"National Merit Scholarship?" Not so fast.
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It's a secret!
https://www.city-journal.org/war-on-merit-takes-bizarre-turn
For years, two administrators at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ) have been withholding notifications of National Merit awards from the school’s families, most of them Asian, thus denying students the right to use those awards to boost their college-admission prospects and earn scholarships. This episode has emerged amid the school district’s new strategy of “equal outcomes for every student, without exception.” School administrators, for instance, have implemented an “equitable grading” policy that eliminates zeros, gives students a grade of 50 percent just for showing up, and assigns a cryptic code of “NTI” for assignments not turned in. It’s a race to the bottom.
An intrepid Thomas Jefferson parent, Shawna Yashar, a lawyer, uncovered the withholding of National Merit awards. Since starting as a freshman at the school in September 2019, her son, who is part Arab American, studied statistical analysis, literature reviews, and college-level science late into the night. This workload was necessary to keep him up to speed with the advanced studies at TJ, which U.S. News & World Report ranks as America’s top school.
Last fall, along with about 1.5 million U.S. high school juniors, the Yashar teen took the PSAT, which determines whether a student qualifies as a prestigious National Merit scholar. When it came time to submit his college applications this fall, he didn’t have a National Merit honor to report—but it wasn’t because he hadn’t earned the award. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation, a nonprofit based in Evanston, Illinois, had recognized him as a Commended Student in the top 3 percent nationwide—one of about 50,000 students earning that distinction. Principals usually celebrate National Merit scholars with special breakfasts, award ceremonies, YouTube videos, press releases, and social media announcements.
But not at TJ. School officials had decided to withhold announcement of the award. Indeed, it turns out that the principal, Ann Bonitatibus, and the director of student services, Brandon Kosatka, have been withholding this information from families and the public for years, affecting the lives of at least 1,200 students over the principal’s tenure of five years. Recognition by National Merit opens the door to millions of dollars in college scholarships and 800 Special Scholarships from corporate sponsors.@George-K said in "National Merit Scholarship?" Not so fast.:
It's a secret!
https://www.city-journal.org/war-on-merit-takes-bizarre-turn
For years, two administrators at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ) have been withholding notifications of National Merit awards from the school’s families, most of them Asian, thus denying students the right to use those awards to boost their college-admission prospects and earn scholarships. This episode has emerged amid the school district’s new strategy of “equal outcomes for every student, without exception.” School administrators, for instance, have implemented an “equitable grading” policy that eliminates zeros, gives students a grade of 50 percent just for showing up, and assigns a cryptic code of “NTI” for assignments not turned in. It’s a race to the bottom.
An intrepid Thomas Jefferson parent, Shawna Yashar, a lawyer, uncovered the withholding of National Merit awards. Since starting as a freshman at the school in September 2019, her son, who is part Arab American, studied statistical analysis, literature reviews, and college-level science late into the night. This workload was necessary to keep him up to speed with the advanced studies at TJ, which U.S. News & World Report ranks as America’s top school.
Last fall, along with about 1.5 million U.S. high school juniors, the Yashar teen took the PSAT, which determines whether a student qualifies as a prestigious National Merit scholar. When it came time to submit his college applications this fall, he didn’t have a National Merit honor to report—but it wasn’t because he hadn’t earned the award. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation, a nonprofit based in Evanston, Illinois, had recognized him as a Commended Student in the top 3 percent nationwide—one of about 50,000 students earning that distinction. Principals usually celebrate National Merit scholars with special breakfasts, award ceremonies, YouTube videos, press releases, and social media announcements.
But not at TJ. School officials had decided to withhold announcement of the award. Indeed, it turns out that the principal, Ann Bonitatibus, and the director of student services, Brandon Kosatka, have been withholding this information from families and the public for years, affecting the lives of at least 1,200 students over the principal’s tenure of five years. Recognition by National Merit opens the door to millions of dollars in college scholarships and 800 Special Scholarships from corporate sponsors.FFS. This crap at TJ has been just as much in the news down here as the Loudoun County shenanigans. This is actual insanity playing out in front of us.
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And yet three months ago….
Only non-witches get due process.
- Cotton Mather, Salem Massachusetts, 1692
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I think this is worse than civil. I think it is criminal.
Time for an example.
“Cry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!”
Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terrorists’ "due process". — Buck Sexton
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And yet three months ago….
@jon-nyc said in "National Merit Scholarship?" Not so fast.:
And yet three months ago….
That's probably the ones who were told about it.
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It's a secret!
https://www.city-journal.org/war-on-merit-takes-bizarre-turn
For years, two administrators at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ) have been withholding notifications of National Merit awards from the school’s families, most of them Asian, thus denying students the right to use those awards to boost their college-admission prospects and earn scholarships. This episode has emerged amid the school district’s new strategy of “equal outcomes for every student, without exception.” School administrators, for instance, have implemented an “equitable grading” policy that eliminates zeros, gives students a grade of 50 percent just for showing up, and assigns a cryptic code of “NTI” for assignments not turned in. It’s a race to the bottom.
