. The impact would be harder to predict, but might be less significant, under a lottery-by-region approach.

Scott Brabrand didn't mention this at all as far as I'm aware. I'm not sure he gave it any thought. Elaine Tholen and Stella Pekarsky may insist on the facilities piece getting addressed before they support a move to a lottery system. I'm not sure some of the members have any handle on facilities issues.