Some Virginia schools are allegedly holding back their students' test scores as a means of promoting empathy for those who may not have performed as well.
In a TikTok video posted by educator Christy Faith, she exposed a "national merit scandal" occurring in several Northern Virginia high schools, causing among both parents and students.
Faith stated in her video that officials at the school in the state had been withholding the PSAT scores of the students.
"So kids who were National Merit semifinalists, we're talking the top 1% in the nation, were never informed," she claimed.
Reading from The Hill's report, Faith revealed that officials in a Virginia school “intentionally decided” to withhold the test scores for the following reason:
“fear that it might hurt the feelings of students who did not receive the award."
@christy_faith #greenscreen #sat #act #psat #scandal #momsofhighschoolers #highschool #testprep #testpreptips #collegesdmissions #christyfaith ♬ original sound - Christy-Faith
She explained that a number of articles claimed that the decision was made for the sake of promoting “equity,” noting that this problem is getting bigger, as what started off as a single school's practice has now spread to "14 schools" that are holding back PSAT scores from their students.
“Now there’s an investigation for unlawful discrimination because [many] colleges give out full-ride scholarships solely based on national merit," Faith added.
She points out that some of these kids will never get an opportunity for college scholarships, even though they study hard and earned the honor, all “because they were never informed that they were semifinalists.”
Virginia parents are now protesting the decision to withhold PSAT scores
The issue of the student's scores was reported in January 2023 by ABC News. According to the article, a group of parents with children attending several high schools in Virginia have started protesting the withholding of PSAT scores.
New: Another Loudoun County high school didn't notify students of their national merit recognition in time for college scholarship deadlines, according to an email from LCPS. This brings the total to 4 high schools in Loudoun, 7 in Fairfax & 3 in PWC. https://t.co/cklTieOBse
— Nick Minock (@NickMinock) January 16, 2023
Many parents have accused Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County of withholding National Merit recognition from students to avoid upsetting those who were not recognized.
The National Merit Scholarship Program is a nationwide academic competition for high school students, which is administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and is qualified by achieving a high score on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT).
The reason why withholding the PSAT scores is a problem is that, in the next fall, schools are expected to inform students if they have been recognized as top percentile Not notifying these students will mean many of them may miss out on early-decision college application deadlines or scholarship opportunities.
In an effort to find a solution, Dr. Reid, the Fairfax County Superintendent, is meeting with parents in person to hear their concerns at Westfield, Langley, and Thomas Jefferson high schools,
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If the results were withheld, somebody must be imprisoned or have their head broken. It's like the dinks who think keeping score in ball games is detrimental to self-esteem. If the kids who don't qualify don't know where they stand, they need more help than punishing someone else. It was vile action.