Is Basis really as hard as people think?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just wanted to express my thoughts on BASIS. We recently relocated from Tucson. My DD attended BASIS for 1.5 years. BASIS is an amazing group of schools and DC is lucky to have one of them. The academics are rigorous and advanced and I was repeated astounded by the depth of information and teaching that was consistently provided to the students at that school. Prior to BASIS, I would not have fathomed that my child would succeed at Algebra, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Latin, etc. in the 6th grade. She enjoyed the school. Yes, she had a lot of homework and may have been a bit put off by the excess number of weekly tests and quizzes, but she also found that she could maintain top grades and still have plenty of time for herself.

BASIS is a tough school. It is not for everyone. Luckily, my DD was self motivated and organized, so I was very hands-off the 2nd year. It has to be a good fit for the child. If the child is not interested or motivated then it becomes a real struggle suffered by the while family.

We considered BASIS DC when moving out here but decided to go with FCPS with the consideration of possibly applying to TJ. We anticipated a significant lightening of the workload for the remainder of 6th grade but we were somewhat surprised that my DD was denied admission to the AAP program at her school, even though she clearly demonstrated ability to handle advanced academics. Now she seems kind of bored. Go figure.

Good luck to those at BASIS DC.

You could still try and get on the wait list for next year at Basis DC and relocate to DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I just wanted to express my thoughts on BASIS. We recently relocated from Tucson. My DD attended BASIS for 1.5 years. BASIS is an amazing group of schools and DC is lucky to have one of them. The academics are rigorous and advanced and I was repeated astounded by the depth of information and teaching that was consistently provided to the students at that school. Prior to BASIS, I would not have fathomed that my child would succeed at Algebra, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Latin, etc. in the 6th grade. She enjoyed the school. Yes, she had a lot of homework and may have been a bit put off by the excess number of weekly tests and quizzes, but she also found that she could maintain top grades and still have plenty of time for herself.

BASIS is a tough school. It is not for everyone. Luckily, my DD was self motivated and organized, so I was very hands-off the 2nd year. It has to be a good fit for the child. If the child is not interested or motivated then it becomes a real struggle suffered by the while family.

We considered BASIS DC when moving out here but decided to go with FCPS with the consideration of possibly applying to TJ. We anticipated a significant lightening of the workload for the remainder of 6th grade but we were somewhat surprised that my DD was denied admission to the AAP program at her school, even though she clearly demonstrated ability to handle advanced academics. Now she seems kind of bored. Go figure.

Good luck to those at BASIS DC.

Is this in some BASIS marketing material? Every single time a booster posts (and there's nothing wrong with boostering), they always have these two lines in their posts.

No, it is not marketing material. It is a fact that Basis offers a rigorous European style education. It is also a fact that not every school is going to be a good fit. For example, if I was not interested in my child being immersed in another language, then an immersion school would not be a good fit for my child. As another example, previously, a Montessori school was not good fit for our kid and we pulled him out of that school. Every kid is different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
We considered BASIS DC when moving out here but decided to go with FCPS with the consideration of possibly applying to TJ. We anticipated a significant lightening of the workload for the remainder of 6th grade but we were somewhat surprised that my DD was denied admission to the AAP program at her school, even though she clearly demonstrated ability to handle advanced academics. Now she seems kind of bored. Go figure.

Good luck to those at BASIS DC.

You could still try and get on the wait list for next year at Basis DC and relocate to DC

But if BASIS is so terrific, why bother with TJ? Because the DC program is new? And if the prep was so much stronger than even the accelerated public school norm, as the boosters claim here adnauseum, why couldn't your girl test into a gifted MS program in Fairfax? A nephew in VA tested in this year, although he's no genius, and hadn't taken biology, physics, ethics, Latin etc. beforehand. He isn't even taking algebra in 7th so he can focus on sports and music.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
We considered BASIS DC when moving out here but decided to go with FCPS with the consideration of possibly applying to TJ. We anticipated a significant lightening of the workload for the remainder of 6th grade but we were somewhat surprised that my DD was denied admission to the AAP program at her school, even though she clearly demonstrated ability to handle advanced academics. Now she seems kind of bored. Go figure.

