The Flogging of Basis

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gosh, why doesn’t BASIS serve many kids with 504s/IEPs?

Who knows? But our current charter has essentially become entirely focused the need of those kids to the detriment of overall atmosphere. Maybe Basis can do more here, but it’s nice to finally have space where every move doesn’t need to be calibrated around how “Thomas” might react.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not that anyone cares, but one thing I haven’t seen discussed when people cite the high BASIS attrition rate as conclusive proof that the school is terrible is how much of that is mainly a function of their no-backfill policy. Even setting aside that any given school will be a poor fit for some kids who will move to other schools in DC, the rates at which people leave DC altogether each year are high enough that any school that does not backfill would expect to have their student population cut in half over 8 years. The current senior class numbers reflect both normal attrition and pandemic moves, which were significant. You don’t see similar attrition rates at other schools because the students leaving are obscured in the enrollment numbers by the new ones that move in. With all of the federal layoffs this year, I suspect the numbers of kids departing will be even higher between this school year and next. And I have no doubt the DCUM crowd will point to that as evidence that parents are waking up to how bad the school is. Yes, there are kids who fail and leave after not being promoted. Yes there are kids who leave for other schools for all sorts of reasons, including valid criticisms of the school and BASIS model, but unless you are comparing schools based on actual rates of students leaving rather than net enrollment numbers, the comparison tells you nothing.

The refusal to backfill is 100% the reason people get annoyed with BASIS. If the school backfilled, then I don't think people would criticize it at all. Of course, BASIS and its supporters will explain that backfilling would ruin the school. Because then the school would have to educate kids coming in via the lottery at any grade, and apparently BASIS is incapable of educating a child who has not been educated "the BASIS way" since 5th grade.

Compare to Latin, which is also a sought after lottery get for MS and HS, but does backfill (and has lower attrition). Latin still maintains high standards and high achieving students at Latin receive challenging instruction and opportunities via the IB program. But it does this while also operating like a non-application public school, which is what it is, and adding students in later grades when it has room. DCI also does this.

BASIS wants to pick their students without actually being an application school (because DC doesn't permit charters to be application schools). So it does an end-run around this by being a lottery school, having internal policies that heavily discourage any kid who isn't working above grade level in math from continuing, and then refusing to backfill in upper grades. They are cheating the system. That's what people don't like.

Every single other BASIS school backfills. The only thing kids need to do is pass (not a high pass, mind you. Like a 60%) the math and english comp for the previous grade. This holds entering BASIS students to the exact same standard as any current ones. If a kid lotteries in for 8th grade but doesn't pass the 7th grade comps, they still have a spot at BASIS. They will just have to enroll in 7th grade rather than 8th. There's even wiggle room for parents to push their kids into the higher grade. The main goal for all of the other BASIS schools is not to set kids up for failure. The schools offer a lot of free tutoring and student hours, so there is a lot of time for struggling kids to get help. But, if a kid lacks the basic skills for a grade level, then the extra tutoring is not likely to be enough.

DC laws don't let BASIS DC administer any kind of test for kids entering in the upper grades. That's why they don't backfill.

Right, everyone knows why. They don't want to do the work of dealing with kids who are below grade level, and they don't want it to bring down their test scores. Other schools are willing to do the work and take the hit. BASIS is not. We agree on this.

What irritates people about BASIS is the constant claims of "success" and being "#1" when the comparison to other schools is not apples-to-apples. It's disingenuous and therefore annoying.

But it isn't about not wanting to do the work. Basis is a small school, and they can't offer tons of different levels. Aside from electives, all 7th graders take the same courses. This is true at almost any very small private or charter. At Basis, 7th grade math is Algebra I. The Basis teachers and student tutors will work their tails off to help kids pass algebra. But, if a kid enters who is woefully unprepared for Algebra, there's only so much the teachers can do. They can support kids in the existing classes, but they don't have the resources to add a bunch of new class levels for kids who are unready for the ones offered at basis.

Oh FFS no it isn't. There are lots of middle schools close to BASIS in size that do this. Such as DCPS' smaller middle schools, and ITDS and Two Rivers. Because offering different levels and working with kids of different abilities doesn't have to require a separate room. It's just a different group. And other schools don't seem to find it so hard.

I don't think "BASIS is a small school" is a good argument here. It's more that the structure of the classes is rigid and doesn't allow for that kind of differentiation. Which is fine with me, to be clear, we are very happy there and my kid is succeeding at the academics and still a joyful person. But I do think their class curriculum structures are very rigid and uniform throughout the whole BASIS franchise. You are opting in to a very set curriculum when you chose it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child was at a spanish immersion school in elementary. It was not for everyone. We got a lot out of it, but it missed a lot also. Mostly, it missed academic rigor, which my child craved. I spent the elementary years supplementing the education myself as the school time was mostly used for disciplinary actions. There was absolutely no accountability and very little learning outside of the language.

