Fairfax County School Board Considerations for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Selection Process Decision
by Steve Hunt
Fairfax County School Board. At-large
August 22, 2004
Why a High School for Science and Technology?
There was a reason that Thomas Jefferson was modified to be a Governor’s School for science and technology. It was not a random choice over other potential subject matters. Our nation is in great need of scientists, engineers, mathematicians and others in technological fields. These are all areas that require knowledge in math and science in order to be able to succeed. For a number of years, the number of students going into these fields has diminished. The intent of creating a “magnate” school in science and technology is to instill and encourage an interest, and hopefully, a love of math, science and technology.
The concept to date has been to take a handful of students that have demonstrated ability predominantly in math and to some extent in science, and introduce them into an environment that enables that ability to flourish through a challenging science and technology focused curriculum. The desired intent is to introduce the students that have the math skills for engineering, science, and technological professions to the subject matter that is a critical part of these fields with the hope that some will go into those fields as a result. It is not the intent that every student that graduates from TJ will go into engineering, science or technologically focused college programs. Some may recognize that these are areas in which they have little interest in making their profession. That should also be considered a positive aspect of the program.
While it is important that mathematically-oriented students also receive a well-rounded education in history, literature, government and the arts, the strong academic focus of TJ should be centered around the sciences and technology. That is not to say that the non-science and math programs cannot be of a challenging nature, but the science and technology programs should not suffer as a result of creating a magnate level curriculum in the liberal arts. The appearance of movement in this direction results in accusations of shifting TJ to a G&T high school. That would result in the loss of the original intent of TJ and would fail to address the great need that TJ was designed to address. The formation of G&T high schools with the focus in other areas of study are good ideas and should be addressed. TJ should not be evolved into one.
The intent of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is to instill students with a desire to study and to make a profession in the science and technology fields. If a student is already filled with a passion for science and has the requisite math skills, then TJ will allow that passion to thrive and flourish. However, the original intent of TJ was to reach out to those students that do not necessarily have the love of math and science, but do have the skills, and by introducing them to science and technology, instill and cultivate in some of them a love of math and science.
Blue Ribbon Panel Direction and Focus
The Blue Ribbon Panel was not given the task of determining the best method by which to improve the demographics of the African-American and Hispanic students at TJ. They were directed to focus on just one aspect of the total process that has as an end result a student entering TJ. The resolution stated that they were to provide “specific admissions criteria to promote excellence in math, science and technology, while increasing the diversity of the TJSST student body.” (italics added). They were not tasked with addressing the holistic minority student achievement gap that manifests itself in many ways including the TJ selection, but to provide recommendations on how to address the issue strictly within the bounds of modifications to the selection process. Their task was to address a particular issue by modifying just the final step in a process over which FCPS has control and input over the many steps that occur during a period of 8 years. Consequently their recommendations are framed from the perspective that if the FCPS wishes to address the problem strictly from the admissions criteria, then how would it be done? In essence they were asked, “If you were to put a bandage on this bleeding artery, how would you do it?” They proceeded to provide a recommendation to do just that. One question that the Board must address is whether we are satisfied with the recommendations focused on just this aspect of the entire process.
Comments on the Blue Ribbon Panel Report
The recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Panel provided a general set of recommendations. They focus on fairness within the first phase of the selection process. The panel expressed concern when they stated:
“Although it is clear that many qualified students advance to the next round in the selection process, it is likely that the system introduces two types of error: some students in the pool of 800 may not embody the characteristics that reflect the school mission statement and that TJHSST values most highly, while some of the excluded students may indeed have the characteristics that TJHSST is seeking. There is abundant evidence showing that such qualities as intellectual curiosity, motivation for the sheer joy of learning, and the passion for scientific pursuits are not easily captured by standardized tests and grade point averages. These qualities are not well reflected in the selection index formula currently used at TJHSST.”
I find it interesting that they state that the current system is likely to introduce the two errors. Not that is does introduce them, but is merely likely to.
The panel is concerned about determining “the intellectual curiosity, motivation for the sheer joy of learning, and the passion for scientific pursuits” of applicants. The intent of TJ is to instill these traits into students to increase the number of students that go onto science and technology pursuits. Why add as criteria for selection the very traits that were so rare that the school was established to rectify the situation?
Similarly the mission statement describes the goals and environment that the students are to achieve. The characteristics found in the mission statement should not be the criteria for the student selection. It is not the intent of the selection process to establish the goals and environment found in the mission statement. It is the intent of the academic environment to achieve the mission.
The concern of the panel was the lack of a holistic look at the students. However, this was only on the holistic look in the first step of the process. The panel failed to look at the process holistically. The intent of the first step is merely to create a pool of students with demonstrated academic abilities to be reviewed in a holistic manner in the second phase of the selection process. The panel had no negative comments regarding the second phase holistic review of the 800 student pool. The many traits and characteristics that indicate that a student would be the type of student that should be selected for TJ are reviewed in the current second step of the selection process.
Students that have the academic ability may or may not be a good fit for TJ, but students that do not have the academic abilities are not. The very purpose of TJ is to provide a very challenging academic environment that is focused on science and technology which requires a strong understanding and ability in mathematics. Consequently, there should be a strong academic requirement for acceptance to TJ. The measure of that academic capability is currently captured in the entrance exam. If the concern is that there are not 450 acceptable students in the 800 pool, then the pool could be expanded. The historical results of the holistic review of the 800 would indicate otherwise. Historically 375 of the top 400 are accepted. That would require only 75 additional students be found in the remaining 400.
Another concern is that those beyond number 800 are not reviewed. Only 450 students are going to be selected in the end. Many applicants are not going to be selected. The intent of the selection process is to find 450 students that have the academic ability and fit the desired profile. It is not to find all of the students that have the academic ability and fit the profile. FCPS would require 2 additional magnate high schools if that were the case. If the current process finds 450 students that meet the criteria, then it is a successful process. The intent is not necessarily to find the absolute optimal set of students. There are many students that fit the criteria that are not going to be accepted whether they were reviewed holistically or not.
None of the recommendations regarding the selection process address or correct any specific issue that is a causal factor in the low number of African-American or Hispanic students. The corrections of “fairness” could very well not improve the demographics at TJ at all. There is a more systemic problem in FCPS that needs to be addressed.
Long-Term Systematic Achievement Gap
The demographics seen in the TJ selection process mirror the minority student achievement gap that has plagued FCPS for decades. If such a gap did not exist, the Minority Student Achievement Oversight Committee would not have been formed. If the problem were being sufficiently addressed, there would not be the requirement to continually monitor and receive reports on the minority student achievement gap. To expect a significant gap that is evident throughout the first eight years of the school system to suddenly disappear during a selection process that is to select students that have demonstrated high achievement and aptitude in math, science and technology is wishful thinking. A system that provides consistent results is a system that is, either intentionally or unintentionally, designed for that result. Until the system is modified, it will continue to produce the same result. Since the minority achievement gap is seen as early as in the 3rd grade SOL results, then it would follow that something within the FCPS system prior to the 3rd grade (long before the 8th grade TJ selection process) is not addressing the achievement gap problem.
The following graphs depict the percent of students in a particular demographic that score Pass / Advanced on the Math Standards of Learning exams in the 3rd, 5th and 8th grades. The number is the percentage students in that particular demographic group (as opposed to the percent of total population).
Powered by LifeServantA Service of Vertical Symmetry
