how does BASIS work?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I really don't understand the appeal of cramming high school into 3 years. What am I missing?

An important factor in the US News high school rankings is “CRI,” or the percent of seniors who have passed an AP (or IB) exam during their high school career.

All Basis schools seem to be tied for 100 (first in the nation) on this factor. There are two ways to get to 100%, of course. One of them is to shrink the denominator until it matches the numerator.

If you require kids to pass at least one AP to graduate, and then don’t let seniors take AP courses, you can ensure that the kids who haven’t passed an AP exam by the end of junior year never become seniors, thus maximizing your “CRI” and your ranking in US News.

Come on. How many UMC kids in the DMV haven’t managed to pass a single AP by the end of junior year?? This bar is set so low it’s meaningless. This can’t be the reason at all.

High-performing affluent suburban high schools in the DMV (eg Whitman, Maclean) typically have CRIs around 80.

Every single Basis school has a CRI of 100.

Maybe Basis DC does systematically exclude all poor students (though I’m sure they’d deny it). But even that would not be enough to get their CRI to 90, let alone 100.

There are two elements to CRI, which is just part of the score for USNW&R ranking. One is a participation rate, or the number of 12th grade students who took at least one AP or IB test by the end of their senior year, divided by the total number of 12th graders at the school. The other is a quality-adjusted participation rate, defined as the number of 12th grade students who took and earned a qualifying score – which is an AP score of 3 or higher or IB score of 4 or higher – on at least one AP or IB test by the end of their senior year, divided by the number of 12th graders at that school.

Quality-adjusted participation was weighted at 75%, and the simple participation rate was weighted at 25% toward CRI. The maximum CRI possible is 100 if every 12th grader at a school took and earned a qualifying score on at least one AP or IB exam by the end of their senior year.

BASIS DC doesn’t discourage students from taking AP exams. In fact, they require AP exams to graduate. As discussed above, in order to graduate, BASIS students must take at least 6 AP exams and obtain at least a 3 on one exam to graduate. Plus, around 40% of BASIS students are AP Scholars (getting a 3 or higher on at least THREE AP exams), a status that fewer than 10% of students attain. In fact, the only public high schools in the DMV that have a 100% CRI are BASIS DC and TJ in Fairfax, which is considered one of the best public high schools in the US.

Thanks for confirming that Basis requires a 3 on one AP exam to graduate. Basis itself is extremely cagey about this graduation requirement and doesn’t seem to publish it anywhere.

It’s a very elegant system. Require the score to graduate, don’t allow the student to fulfill that graduation requirement as a 12th grader, and voila, your CRI is always 100.

Any school could do it. All you need is the will to force out every student who hasn’t passed an AP by the end of junior year.

Dumb take.

Never heard of anyone not graduating from Basis because of the AP requirement.

Kids are taking 6-15 AP tests and the curriculum is already quite advanced so getting a 3 on 1 test is not a big deal.

TJ requires 6 AP courses as well and most students take more. Go complain about them as well.

This thread is ridiculous.

If BASIS is too challenging for your kid, send him or her elsewhere.

Leave the school for the rest of us.

That’s fine I guess, but BASIS shouldn’t be a “public” school and a subsidy for cheap, UMC families who are unwilling to pay for private school tuition.

What does this even mean?

[Anonymous]

Basis advertises itself as a free (not a good fit for all) public school option that is allegedly offers a comparable to better education to both other public and private school offerings. A very heavy focus on rankings and test scores. It tends to result in a lot of pretty heated debate about the value of school choice.

[Anonymous]

Why were the Basis DC college results so blah last year? You had the Cal Tech kid (URM) and one Hopkins girl but that was about it for top 30 schools.

I'm genuinely curious. You would think that kids with a ton of APs plus the DC "urban kid" bump that DCPS/charter kids seem to get that the kids would have done better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don't understand the appeal of cramming high school into 3 years. What am I missing?

