Fairfax County school board considers revised proposals for TJ

TJ students in the school’s robotics lab. [File photo]

The Fairfax County School Board is considering two revised proposals for changing the admissions process to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. 

The board has been discussing TJ admissions for months in response to concerns that the current system for the elite school discriminates against Black, Latinx, and economically disadvantaged students. 

TJ is in Mason District, but very few students from Annandale/Mason District middle schools apply to or are accepted to TJ. 

Superintendent Scott Brabrand presented two revised options for a new admissions system at a school board work session on Dec. 7.  The board is scheduled to make a decision on Dec. 17. The new process would take effect for the TJ Class of 2025. 

The two options – a hybrid merit lottery and a holistic review – address concerns raised by school board members about Brabrand’s previous proposals. 

The board had already agreed to drop the admissions test and application fee and add 50 slots at TJ for the coming year. They also agreed that actions need to be taken to enhance the pipeline of TJ applicants. 

Under Proposal 1 – the merit lottery – 100 seats would go to the highest-evaluated students. The remaining 450 slots would be filled by a lottery to include highly evaluated applicants within geographic pathways. 

Seventy percent of applicants would be from Fairfax County public or private schools, and 30 percent would be from other jurisdictions (Loudon County, Prince William County, Arlington County, and Falls Church). 

Each FCPS region would have a cap based on eighth-grade enrollment in the schools within that region. Region 2, which includes Mason District schools, would have a cap of 69 students. The other four regions would have caps ranging from 55 to 65.

The top 100 students could be from anywhere and would not be counted toward the pathway caps. 

Related story: Fairfax County Schools superintendent says admission to TJ can’t depend on test-taking skills

Under Proposal 2 – the holistic review approach – all 550 seats would go to the highest-evaluated students within the pathways. 

This approach has the same 70-30 split, and each FCPS regional pathway would have a cap based on eighth-grade enrollment. Region 2 would have 85 slots, and the other regions would have 67 to 81. 

FCPS would use an “enhanced merit” approach to determine qualified students under Proposal 2. Students would be expected to have Portrait of a Graduate attributes and 21st century skills; display problem-solving skills and STEM aptitude by writing a math or science problem-solving essay; achieve an unweighted 3.5 GPA in core classes; and be enrolled in algebra I or a more advanced math course.

Two additional criteria were added since the earlier proposals: Students would be expected to take math and science honors courses and take an additional honors course in English or social studies or be identified as a Young Scholar. FCPS could provide a waiver to students with a strong passion for math and science but hadn’t taken honors courses. 

These criteria would produce a pool of about 4,300 students who would be invited to apply to TJ. Under the current system, about 2,500 to 3,000 students typically apply every year. There are about 13,000 eighth-graders in Fairfax County. 

The holistic review would include GPA, the Portrait of a Graduate student portrait sheet, problem-solving essay, and “experience factors” (economically disadvantaged, English language learner, special education, and underrepresented schools). 

Related story: Thomas Jefferson HS alumni demand a more equitable admissions process

Brabrand’s proposals eliminate the requirement for teacher recommendations. At the work session, there was a lot of discussion on whether they should still be required. 

On one hand, a positive teacher recommendation could help a disadvantaged student make the cut. On the other hand, that requirement could be an advantage for students who attend middle schools that send a lot of students to TJ and where teachers have more experience writing recommendations. 

In addition to changing the admissions system, FCPS would conduct student and parent engagement, focusing on outreach to groups that have been historically underrepresented at TJ.