BASIS DC will seek to expand to include K to 4th grade
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Anonymous
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BASIS DC announced today that they want to open a new campus in the fall of 2025 that will be for K to 4th grade or possibly 5th grade.
Currently, the school is just 5th to 12th grade. It is the only BASIS school in the country that doesn't start in K. In 2013, PCSB rejected a request from BASIS to expand but the network seems confident that they will be able to do accomplish the expansion now. There is not enough room for K-4 in the current building so BASIS will have to find a second location. https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/middle-schools/district-of-columbia |
Anonymous
| Ugh, why would we need this? |
Anonymous
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Why are they so confident?
Are they going to make kids repeat grades, so each class will have some older kids in it? |
Anonymous
| What are they planning to offer that is in any way innovative, interesting, or different? Other than a willingness to push out low performers, of course. |
Anonymous
| Does forcing a child with an IEP to repeat a grade count as the least restrictive environment? |
Anonymous
They really dont push out the lowest performers - they dont help the bright kids excel and spend all of their effort dragging the kids who are behind. it would be a better place if they let more of the weaker kids go to different schools |
Anonymous
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Will they have to backfill seats when a student leaves?
Will they have to provide supports for kids who need them to be the strong students they can be? |
Anonymous
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I don’t love this. BASIS for little kids sounds like an abusive military school.
-BASIS parent |
Anonymous
| So much for BASIS being an escape hatch for families with a good elementary school but bad middle school options. This will probably significantly change the demographics at BASIS. |
Anonymous
??? |
Anonymous
make it less white? |
Anonymous
Huh? They already "let" kids go to whatever school they want. BASIS can't stop them. It's a question of whether BASIS is going to require low performers to repeat grades, even if it's socially and developmentally inappropriate, as a way of motivating low performers to leave the school. |
Anonymous
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I wish they would open up a second middle/high school instead because there are plenty of good elementary schools in DC already and a shortage of good middle and high school options. Also, the BASIS HOS mentioned the second school could potentially share outdoor space and a gym with the current school which would be amazing regardless but more ideal with students similarly aged.
Another thought: With a BASIS elementary school feeding into the middle/high school eventually, it seems eventually less Capitol Hill families would be at BASIS because they have great convenient elementary options already… |
Anonymous
An ignorant one. The DC BASIS campus is the only one in the system that doesn't start in K. The others are some of the highest rated schools in the nation. One of the reasons they have to drill and push so hard in 5th is because they have to get kids to the BASIS standard in 5th. |
Anonymous
Why are you so confident this is some conspiracy to force kids out? Have you for even a moment considered that BASIS simply thinks that you should have to show mastery of material before you progress to the next grade/material? This is a matter of perspective. You believe that schools should cater to the bottom of the class and make all other kids suffer to show a commitment to "equity". Many parents believe that high expectations should be set and performance should meet those expectations. If that's not you then don't choose BASIS and for darn sure leave before you drown. |