BASIS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious if/how BASIS (as a national network since it’s not decided in DC) justifies its curriculum decisions? It’s fine that they don’t prioritize foreign language just as it’s fine schools that privatize foreign language don’t priority math and science like BASIS does. Families know that when they make their choice to attend BASIS. But I’m curious how they defend their math curriculum decisions since that clearly is a subject that they do prioritize. And I’m curious about the “why” behind the foreign language set up. I think families would be more okay with the network’s decisions if they were better explained (or explained at all).

Maybe BASIS thinks linguistics helps students ultimately do better on the verbal section of the SAT? Maybe they think dividing up AB and BC calculus ensures more kids score higher on the AB part (which which reflects better on the school) or maybe it’s because they don’t know if enough students in the grade could handle calculus ABC all at once to make it worth having a class or a teacher qualified to handle that combined calculus class. I know the school doesn’t necessarily have to justify its decisions but having that insight could help people appreciate the decision or better appreciate what they are trading off. Has anyone ever had meaningful discussion about this with the BASIS powers that be?

If you are actually interested, this is pretty informative.

https://d2i2zd9axwkr7h.cloudfront.net/company/sites/142182/BASISedCurriculumDiploma.pdf

Thanks for this link. Perhaps I missed it, but I didn't see where it addresses the calculus piece.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I'm gathering from all this information is that BASIS middle school has the most challenging curriculum in DC, but the high school curriculum is limited, and that Walls and JR give students the opportunity to advance farther in the subjects that they accel in. Useful to know. I'm very happy to send our kid there for 5-8, and we can make another decision/lottery/apply in 4 years. Curious what Banneker and McKinley will offer then, too.

Don't believe everything you read. Lots of the posts above are by people who know nothing about BASIS and/or have a chip on their shoulder and/or are focusing on trivial curriculum issues.

The high school curriculum is very challenging--just like the middle school curriculum. And a lot more than Walls or J-R.

For example, just look at all the threads from BASIS parents whose kids went to Walls or J-R for high school and found the curriculum at those schools much less rigorous. And take a look at PARCC scores as well. BASIS has the highest 9th and 10th grade PARCC scores in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your kid is is in 9th grade at Walls? Don’t despair. No shortage of rigor up the chain. They teach far more APs than BASIS, encourage dual enrollment at GW and don’t enroll academic stragglers.

lol.

Actually, Walls doesn't even teach a lot of core AP courses every year--like AP Bio.

And dual enrollment is a joke except for a small fraction of the class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I'm gathering from all this information is that BASIS middle school has the most challenging curriculum in DC, but the high school curriculum is limited, and that Walls and JR give students the opportunity to advance farther in the subjects that they accel in. Useful to know. I'm very happy to send our kid there for 5-8, and we can make another decision/lottery/apply in 4 years. Curious what Banneker and McKinley will offer then, too.

Don't believe everything you read. Lots of the posts above are by people who know nothing about BASIS and/or have a chip on their shoulder and/or are focusing on trivial curriculum issues.

The high school curriculum is very challenging--just like the middle school curriculum. And a lot more than Walls or J-R.

For example, just look at all the threads from BASIS parents whose kids went to Walls or J-R for high school and found the curriculum at those schools much less rigorous. And take a look at PARCC scores as well. BASIS has the highest 9th and 10th grade PARCC scores in DC.

Simply untrue that the Walls and J-R curricula are less challenging than BASIS' across the board. For example, J-R teaches Spanish lit, a year past AP for students who scored 4-5 on AP Spanish (mostly Oyster-Adams grads). BASIS doesn't teach any language past AP. As has been pointed out, J-R also teaches Physics 1, 2 and C while BASIS only teaches Physics 1. J-R's average PARCC scores are irrelevant when your kid is taking Physics C or BC Calc. Trivial curriculum issues? Both Walls and J-R get more grads to Ivies each year than BASIS does.

[Anonymous]

Both Walls and J-R get more grads to Ivies each year than BASIS does.