Good luck to those at BASIS DC.

You could still try and get on the wait list for next year at Basis DC and relocate to DC

But if BASIS is so terrific, why bother with TJ? Because the DC program is new? And if the prep was so much stronger than even the accelerated public school norm, as the boosters claim here adnauseum, why couldn't your girl test into a gifted MS program in Fairfax? A nephew in VA tested in this year, although he's no genius, and hadn't taken biology, physics, ethics, Latin etc. beforehand. He isn't even taking algebra in 7th so he can focus on sports and music.





From what I understand TJ changed their admission criteria so much so that 30% of the freshmen class needed remediation this year. There was a Washington Post article on it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
We considered BASIS DC when moving out here but decided to go with FCPS with the consideration of possibly applying to TJ. We anticipated a significant lightening of the workload for the remainder of 6th grade but we were somewhat surprised that my DD was denied admission to the AAP program at her school, even though she clearly demonstrated ability to handle advanced academics. Now she seems kind of bored. Go figure.

Good luck to those at BASIS DC.

Anonymous wrote:You could still try and get on the wait list for next year at Basis DC and relocate to DC

Anonymous wrote:But if BASIS is so terrific, why bother with TJ? Because the DC program is new? And if the prep was so much stronger than even the accelerated public school norm, as the boosters claim here adnauseum, why couldn't your girl test into a gifted MS program in Fairfax? A nephew in VA tested in this year, although he's no genius, and hadn't taken biology, physics, ethics, Latin etc. beforehand. He isn't even taking algebra in 7th so he can focus on sports and music.

If BASIS strings are so unpleasant, why do you read them?

[Anonymous]

Why are people so hung up on "BASIS isn't a good fit for everyone"? Options isn't a good fit for everyone. Roots isn't a good fit for everyone. St Coletta's isn't a good fit for everyone. There are literally dozens of schools around the area that "aren't a good fit for everyone".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are people so hung up on "BASIS isn't a good fit for everyone"? Options isn't a good fit for everyone. Roots isn't a good fit for everyone. St Coletta's isn't a good fit for everyone. There are literally dozens of schools around the area that "aren't a good fit for everyone".

Because the school is frequently criticized for its academic rigor and its heavy reliance on standardized testing for student assessment, which some pejoratively refer to as "drill and kill". Academic rigor and reliance on standardized testing are fundamental to the BASIS philosophy; they are not incidental to the running of the school.

I imagine that if there were numerous threads questioning the rationale for a school with an African-centered learning environment designed to secure the connection of Mother Africa with our children, Roots parent would post that "Roots isn't a good fit for everyone" as well.

[Anonymous]

Let me say that it is not my intention to "booster" BASIS. I am just relaying our experience with the program. I think a lot of parents love the idea of what BASIS can and does achieve, but then are disappointed when they see that their child struggles to keep up. That is why I think that "It is not for everyone." Nor do I think there is any shame in realizing so. I actually applaud the parents who can admit that their child be better suited elsewhere and move them in their best interests. Several of my friends did.

BASIS is not school of geniuses. They are open enrollment. My DD is not a genius either. She just happens to pride herself in working hard and getting good grades. She just happened to be able to keep up. But I also saw how disappointing it was to her to not be awarded an honor roll spot for the grading period because she had a GPA of 94.5% and the last spot was given to the child who had a GPA of 94.8%. That, I found a bit unfair.

As I said, my DD enjoyed BASIS, but I think it was a lot of pressure for her and she was relieved to back off a bit. With a cross-country move, we were ok with giving her a break. BASIS DC just wasn't the place for us at this time, mostly because of location and housing. I'm not saying that TJ is better either. I don't know what to expect from TJ, or if we even want to pursue that route.