I researched a lot before deciding on Basis. I knew that the decision might ostracize us socially to a degree. But it kept seeming like it was right for my child.

The first year was rough. We cut out everything. I'm not sure how the rest of the experience would have gone if we didn't fully dedicate ourselves to the executive functioning lessons of the 5th grade. They teach accountability fast. Some parents try to protect their kids from those lessons.
Those kids will obviously not do well there.

It isn't a perfect school, as everyone knows. But sending my child there was one of the absolute best decisions of my life. The amount of self-sufficiency and comradery that they have learned is astounding to me. My child - and my childs' friends - are prepared for college and for life. We can debate the pros and cons, but I will always think it was an incredible opportunity.

They don't spend more per kid than other schools, they just put more responsibility on the kids themselves to learn. For me that was an absolute plus that is missing in so many other places. My child is leaving completely self-sufficient, understanding that you are responsible for your own learning. I'm very thankful that we had that opportunity, and I hope the culture changes so that others can again value those goals and include them at every level of learning.

They actually spend less per kid, because they receive less per kid, because the city funding formula provides more for kids with special needs and BASIS doesn't have a very high percentage of such kids.

I never understand why "I like BASIS for my specific kid" is relevant as a rebuttal to the points made in this thread.

Because if Basis works for a significant critical mass of kids, which it does, it’s doing its job. It doesn’t need to work for everyone. Basis might have obligations towards high-needs kids that enroll, but such supports need not guarantee academic success.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gosh, why doesn’t BASIS serve many kids with 504s/IEPs?

This is not actually true. There are a lot of kids receiving accommodations at the school. Charters all receive less money per student than DCPS because of how budgets work for facilities in DCPS, which gives those schools extra funding sources for, eg, infrastructure improvements that charters must fund from per-student funding or fundraising efforts. The laws are also not well equipped to deal with specialized education. They have to provide accommodations to allow access to education, but for services and IEP goals, academic goals in IEPs in DC are based on general district-wide education standards. So if your child is meeting those standards, which are lower than BASIS standards, they are getting the education mandated by the law and the IEP would not be able to include advanced academic goals. It’s not how it should be, but it is how the law works. Kids in language immersion public schools do not get specialized services to improve their performance in that language for the same reason. The IEP system is not well tailored to the charter school model, because the standards the law requires them to help your child meet are the general standards, which charters by their nature depart from.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The beautiful thing about charter schools and having school choice is that no one is forcing anyone to attend Basis. If you don't want what Basis is offering or feel like the school wouldn't be a good fit, then you can opt to attend a different school. People who want Basis can try to lottery in. Those who don't can attend other schools. Everyone wins!

Ok then stop with starting tiring threads like this one and the one the other week touting Basis is the best, etc…. because it isn’t and works for only a very narrow, small segment of kids who can tolerate a very rigid curriculum.

It’s like saying I’m the best when you are not and getting surprised when others counter why it’s not true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The beautiful thing about charter schools and having school choice is that no one is forcing anyone to attend Basis. If you don't want what Basis is offering or feel like the school wouldn't be a good fit, then you can opt to attend a different school. People who want Basis can try to lottery in. Those who don't can attend other schools. Everyone wins!

Ok then stop with starting tiring threads like this one and the one the other week touting Basis is the best, etc…. because it isn’t and works for only a very narrow, small segment of kids who can tolerate a very rigid curriculum.

It’s like saying I’m the best when you are not and getting surprised when others counter why it’s not true.

Why should that “narrow” segment be denied a school program that works for them? To the extent a kid needs a low demand middle or high school, that describes most other schools in DC. Pick one of those —- unless what you want is to be ensconced in the UMC cocoon that Basis provides w/o academic rigor, which just strikes me as entitled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child was at a spanish immersion school in elementary. It was not for everyone. We got a lot out of it, but it missed a lot also. Mostly, it missed academic rigor, which my child craved. I spent the elementary years supplementing the education myself as the school time was mostly used for disciplinary actions. There was absolutely no accountability and very little learning outside of the language.

I researched a lot before deciding on Basis. I knew that the decision might ostracize us socially to a degree. But it kept seeming like it was right for my child.

