BASIS attrition after middle school- why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The lower retention from 6th to 7th grade is likely because 6th grade is the first year of comprehensive exams. 5th grade is relatively easy and usually a great year at BASIS for many kids without the greater pressures of the later years. Families probably don’t anticipate their student doing poorly on the comprehensives and then when it happens in 6th grade, and they face the prospect of repeating a grade, they switch out for 7th grade. BASIS did accept three new 7th grade students this year seemingly because of that larger attrition from 6th to 7th grade.

But don't they get their comps results after the lottery closes?

[Anonymous]

Students take both mock pre-comps and pre-comps midway through 6th grade. Families may very well enter the lottery by the deadline after seeing their student’s performance on these preliminary tests if they indicate the student is not likely to pass the important end-of-year comprehensive exam. Also, even if students don’t enter the lottery by the original deadline (because they don’t initially anticipate leaving after 6th grade), they can leave BASIS to attend their in-bounds middle school at any time without worrying about the lottery, or do a post-lottery application or move.

[Anonymous]

It does not necessarily have to be the results. Some families might dislike the increased 6th grade workload enough to enter the lottery or a particular child might inexplicably develop a lot of anxiety/stress associated with the test etc. Agree that some of the departures after 5th and 6th grade may be for an in-bound middle school.

[Anonymous]

Disagree. The lower retention from 6th to 7th grade is attributable to a critical mass of families having had enough of BASIS’ very real shortcomings two years in. Sixth grade just isn’t a happy experience for a good many of the kids, weak and strong students alike. My main complaint in 6th grade was weak classroom management on the part of several rookie teachers. Their rowdy classes were a real drag. One teacher even cried in front of a class, begging them to settle down. When admins denied the problems our eyes were opened to what kind of management to expect for up to six more years. We had the dough to leave, so we did. We weren’t alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The reality is that Basis takes 130ish kids in 5th grade, and by 12th grade is left with 40. that means 90 kids/families are leaving over the years -- a full 70%.

That attrition is actually crazy, and is a huge outlier. There is simply no other school in DC that is losing kids like that.

There are lots of schools in DC that lose kids like that. It’s just that those schools open seats every year to backfill all the kids they lose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your post is hard to follow. We left BASIS for a suburban school in 9th grade without telling DC public where we were going. Easily done.

When you leave and don't enroll withing DCPS/PCS you show up in "Not in Audit". You seem a scary combination of ignorant and condescending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok, so I think using enrollment audit data and the Edscape graphic here is what I pulled together.

In SY 21-22, BASIS had 129 5th graders. 115 continued to 6th grade at BASIS for SY 22-23. 89% retention.

Of 115 6th graders in SY 21-22 (it's just a coincidence that it's 115 here and also above, they aren't the same kids), 89 continued to 7th grade at BASIS for SY 22-23. 77% retention.

Of 100 7th graders, 85 continued to 8th at BASIS. 85%.

Of 92 8th graders, 78 continued to 9th at BASIS. 85%.

Of 53 9th graders, 50 continued to 10th at BASIS. 94%.

Of 65 10th graders, 63 continued to 11th-- 97%.

Of 44 11th graders, 42 continued to 12th-- 95%.

It's so interesting that the retention of 6th graders into 7th is the lowest, I was thinking 5th into 6th would be low because that's an entry year for Deal, Hardy, and Stuart-Hobson.

So, wherever you are pulling the data, the list of transfer destinations for departing 6th graders might be interesting. Lottery options seem slim for 7th grade, which could mean more tried to leave than succeeded. It would make sense for returning to home pattern to be a decent percentage since that's by right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok, so I think using enrollment audit data and the Edscape graphic here is what I pulled together.

In SY 21-22, BASIS had 129 5th graders. 115 continued to 6th grade at BASIS for SY 22-23. 89% retention.

Of 115 6th graders in SY 21-22 (it's just a coincidence that it's 115 here and also above, they aren't the same kids), 89 continued to 7th grade at BASIS for SY 22-23. 77% retention.

Of 100 7th graders, 85 continued to 8th at BASIS. 85%.

Of 92 8th graders, 78 continued to 9th at BASIS. 85%.

