Free Republic

At least three Virginia school districts that failed to notify students about National Merit award commendations are under investigation by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares. The number of schools that have admitted their failure to notify students of national recognition is now at 17. Governor Glen Youngkin is blaming so-called “equity” programs for the problem. Youngkin said over the weekend the recognition “seems to have been withheld from them for the purpose of not wanting to make people feel bad who didn’t achieve it.” Indeed, the scandal broke earlier this month when parents of students at Thomas Jefferson High School...

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...

If you live in West Virginia, your child needs to score at least 203 on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which is used to screen for candidates for the National Merit Scholarship program. But if you live in Virginia, that score has to be at least 218, as it is in New York. The cutoff score for Washington D.C., Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey is 221. In fact, the cutoff scores vary in each state, and they vary from year to year. Some college admissions counselors think this is patently unfair, and that a national scholarship program should...

Scout's honor Grandmother's rescue earns national merit By TUCKER MCQUEEN The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Sandra Gerald knew she was in trouble after falling outside her home. It was a cold night and she was bleeding profusely from a head wound. Paramedics told her she could have died if someone hadn't come to her rescue. Luckily, her 10-year-old grandson was at her side in seconds. Sebastian Phillips' quick actions kept his grandmother from going into shock and stopped the bleeding before the ambulance arrived. Sebastian had learned first aid at a Webelos Scout meeting a few months earlier. Sunday at a ceremony...