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SELECTION OF 2009-2010 FRESHMAN CLASS
(CLASS OF 2013)

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER IN 2008-2009:

September 22, 2008 - Applications become available in schools and at the TJ Admissions Office (see details below) September 27 - Open House (see details in Main) October 24 - Absolute deadline for submission of application to schools or TJ Admissions Office December 6 - Admissions Test (see details in Testing) End of January, 2009 - Letters mailed to applicants notifying them of semifinalist status February 17 - Information sheet and teacher recommendation forms due from semifinalists to school counselors April 3 - Admissions notification letters postmarked June 1 - Application deadline for Summer Round (only for students who moved to a participating school division after September 30, 2008) June 8 - Admissions Test for Summer Round applicants only June 30 - Admissions notification letters for summer round applicants postmarked

FRESHMAN SELECTION PROCESS

Applicants to the ninth grade at TJHSST must be in the eighth grade in 2008-2009 in any public or private school and must live with their parent and/or legal guardian who is a full-time resident of, and meets all residency requirements of, one of the participating school divisions. Applicants must be enrolled currently in Algebra 1 to be considered for admission, unless the Admissions Director has waived the requirement for the applicant.

Students and families who move to a participating school division after September 30, 2008 are eligible for a separate round of admissions in the summer of 2008 (see information in Summer Round).

There are two parts to the admissions process. Part One information is relevant to all applicants. Part Two information is for students who are determined to be semifinalists at the conclusion of Part One.

PART ONE

Eighth grade students apply by no later than October 24, 2008 by completing a one-page application form and paying a processing fee of $90. Students who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals pay a processing fee of $25. A waiver of the fee also is available by calling the Admissions Office at 703-876-5265 or 703-876-5282, or by contacting the local school TJ liaison counselor.

All applicants then must take the Thomas Jefferson Admissions Test, which is administered on December 6, 2008. The test is a standardized reasoning test that measures how well a student can use knowledge gained over his/her previous seven years of schooling. It is not an achievement test. At the time of testing, applicants also write two essays in response to two different essay questions.

In late January/early February following the test, applicants are informed by letter whether they will be considered as semifinalists who will continue on to the second stage of the TJHSST admissions process. A sliding scale of grade point average (GPA) and test score is used to determine semifinalist status. No student with a GPA lower than 2.67 or with a test score lower than 60% correct may be a semifinalist. And, under the sliding scale used, a student with a GPA of 2.67 would need a total test score of 90% correct or higher to be considered a semifinalist. A student with a total test score of 60% correct would need a GPA of 3.67 or higher to be considered a semifinalist. A similar balancing of test score and GPA, using a sliding scale, is completed for every applicant to determine semifinalist status.

PART TWO

During Part Two of the admissions process, semifinalists must collect additional information to complete their application packets by late February. At this time, the semifinalists' essays written in December also are reviewed and scored by trained readers/educators.

All semifinalists must obtain three teacher recommendations and fill out a Student Information Sheet to complete their application packets to TJHSST. The recommendations must come from a math teacher, a science teacher, and a third teacher of the applicant's choice. Recommendations should come from teachers the student has had in grade 7 or grade 8. The Information Sheet requests that the student list and describe his/her four most important academic, and four most important after-school or out-of-school, interests, activities, and accomplishments, keeping in mind the TJHSST Mission Statement. The Information Sheet also requires students to write a personal statement.

The teacher recommendations and Student Information Sheet complete the semifinalist's application packet, which also includes two essay scores; report card marks in core subjects (7th grade final marks, 1st and 2nd quarter 8th grade marks); admissions test scores (verbal and mathematics raw scores and percentile ranks); and the student's original application form. No other materials are included or considered in any student's application packet under any circumstances.

The entire application packet is evaluated holistically by two selection committees consisting of two trained, qualified educators or professionals per team. Applicants are evaluated for admission based on the following criteria:

aptitude for successful study of science, mathematics, computer science, and related technological fields; record of prior academic achievement; interest and motivation in the study of science and mathematics, computer science, and related technologies; and background, skills, or experiences that would contribute to a diverse student body which will enhance the unique learning experience at TJHSST and develop future leaders of the 21st century.

In this holistic review, no one component of the application packet carries any greater weight than any other. Evaluators look for consistency across the application that correlates with one of the four ratings they may give an applicant. Students ultimately are admitted to TJHSST based on the strength of the final four ratings they receive from the selection committees.