Of 53 9th graders, 50 continued to 10th at BASIS. 94%.

Of 65 10th graders, 63 continued to 11th-- 97%.

Of 44 11th graders, 42 continued to 12th-- 95%.

It's so interesting that the retention of 6th graders into 7th is the lowest, I was thinking 5th into 6th would be low because that's an entry year for Deal, Hardy, and Stuart-Hobson.

So, wherever you are pulling the data, the list of transfer destinations for departing 6th graders might be interesting. Lottery options seem slim for 7th grade, which could mean more tried to leave than succeeded. It would make sense for returning to home pattern to be a decent percentage since that's by right.

Good point. It's kind of striking that 26 kids managed to leave after 6th despite the 7th grade lottery being not very favorable.

The data is from here: https://edscape.dc.gov/page/student-enrollment-pathways Scroll down to the second graphic and be sure to select Forward View. Of course, it's only one year of data and it's likely different year to year. The difficulty is you don't know how many went to a certain school if the number is less than 10. I used the OSSE enrollment audit data to get a total class size as of the October enrollment audit, and then compared that to the number of kids continuing on at BASIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your post is hard to follow. We left BASIS for a suburban school in 9th grade without telling DC public where we were going. Easily done.

When you leave and don't enroll withing DCPS/PCS you show up in "Not in Audit". You seem a scary combination of ignorant and condescending.

I’m not the person you’re lashing out at but I can tell you that the data on leaving BASIS for other DC public options doesn’t always provide a full picture. Take a BASIS student we know who left after 6th, allegedly for Stuart Hobson. The parents enrolled her in a DCPS program with no intention of sending her there. They didn’t want community flak for their true plan, to homeschool her for 7th. We know another family that left BASIS after 7th for Hardy, only to leave a week in after they got off a WL at a private. Hint: enrolling in by-right public schools is free and v. easy to do if you have an IB address.

[Anonymous]

The data is reasonably clear that an unspecified number of 5th, 6th, and 7th graders leave Basis each year for both DCPS middle schools and other options.

[Anonymous]

OK, but the data has been used on this thread and others to make the case that almost all the middle schoolers bailing from BASIS leave for weaker DCPS programs because they can't handle BASIS rigor. I'd wager that roughly half of those who leave do so because they can't in fact cope with the curriculum. The other half leaves for greener pastures, better teaching, better facilities, better ECs, a happier environment. Any honest and astute BASIS parent of at least two or three years can spot the trend. Simply put, if you can leave on good form, you leave.

[Anonymous]

Honest and astute BASIS parents make their decision to leave or to stay based on what is best for their child. Just like honest and astute parents everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Some parents seem quite happy to ignore how their children fail to thrive at BASIS. They don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, presumably to cling to their hip row houses-dwelling lives downtown.

I've seen this story play out many times, particularly with Ward 6 families with multiple siblings at BASIS.

We need far better public middle school options in this city. We don't get them because city pols come under little pressure to deliver them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your post is hard to follow. We left BASIS for a suburban school in 9th grade without telling DC public where we were going. Easily done.

When you leave and don't enroll withing DCPS/PCS you show up in "Not in Audit". You seem a scary combination of ignorant and condescending.

I’m not the person you’re lashing out at but I can tell you that the data on leaving BASIS for other DC public options doesn’t always provide a full picture. Take a BASIS student we know who left after 6th, allegedly for Stuart Hobson. The parents enrolled her in a DCPS program with no intention of sending her there. They didn’t want community flak for their true plan, to homeschool her for 7th. We know another family that left BASIS after 7th for Hardy, only to leave a week in after they got off a WL at a private. Hint: enrolling in by-right public schools is free and v. easy to do if you have an IB address.

I think the audited enrollment data in edscape and elsewhere is reporting students who were enrolled in the next school on count day which is in October. Those students may have just registered and then left but they aren't counted if they leave before the October count. At least in the charters, they have to prove that the student has been regularly attending through count day to be counted as enrolled. I believe this is the same for DCPS.

[Anonymous]

A lot of people seem to enjoy hearing how students are leaving BASIS. Some students leave because they know Deal or JR are going to be easier than BASIS. They did the hard work at BASIS and now they are set for the rigors of DCPS.