Thomas Jefferson HS alumni demand a more equitable admissions process
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| TJ alumni at a protest outside the school on Oct. 4. [Photos: TJAAG] |
Members of the TJ Alumni Action Group (TJAAG) held a rally in front of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Oct. 4 to urge Fairfax County Public Schools to drop the test-based admissions system in favor of a merit-based lottery.
TJAAG charges the current system unfairly discriminates against Black, Latinx, and economically disadvantaged students in determining who can attend the elite. TJ, a highly selective public school on Braddock Road in the Annandale area, is one of the most highly rated high schools in the country.
TJAAG, which represents more than 1,000 alumni, charges the admissions process favors students whose parents spend thousands of dollars on test preparation, rather than aptitude and merit.
Among Fairfax County public school students, 25.9 percent are Hispanic, 9.8 percent are Black, and 29 percent are from lower-income families. Yet only 2.6 percent of TJ students are Hispanic, 1.7 percent are Black, and 2.4 percent are lower-income.
TJAAG supports a proposal by Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand to replace the requirement for an admissions test and teacher recommendations with a “merit lottery” system to give historically underrepresented students a more equitable playing field.
The FCPS school board is scheduled to consider that proposal on Oct. 8. FCPS is hosting a town hall on TJ admissions on Oct. 7.
School board members Ricardy Anderson (Mason) and Karen Keys-Gamarra (at-large) spoke at the rally in support of TJAAG and their efforts to promote more diversity at TJ. Progress in this area is long overdue and should not be delayed, Anderson said.
The National Korean American Service & Education Consortium of Virginia and the Fairfax County NAACP also issued statements supporting a new, more equitable, merit-based admissions process for TJ.
A newly formed organization, TJ Alumni for Racial Justice, has retained the Arnold & Porter law firm to investigate admissions practices at TJ. “TJHSST’s failure, for over three decades, to admit and retain even a critical mass of promising Black and Latino students is unacceptable,” the group states.
This summer, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam appointed a task force led by Education Secretary Atif Qarni to increase diversity in the state’s Governor’s Schools, which includes TJ.
Related story: FCPS considers new admissions plan to increase diversity at TJ
Dozens of TJ alumni and current students spoke at the Oct. 4 rally or posted videos on the TJAAG Facebook page about their experiences at the school and why it needs to admit a more diverse and equitable student body.
“The current status quo does a great job of recognizing and identifying parental effort in guiding their child into a very singular skill – that of test-taking,” said Jorge Torrico, who graduated from TJ in 1998.
The current system rewards parents who are able to navigate the bureaucratic hurdles set up for their child’s education, Torrico said. That includes buying or renting a home within the area served by a middle school that is considered one of the best feeders for TJ, as well as a thorough knowledge of application and recommendation processes.
Well-informed parents know they need to prep their child for the nonverbal assessment test in the third grade and the cognitive aptitude test in the second grade, he said. Parents pay nearly $400 per test for IQ or aptitude tests give by private companies to ensure their child is referred to the Advanced Academic Program (AAP) in the third grade.
Knowing the cutoffs for taking those tests are key so they can set up a private set of retesting sessions, Torrico said. They can then pay $390 dollars each for a set of IQ or aptitude tests given by private companies every six months before the AAP selection decision which happens in January during the third grade.
If a child fails to get into the AAP, parents can appeal by submitting the score from one of those tests given by a private company.
Parents intent on getting their child into TJ spend more about $4,260 a year on enrichment programs, Torrico said. That includes coding camps or robotics camps, musical instrument rentals for band or orchestra, summer camp, and weekly tutoring sessions. Many parents also pay for additional prepping in the fifth and sixth grades to get their child into seventh-grade algebra.
The total cost of enrichment activities and private assessments in grades 3-8 can add up to $25,000, he said.
Not everyone who got into TJ has parents who spent that much, Torrico noted. He was a Latinx and undocumented youth who made it to TJ, but said, “there are a lot more like me, and are they making it? No.”
The current system “is not an indicator of ability or merit,” he said. Parents should not be paying $25,000 to get their children into a public school supported by taxpayers.
So, moving to a better school district is now unfair? I'll have to run that past all my former Mason neighbors who did precisely that because their local schools are so sketchy. Sorry guys, but what this really says is that achievement doesn't count. Now you have to be exhibit success according to someone's social gospel. – Sparky
Getting into AAP is not a guarantee your child will gain admission to TJ.
My son just graduated from TJ. We didn't "spend thousands of dollars on test preparation" to get him into TJ, just a ~$30 book.
Please keep TJ's merit-based admission:
https://www.change.org/p/fairfax-county-school-board-vote-no-on-new-fairfax-county-admissions-changes-to-tj
https://www.change.org/p/ralph-s-northam-keep-merit-based-admissions-at-tjhsst
Seems like a critical question is what is the goal? What percentages of black, white, Asian, or Hispanic students (i.e.,"more diversity") would constitute evidence of a fair admissions process? And what would you say to someone who would have passed the admission test but doesn't get into TJ via the lottery system? Also, I know that ensuring a fair process for admission to TJ is a very serious and worthy issue but it's hard not to point out the irony of a group that can afford to hire a high-end law firm like Arnold & Porter complaining that some people are paying a lot of money to prepare their children for the TJ admission test.
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/governors_school_programs/:
The Virginia Governor's School Program has been designed to assist divisions as they meet the needs of a small population of students whose learning levels are remarkably different from their age-level peers. The foundation of the Virginia Governor's School Program centers on best practices in the field of gifted education and the presentation of advanced content to able learners.
#1 The TJARJ.org group is separate from TJAAG.org
#2 The retaining of Arnold & Porter by TJARJ.org is pro-bono, not paid for.
#3 Yes, AAP is not a guarantee, but if you aren't in AAP, your chances of 7th or 8th grade Algebra are greatly reduced, meaning the student wouldn't even be eligible to apply.
#4 Please feel free to come and posts questions/concerns and engage us TJAAG at https://www.facebook.com/TJAlumniActionGroup/