An intrepid Thomas Jefferson parent, Shawna Yashar, a lawyer, uncovered the withholding of National Merit awards. Since starting as a freshman at the school in September 2019, her son, who is part Arab American, studied statistical analysis, literature reviews, and college-level science late into the night. This workload was necessary to keep him up to speed with the advanced studies at TJ, which U.S. News & World Report ranks as America’s top school.
Last fall, along with about 1.5 million U.S. high school juniors, the Yashar teen took the PSAT, which determines whether a student qualifies as a prestigious National Merit scholar. When it came time to submit his college applications this fall, he didn’t have a National Merit honor to report—but it wasn’t because he hadn’t earned the award. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation, a nonprofit based in Evanston, Illinois, had recognized him as a Commended Student in the top 3 percent nationwide—one of about 50,000 students earning that distinction. Principals usually celebrate National Merit scholars with special breakfasts, award ceremonies, YouTube videos, press releases, and social media announcements.
But not at TJ. School officials had decided to withhold announcement of the award. Indeed, it turns out that the principal, Ann Bonitatibus, and the director of student services, Brandon Kosatka, have been withholding this information from families and the public for years, affecting the lives of at least 1,200 students over the principal’s tenure of five years. Recognition by National Merit opens the door to millions of dollars in college scholarships and 800 Special Scholarships from corporate sponsors.@George-K said in "National Merit Scholarship?" Not so fast.:
Principals usually celebrate National Merit scholars with special breakfasts, award ceremonies, YouTube videos, press releases, and social media announcements.
The few national merit scholars got a mention in our high school news paper. I remember my physics teacher congratulating me on it. I was his favorite student because i understood the principles of his class better than he did. I remember having a big argument in front of the whole class with him about the velocity with which two different balls would hit the ground, one thrown downwards at velocity A, and one thrown upwards at velocity A. He didn't get it and I spent five minutes explaining it to him in front of the class. This was the non-math physics class where the dumb kids were, so he was probably not used to having a triple digit IQ as a student. He rather enjoyed it, to his credit. He liked me.
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And yet three months ago….
@jon-nyc said in "National Merit Scholarship?" Not so fast.:
And yet three months ago….
Wrong school bro
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Sounds like the Principal is really fumbling the ball.
Growing up, my older brother went to a GT (gifted and talented) middle school program that often funnels students towards admission to TJ high school, which was near where I lived. I followed in his path but didn't apply to go to TJ, I was aware enough to know I wasn't a 1600 SAT kid. That being said, I did captain my quiz team in high school and had plenty of tournaments at that school.
It's a good school, students work really hard (yes, many are asian... good for them) to get in since it basically guarantees you're going to get into a prestigious college, too. The attempts to force diversity (by watering down merit-based admissions) and now this coverup... again, they are really fumbling the ball considering it's (for now) the best high school in the country.
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And yet three months ago….
@jon-nyc said in "National Merit Scholarship?" Not so fast.:
And yet three months ago….
I’m glad that a private school in Missouri recognizes Merit Scholars, but what does that have to do with Northern Virginia?
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So if Academic Merit is not “equitable”, how long before credit scores? It’s only right for everyone to have credit cards…
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So if Academic Merit is not “equitable”, how long before credit scores? It’s only right for everyone to have credit cards…
@LuFins-Dad said in "National Merit Scholarship?" Not so fast.:
So if Academic Merit is not “equitable”, how long before credit scores? It’s only right for everyone to have credit cards…
I think you're on to something...
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@Jolly said in "National Merit Scholarship?" Not so fast.:
I think this is worse than civil. I think it is criminal.
Time for an example.
Yes, lock them up.
Way back in the day I qualified as a National Merit finalist, briefly. It turned out there was an error in the scoring, when they recalculated I fell off the list.
I didn't want their stupid scholarship anyway.
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@Jolly said in "National Merit Scholarship?" Not so fast.:
I think this is worse than civil. I think it is criminal.
Time for an example.
Yes, lock them up.
Way back in the day I qualified as a National Merit finalist, briefly. It turned out there was an error in the scoring, when they recalculated I fell off the list.
I didn't want their stupid scholarship anyway.
@Copper said in "National Merit Scholarship?" Not so fast.:
@Jolly said in "National Merit Scholarship?" Not so fast.:
I think this is worse than civil. I think it is criminal.
Time for an example.
Yes, lock them up.
Way back in the day I qualified as a National Merit finalist, briefly. It turned out there was an error in the scoring, when they recalculated I fell off the list.
I didn't want their stupid scholarship anyway.
I thought they were talking about semifinalists in the original story. After I sent in my 2.5 gpa on the application for finalist, I never heard back.
I guess these semifinalists never got the opportunity to fill in their application for the scholarship. That would have to be criminal. It does seem odd that the national merit organization doesn't contact the students directly.
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Is it just the administrators, the school, or the leadership of the entire district? In my area, the local school board dedicates a portions of its public meetings once every year to recognize each and every student who received National Merit commendation or achieved semi finalist statuses, along with other prizes for student leadership and academic excellence. With this practice, individual schools would not be able to suppress the information.
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It was an accident!
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@LuFins-Dad said in "National Merit Scholarship?" Not so fast.:
It was an accident!
Guess that's better than the dog ate it.
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@George-K said in "National Merit Scholarship?" Not so fast.:
One reply:
Why do they hate Asian people?