An important factor in the US News high school rankings is “CRI,” or the percent of seniors who have passed an AP (or IB) exam during their high school career.

All Basis schools seem to be tied for 100 (first in the nation) on this factor. There are two ways to get to 100%, of course. One of them is to shrink the denominator until it matches the numerator.

If you require kids to pass at least one AP to graduate, and then don’t let seniors take AP courses, you can ensure that the kids who haven’t passed an AP exam by the end of junior year never become seniors, thus maximizing your “CRI” and your ranking in US News.

Come on. How many UMC kids in the DMV haven’t managed to pass a single AP by the end of junior year?? This bar is set so low it’s meaningless. This can’t be the reason at all.

High-performing affluent suburban high schools in the DMV (eg Whitman, Maclean) typically have CRIs around 80.

Every single Basis school has a CRI of 100.

Maybe Basis DC does systematically exclude all poor students (though I’m sure they’d deny it). But even that would not be enough to get their CRI to 90, let alone 100.

There are two elements to CRI, which is just part of the score for USNW&R ranking. One is a participation rate, or the number of 12th grade students who took at least one AP or IB test by the end of their senior year, divided by the total number of 12th graders at the school. The other is a quality-adjusted participation rate, defined as the number of 12th grade students who took and earned a qualifying score – which is an AP score of 3 or higher or IB score of 4 or higher – on at least one AP or IB test by the end of their senior year, divided by the number of 12th graders at that school.

Quality-adjusted participation was weighted at 75%, and the simple participation rate was weighted at 25% toward CRI. The maximum CRI possible is 100 if every 12th grader at a school took and earned a qualifying score on at least one AP or IB exam by the end of their senior year.

BASIS DC doesn’t discourage students from taking AP exams. In fact, they require AP exams to graduate. As discussed above, in order to graduate, BASIS students must take at least 6 AP exams and obtain at least a 3 on one exam to graduate. Plus, around 40% of BASIS students are AP Scholars (getting a 3 or higher on at least THREE AP exams), a status that fewer than 10% of students attain. In fact, the only public high schools in the DMV that have a 100% CRI are BASIS DC and TJ in Fairfax, which is considered one of the best public high schools in the US.

Thanks for confirming that Basis requires a 3 on one AP exam to graduate. Basis itself is extremely cagey about this graduation requirement and doesn’t seem to publish it anywhere.

It’s a very elegant system. Require the score to graduate, don’t allow the student to fulfill that graduation requirement as a 12th grader, and voila, your CRI is always 100.

Any school could do it. All you need is the will to force out every student who hasn’t passed an AP by the end of junior year.

Dumb take.

Never heard of anyone not graduating from Basis because of the AP requirement.

Kids are taking 6-15 AP tests and the curriculum is already quite advanced so getting a 3 on 1 test is not a big deal.

TJ requires 6 AP courses as well and most students take more. Go complain about them as well.

This thread is ridiculous.

If BASIS is too challenging for your kid, send him or her elsewhere.

Leave the school for the rest of us.

That’s fine I guess, but BASIS shouldn’t be a “public” school and a subsidy for cheap, UMC families who are unwilling to pay for private school tuition.

What does this even mean?

+1. Complete nonsense. It triggered me to draft an angry reply with way too much info on our HHI, kids' abilities, family's options, but then I just X-ed it out mumbling 'eh, f* that troll."

[Anonymous]

I do not think its really an issue w the student quality. I think its more that colleges used to value applicants with a lot of APs. Now AP classes are more commonplace widespread at regular public high schools and more APs after a certain number has limited value in the eyes of most college admissions people. The tide has turned I guess. Basis with its emphasis on APs arguably has not fully kept up in some ways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not think its really an issue w the student quality. I think its more that colleges used to value applicants with a lot of APs. Now AP classes are more commonplace widespread at regular public high schools and more APs after a certain number has limited value in the eyes of most college admissions people. The tide has turned I guess. Basis with its emphasis on APs arguably has not fully kept up in some ways.