My DD was tested for FCPS AAP on arrival, but it appears that they decided not to place her even before the scores have been returned. But from what I gather, you don't have to be in the program to enroll is MS honors courses. So I will let her do her own thing and hopefully we'll step it up again next fall.

[Anonymous]

No, it is not marketing material. It is a fact that Basis offers a rigorous European style education. It is also a fact that not every school is going to be a good fit. For example, if I was not interested in my child being immersed in another language, then an immersion school would not be a good fit for my child. As another example, previously, a Montessori school was not good fit for our kid and we pulled him out of that school. Every kid is different.

Can we please not use the term "European style education" with reference to BASIS. It really is a meaningless concept except as a marketing buzz term. Europe doesn't have a style of education - it is a continent. As far as I can tell insofar as it means anything concrete it refers to the fact that BASIS has Latin in middle school. So just say it offers Latin in middle school. If other countries' educational models are to be referenced, it seems that BASIS provides a South Korean style education... accelerated curriculum, math-focused, content-based lectures and frequent standardized testing, especially AP in 9th-11th grade.

[Anonymous]

^^^ one thing thing Europe does that Basis has borrowed is simultaneously studying three sciences concurrently over several years. The American model has been to do earth science in 9th, biology in 10th, Chemistry in 11th and on. Another thing Europe does is direct . students into academic schools and technical schools according to interest and ability. Not as much in the USA. Everyone is college bound.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, it is not marketing material. It is a fact that Basis offers a rigorous European style education. It is also a fact that not every school is going to be a good fit. For example, if I was not interested in my child being immersed in another language, then an immersion school would not be a good fit for my child. As another example, previously, a Montessori school was not good fit for our kid and we pulled him out of that school. Every kid is different.

Anonymous wrote:Can we please not use the term "European style education" with reference to BASIS. It really is a meaningless concept except as a marketing buzz term. Europe doesn't have a style of education - it is a continent. As far as I can tell insofar as it means anything concrete it refers to the fact that BASIS has Latin in middle school. So just say it offers Latin in middle school. If other countries' educational models are to be referenced, it seems that BASIS provides a South Korean style education... accelerated curriculum, math-focused, content-based lectures and frequent standardized testing, especially AP in 9th-11th grade.

Middle School: European Style

School improvement is a hot topic and the European model is often debated. Massachusetts has a Gr. 6-12 school run on the European model. How is this different?

Julia Sigalovsky, Russian-born and educated, founded the Advanced Math and Science Academy (AMSA) in Marlborough, Massachusetts. This year, the 2005-2006 school year, was the opening year for the public-funded and privately-run Gr. 6-12 charter school.

What Are The Expectations?

The academy's goal is to bring the type of high quality education typically available only at exclusive private schools to the public school setting where children of diverse backgrounds can have access to it.

There is an expectation that every student will become an advanced student. The academy's innovative educational approach will ensure that students previously considered "not capable" or "underachievers" will reach a level of knowledge that is currently considered reachable by only a few talented students. "Middle achievers" will find themselves enthusiastic, engaged, and passionate about learning. Those who are chronically under-challenged and bored will thrive.

How Is This School Different?

•The content and skills of the major academic subjects will be taught before students are asked to integrate ideas across the disciplines. The Academy's curriculum, starting in grade 6, will be taught in three separate subjects: physics, chemistry, and biology. Social studies will be taught in two separate subjects: history and geography. English language arts will be divided into English language and literature.

•The courses will emphasize theory, and move from general concepts to concrete ones. The study focuses on the foundational principles and laws of the academic disciplines that are designed to explore the world and universe as fundamentally more interesting and useful to students.

•The curriculum will provide multi-year exposure to all subjects rather than one-year courses. The students will be taught each subject slowly, deeply and for many years to achieve rigorous mastery of every major subject, beginning in the 6th and 7th grade and finishing in the 11th grade. 12th grade curriculum is research projects.

•The curriculum will have a linear structure: the concepts will gradually progress from simple to more complicated ones. Each new concept will be reinforced through practice and exercises in class work and homework.