The first year was rough. We cut out everything. I'm not sure how the rest of the experience would have gone if we didn't fully dedicate ourselves to the executive functioning lessons of the 5th grade. They teach accountability fast. Some parents try to protect their kids from those lessons.
Those kids will obviously not do well there.

It isn't a perfect school, as everyone knows. But sending my child there was one of the absolute best decisions of my life. The amount of self-sufficiency and comradery that they have learned is astounding to me. My child - and my childs' friends - are prepared for college and for life. We can debate the pros and cons, but I will always think it was an incredible opportunity.

They don't spend more per kid than other schools, they just put more responsibility on the kids themselves to learn. For me that was an absolute plus that is missing in so many other places. My child is leaving completely self-sufficient, understanding that you are responsible for your own learning. I'm very thankful that we had that opportunity, and I hope the culture changes so that others can again value those goals and include them at every level of learning.

I really love hearing this! I also feel so grateful to have BASIS as an option for my kids and am amazed by how much they learn, and how much ownership they take over their academic life. I've been really touched by all the college decisions coming in, and seeing all these kids find their niche and land at great schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The beautiful thing about charter schools and having school choice is that no one is forcing anyone to attend Basis. If you don't want what Basis is offering or feel like the school wouldn't be a good fit, then you can opt to attend a different school. People who want Basis can try to lottery in. Those who don't can attend other schools. Everyone wins!

Ok then stop with starting tiring threads like this one and the one the other week touting Basis is the best, etc…. because it isn’t and works for only a very narrow, small segment of kids who can tolerate a very rigid curriculum.

It’s like saying I’m the best when you are not and getting surprised when others counter why it’s not true.

I'm the previously quoted PP, and I haven't started any threads about Basis exceptionalism. I honestly think comparing school rankings or standardized test scores is pointless, since you're never comparing apples to apples. The only meaningful metric would be if Basis kids made drastic improvements by 6th or 7th grade compared with their levels in 4th grade. Basis serves its niche population well, which is more than many charter schools can say. I'm glad that it's a choice on the table for people who value strong academics and think the school will be a good fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The beautiful thing about charter schools and having school choice is that no one is forcing anyone to attend Basis. If you don't want what Basis is offering or feel like the school wouldn't be a good fit, then you can opt to attend a different school. People who want Basis can try to lottery in. Those who don't can attend other schools. Everyone wins!

Everybody wins? Absurd. It's a lousy system. You get loads of parents beating down the door to gain access to the one middle school EotP offering real STEM rigor with a side-helping of seriously crappy facilities, minimal enrichment, almost nothing in the way of performing arts, tin-earned admins and a McCurriculum that doesn't respect or reward individual achievement outside math.

We'd obviously be much better off with strong neighborhood middle schools like our near neighbors, MoCo, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun. An Alice Deal for all wouldn't be so bad either.

[Anonymous]

+1000.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The beautiful thing about charter schools and having school choice is that no one is forcing anyone to attend Basis. If you don't want what Basis is offering or feel like the school wouldn't be a good fit, then you can opt to attend a different school. People who want Basis can try to lottery in. Those who don't can attend other schools. Everyone wins!

Everybody wins? Absurd. It's a lousy system. You get loads of parents beating down the door to gain access to the one middle school EotP offering real STEM rigor with a side-helping of seriously crappy facilities, minimal enrichment, almost nothing in the way of performing arts, tin-earned admins and a McCurriculum that doesn't respect or reward individual achievement outside math.

We'd obviously be much better off with strong neighborhood middle schools like our near neighbors, MoCo, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun. An Alice Deal for all wouldn't be so bad either.

That’s easier to do when you have the space to have a large school. If you have one middle school for all of Capitol Hill, as was said before, then you’d have a school similar to Deal.

[Anonymous]

We have space for a large school on the Hill. The Eliot-Hine campus would have worked with a large addition. The planning and commitment just hasn't been there for decades now. There's no political accountability on the issue. What we get instead is a drip-feed of half-baked charters and neighborhood middle school options with decent math alone to placate UMC voters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The beautiful thing about charter schools and having school choice is that no one is forcing anyone to attend Basis. If you don't want what Basis is offering or feel like the school wouldn't be a good fit, then you can opt to attend a different school. People who want Basis can try to lottery in. Those who don't can attend other schools. Everyone wins!

Ok then stop with starting tiring threads like this one and the one the other week touting Basis is the best, etc…. because it isn’t and works for only a very narrow, small segment of kids who can tolerate a very rigid curriculum.

It’s like saying I’m the best when you are not and getting surprised when others counter why it’s not true.

Doesn’t HYPSM only work for a small number of kids? Low-performing kids would get crushed there.