What is valued more that APs today that didn't use to matter as much?

[Anonymous]

At highly selective colleges like ivies? Unique time-intensive extracurriculars and accomplishments can push an otherwise well-rounded applicant over the edge. At extremely selective schools, 10+ APs is sort of ho hum (let us be clear - we are talking extremely selective schools where being a straight A valedictorian with good test scores fewer APs is also somewhat dime a dozen).

[Anonymous]

I don't think it's an issue with student quality, either. Instead, it's more about financial means. A lot of people who choose Basis over a top notch private are doing so because they can't afford the top private. The same people are not applying to ivies, because they already know that they cannot easily afford to send their kids. Basis seems to do well with getting a lot of merit aid for kids at T50 type schools, which still means that the school has a lot of top notch kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it's an issue with student quality, either. Instead, it's more about financial means. A lot of people who choose Basis over a top notch private are doing so because they can't afford the top private. The same people are not applying to ivies, because they already know that they cannot easily afford to send their kids. Basis seems to do well with getting a lot of merit aid for kids at T50 type schools, which still means that the school has a lot of top notch kids.

This doesn't make sense because the Ivies have some of the best aid there is---for many of them the aid goes up to HHI of $300K+.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it's an issue with student quality, either. Instead, it's more about financial means. A lot of people who choose Basis over a top notch private are doing so because they can't afford the top private. The same people are not applying to ivies, because they already know that they cannot easily afford to send their kids. Basis seems to do well with getting a lot of merit aid for kids at T50 type schools, which still means that the school has a lot of top notch kids.

I've seen this several times and it goes with what I've heard from actual Basis parents (who have stayed and left).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it's an issue with student quality, either. Instead, it's more about financial means. A lot of people who choose Basis over a top notch private are doing so because they can't afford the top private. The same people are not applying to ivies, because they already know that they cannot easily afford to send their kids. Basis seems to do well with getting a lot of merit aid for kids at T50 type schools, which still means that the school has a lot of top notch kids.

Bunk. UMC BASIS families in the "fi aid doughnut" are applying to Ivies/Ivies Plus schools for top students. The kids are applying but almost never getting in. Franchise leaders and admins are behind the times, mainly in failing to support and encouraging the students to run with unique interests, backgrounds and talents. For example, many 5th graders come in from ES language immersion programs strong in languages. The message from BASIS is who cares, not us, no language for you before 8th and then only at the beginning level. These are kids who could ace AP language exams in 9th or 10th grade with a little bit of support from BASIS, or even just a little flexibility on language study, but none is forthcoming. Also, BASIS forces all students to take algebra no later than 7th, when many of the kids aren't quite ready for it despite being v. bright and hard-working. Some of these kids wind up doing MS again in HS. That's what happened to my Walls student, who always earned As in BASIS math (essentially by memorizing answers). The lack of flexibility just isn't working v. well in elite college admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not think its really an issue w the student quality. I think its more that colleges used to value applicants with a lot of APs. Now AP classes are more commonplace widespread at regular public high schools and more APs after a certain number has limited value in the eyes of most college admissions people. The tide has turned I guess. Basis with its emphasis on APs arguably has not fully kept up in some ways.

It's not just the emphasis on APs that's holding BASIS students back in Ivy Plus admissions. It's other things, too. It's v. limited choice in the MS curriculum to support high achievement in areas of special interest for students, even in 8th grade. It's four years of HS academics in three. It's weak funding and support for 12th grade individual research projects and generally poor use of senior year (vs. support to undertake more engaging group research and engineering projects that are common in well-funded suburban schools, e.g. Disease Detectives along with dual enrollment in college courses). It's weak facilities that don't support serious performing arts or sports, or even a pleasant, quiet place for kids to study alone or in groups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it's an issue with student quality, either. Instead, it's more about financial means. A lot of people who choose Basis over a top notch private are doing so because they can't afford the top private. The same people are not applying to ivies, because they already know that they cannot easily afford to send their kids. Basis seems to do well with getting a lot of merit aid for kids at T50 type schools, which still means that the school has a lot of top notch kids.