After committee review, final decisions on admissions are made, and semifinalists are notified in early April whether or not they will be offered admission.

FRESHMAN APPLICATION

All applicants to the 9th grade class at TJHSST must complete the Freshman Application form in order to be considered for admission. The freshman application is a one-page form that seeks demographic information regarding the applicant, including name, address, school of attendance, choice of test site, math course taken in grade 8, etc. The application form must be signed by the applicant's parent or legal guardian and by the student's TJ liaison counselor or principal (for private school students).

The application form should be completed in blue or black ink (no pencil, please). PRINT all of your information and make sure that everything is legible.

There is a $90 processing fee for the application process, which should accompany the application form. Checks may be made payable to "Fairfax County Public Schools" or to "FCPS." Students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals pay a processing fee of $25. In addition, the fee may be waived (no fee) by calling the Admissions Office at 703-876-5265 or 703-876-5282, or by speaking with the student's middle school TJ liaison counselor.

If you attend a private school or are home schooled, you also must submit proof of residency. The applicant's parent or legal guardian must submit the following documentation as proof of residency at the time of application:

Copy of one of the following: current lease, current deed, or current mortgage statement Copy of one of the following: current gas, electric, water, or land-line telephone bill Copy of one of the following: Virginia driver's license; Commonwealth of Virginia identification card; current payroll stub; or current bank statement.

You may redact (black out) any confidential information, such as account numbers, balance information, etc. (See Eligibility for additional information on residency.)

If you are home schooled, you also must submit a copy of the Notification By Parent or Guardian of Intent to Provide Home Instruction filed with your school division for the 2008-2009 school year, with curriculum descriptions.

APPLICATION PACKETS AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

The freshman application packet will be available beginning Monday, September 22, 2008. The packet includes: the Freshman Application Form, Information for Applicants 2008-2009 brochure, and a newsletter for applicants.

If you attend a public middle school, you must pick up your application packet from the designated TJ liaison counselor at your middle school.

If you attend a private school, you should pick up your application packet from your counselor or principal if they have applications.

If your school does not have applications, or you are home schooled, you should contact the Admissions Office on or after September 22, 2008, at 703-876-5265, to request an application packet. We will not take any requests for application packets before September 22, 2008. Please call only during business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., and speak directly with someone in the office. We will not send applications based on voice mail requests.

Applications are not available online.

APPLICATION DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 24, 2008.

THE APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR THE 2009-2010 FRESHMAN CLASS (TJ CLASS OF 2013) IS OCTOBER 24, 2008. THIS IS A FIRM DEADLINE. NO LATE APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR ANY REASON.

If you attend a public middle school, you should turn your application in to the designated TJ liaison counselor at your school. Submission of the application to the liaison counselor at your middle school by October 24, 2008 constitutes timely application to TJHSST. We prefer that you submit the application to the liaison counselor at your school. (Trust your liaison counselor to get your application to us. The liaisons do a magnificent and necessary organizational job for the Admissions Office, which receives close to 3,000 applications each year.)

If you attend a private school, you may turn your application in to the liaison counselor at your school (if the school has a liaison counselor) or to the school principal if your school has such a procedure available. Some private schools will submit the applications for their students. Others require the student to deliver the application to the Admissions Office.

If you must bring your application to the Admissions Office, make sure that the bottom section of the application form is completed by the appropriate school personnel before you submit your application. The Admissions Office is located at:

Devonshire Administrative Center, Ste 9 2831 Graham Road Falls Church, Virginia 22042

The Admissions Office is open Monday through Friday. Applications will be accepted between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. If no one is in the Admissions Office, DO NOT leave your application at Devonshire Center.

If you must mail your application to the Admissions Office, make sure that the bottom section of the application form is completed by the appropriate school personnel before you mail the application. Mail the application to:

TJHSST Admissions Office P.O. Box 3300 Merrifield, VA 22116-3300

DO NOT MAIL YOUR APPLICATION TO DEVONSHIRE CENTER. If you mail your application, make sure that the envelope has a clear and legible postmark of no later than October 24, 2008. Make a copy of your completed application for your files.

If you mail your application and you want to make sure that the admissions office received it, send your application with delivery confirmation so that you can track the letter or send the application certified mail and request return-receipt. The Admissions Office receives close to 3,000 applications which must be processed immediately in late October. We, therefore, cannot respond to individual inquiries regarding the receipt of applications at that time.