•All students will take the same sequence of academic subjects, maximizing opportunities for academic success. To address the needs of slow-pacers and the "forgotten-gifted", the Academy will offer several performance-based levels for each topic taught in subjects in which the level of preparedness and ability are expected to vary the most. The Academy will develop separate instructional plans for groups of children working at similar performance levels within the same classroom.

http://suite101.com/article/middle-school--european-style-a2904

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, it is not marketing material. It is a fact that Basis offers a rigorous European style education. It is also a fact that not every school is going to be a good fit. For example, if I was not interested in my child being immersed in another language, then an immersion school would not be a good fit for my child. As another example, previously, a Montessori school was not good fit for our kid and we pulled him out of that school. Every kid is different.

Anonymous wrote:Can we please not use the term "European style education" with reference to BASIS. It really is a meaningless concept except as a marketing buzz term. Europe doesn't have a style of education - it is a continent. As far as I can tell insofar as it means anything concrete it refers to the fact that BASIS has Latin in middle school. So just say it offers Latin in middle school. If other countries' educational models are to be referenced, it seems that BASIS provides a South Korean style education... accelerated curriculum, math-focused, content-based lectures and frequent standardized testing, especially AP in 9th-11th grade.

Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Advanced Math & Science Academy Charter School

Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School is a charter school founded in 2005. It is located at 201 Forest Street in Marlborough, Massachusetts, U.S., in a few remodeled office building. The school is widely recognized for its academic achievements, consistently scoring in the highest percentile among Massachusetts schools in the English, math and science MCAS exams.

As a charter school, AMSACS receives funding from school districts in which its students reside. According to the Massachusetts Department of Education, $69,669,262 ($10,270 per pupil) will be withdrawn from the local aid accounts of sending towns to fund the school. Students and their families have no direct costs other than uniforms and the fees for extra activities that have become common among most of Massachusetts' public schools. Admission includes completing an application, attending an open house, and taking math and language arts tests that are solely used to determine placement in the right level of classes. Preference for the limited spaces is given first to siblings of current students regardless of residence, then to residents of Marlborough, Hudson, Clinton, and Maynard, and finally to any resident of Massachusetts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^ one thing thing Europe does that Basis has borrowed is simultaneously studying three sciences concurrently over several years. The American model has been to do earth science in 9th, biology in 10th, Chemistry in 11th and on. Another thing Europe does is direct . students into academic schools and technical schools according to interest and ability. Not as much in the USA. Everyone is college bound.

And what European style teaching also means (I'm speaking for German, France, and Spain in particular) is a lot of lecturing, desks facing to the teacher with little interaction than a one-way street from the teacher to the student. There is little opportunity and no expectation to engage actively in the learning process. I have no clue what teaching looks like at Basis but if that's the kind of "European style teaching that is meant", then, as someone who downright suffered in those classrooms, that's not what I'd like for my child.
Those students of course still do a lot better by international standards because you won't find the same degree of poverty in any of those countries and because students are "sorted" into ability groups after about 5th or 6th grade, with often only the advanced ones closely examined and reported about in international reports (speaking of comparing apples to apples).

[Anonymous]

"European style" is really just a generalization and not really a "marketing term" - I grew up in Germany, and the type of program and structure at BASIS is more reminiscent of German academic schools (typically called 'Gymnasium') as opposed to typical American schools. We had a lot more science early on, just as BASIS provides - and a lot more focus on math, together with a strong emphasis on things like classics and literature, as BASIS does. I believe Olga Block is Czech, and they have a similar type of system for their academic track as the Germans, that's the type of model they are following.

[Anonymous]

Wish I could remember the exact quote (and maybe I COULD if I'd gone to Basis!), but Einstein said the problem with education "today" is that children are expected to learn what they are told by the teacher to be true, instead of what they have discovered or concluded through their own observation and contemplation. I hope there is room for that at Basis (and there may well be - I'm not informed)!