Bunk. UMC BASIS families in the "fi aid doughnut" are applying to Ivies/Ivies Plus schools for top students. The kids are applying but almost never getting in. Franchise leaders and admins are behind the times, mainly in failing to support and encouraging the students to run with unique interests, backgrounds and talents. For example, many 5th graders come in from ES language immersion programs strong in languages. The message from BASIS is who cares, not us, no language for you before 8th and then only at the beginning level. These are kids who could ace AP language exams in 9th or 10th grade with a little bit of support from BASIS, or even just a little flexibility on language study, but none is forthcoming. Also, BASIS forces all students to take algebra no later than 7th, when many of the kids aren't quite ready for it despite being v. bright and hard-working. Some of these kids wind up doing MS again in HS. That's what happened to my Walls student, who always earned As in BASIS math (essentially by memorizing answers). The lack of flexibility just isn't working v. well in elite college admissions.

This is really interesting. My kid is at top 3 DC private with two Basis kids who were accelerated in math (putting them on track for pre-calc in 9th) and yet aren't doing well in math at the private (struggling to get low Bs). Basis math seems to be a mile wide and an inch deep. Kids who are truly gifted in math and are doing math in their free time will compensate for this but others just have a crappy foundation and either struggle or take classes again (the Walls kid above and others we know).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it's an issue with student quality, either. Instead, it's more about financial means. A lot of people who choose Basis over a top notch private are doing so because they can't afford the top private. The same people are not applying to ivies, because they already know that they cannot easily afford to send their kids. Basis seems to do well with getting a lot of merit aid for kids at T50 type schools, which still means that the school has a lot of top notch kids.

Bunk. UMC BASIS families in the "fi aid doughnut" are applying to Ivies/Ivies Plus schools for top students. The kids are applying but almost never getting in. Franchise leaders and admins are behind the times, mainly in failing to support and encouraging the students to run with unique interests, backgrounds and talents. For example, many 5th graders come in from ES language immersion programs strong in languages. The message from BASIS is who cares, not us, no language for you before 8th and then only at the beginning level. These are kids who could ace AP language exams in 9th or 10th grade with a little bit of support from BASIS, or even just a little flexibility on language study, but none is forthcoming. Also, BASIS forces all students to take algebra no later than 7th, when many of the kids aren't quite ready for it despite being v. bright and hard-working. Some of these kids wind up doing MS again in HS. That's what happened to my Walls student, who always earned As in BASIS math (essentially by memorizing answers). The lack of flexibility just isn't working v. well in elite college admissions.

I don't think taking Spanish lessons uninterrupted from Elementary through High School would look like such a special talent. If anything, taking up so much of a kid's academic lifetime for what ends up being very basic language instruction, almost starting over year after year in most places, unless you go full immersion, isn't a very effective plan. It's kind of crazy to expect (and relentlessly complain about not getting) a non-language focused charter to craft curriculum or logistical carve-outs for language instruction for
Middle-schoolers coming from full immersion.
Instead, the linguistics studies 6th and 7th graders at BASIS are taking are amazing. Kids learn the theory of language evolution, language structure, and end up able to fluently read and write in universal phonetics IPA. Worth it, before going back to basics of world languages. But, as all BASIS subjects, bunch of homework and memorization, and end-of-year make-or-break exams.
F** yeah, BASIS.

[Anonymous]

Both things can simultaneously be true. Students do not necessarily get into the tippy top tier schools which many of their families might sacrifice financially to send them to, are nonetheless impressive enough to secure admission and merit aid at other schools, many may ultimately choose the merit aid or TAG over other solid but more expensive options in part due to no admission at the dream schools. There are tons of great colleges out there and attending an ivy/ivy plus school is by no means a necessary or surefire path to success.