Given that walls is around 3x and JR nearly 9x the size of basis, I would hope so.

[Anonymous]

If the rigor at BASIS' curriculum was truly far greater than that of Walls, nobody would get into Ivies from the latter. Walls isn't just bigger, it has a far more stable teaching force and better ECs and facilities. Most of the BASIS 8th graders who get into Walls go there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the rigor at BASIS' curriculum was truly far greater than that of Walls, nobody would get into Ivies from the latter. Walls isn't just bigger, it has a far more stable teaching force and better ECs and facilities. Most of the BASIS 8th graders who get into Walls go there.

Do.they? My kids both got into walls and elected to stay. We know a couple that left but not sure it's most of the..

[Anonymous]

I thought Walls also lacked facilities for sports and that families were disappointed that they didn’t have access to the GW amenities the way the school used to have. I also thought students don’t even have lockers at Walls. I get that the amenities might be better in some ways than at BASIS (that’s not tough) but I haven’t gotten the impression the facilities at Walls are anywhere close to ideal…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious if/how BASIS (as a national network since it’s not decided in DC) justifies its curriculum decisions? It’s fine that they don’t prioritize foreign language just as it’s fine schools that privatize foreign language don’t priority math and science like BASIS does. Families know that when they make their choice to attend BASIS. But I’m curious how they defend their math curriculum decisions since that clearly is a subject that they do prioritize. And I’m curious about the “why” behind the foreign language set up. I think families would be more okay with the network’s decisions if they were better explained (or explained at all).

Maybe BASIS thinks linguistics helps students ultimately do better on the verbal section of the SAT? Maybe they think dividing up AB and BC calculus ensures more kids score higher on the AB part (which which reflects better on the school) or maybe it’s because they don’t know if enough students in the grade could handle calculus ABC all at once to make it worth having a class or a teacher qualified to handle that combined calculus class. I know the school doesn’t necessarily have to justify its decisions but having that insight could help people appreciate the decision or better appreciate what they are trading off. Has anyone ever had meaningful discussion about this with the BASIS powers that be?

The bolded is the reason.

[Anonymous]

Can BASIS students test into AP Calc BC without taking AP Calc AB? The have test-in math acceleration opportunities throughout MS and HS, and I'd be surprised if there wasn't one for this as well.

Can someone give context to BASIS only offering one AP Physics course when there are 4, after starting students on physics so early in MS (6th grade)?

How many kids do take/pass the other ones at JR and Walls? At privates?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious if/how BASIS (as a national network since it’s not decided in DC) justifies its curriculum decisions? It’s fine that they don’t prioritize foreign language just as it’s fine schools that privatize foreign language don’t priority math and science like BASIS does. Families know that when they make their choice to attend BASIS. But I’m curious how they defend their math curriculum decisions since that clearly is a subject that they do prioritize. And I’m curious about the “why” behind the foreign language set up. I think families would be more okay with the network’s decisions if they were better explained (or explained at all).

Maybe BASIS thinks linguistics helps students ultimately do better on the verbal section of the SAT? Maybe they think dividing up AB and BC calculus ensures more kids score higher on the AB part (which which reflects better on the school) or maybe it’s because they don’t know if enough students in the grade could handle calculus ABC all at once to make it worth having a class or a teacher qualified to handle that combined calculus class. I know the school doesn’t necessarily have to justify its decisions but having that insight could help people appreciate the decision or better appreciate what they are trading off. Has anyone ever had meaningful discussion about this with the BASIS powers that be?

The bolded is the reason.

You must not have had a kid in the BASIS HS yet. Meaningful discussions with the powers that be aren't an option. It's their way or the highway on calc sequencing and that of every other subject ("You knew what the options were when you signed up.") I don't think that their sequencing has been thought through or reflects better on the school. I think it helps train their young HS math teachers though. What does is limits the math choices, including STEM research and application, of their strongest quantitative students. We're very unusual in that we bailed for a private after 10th grade, after having woken up to the reality that the franchise isn't headed up by educators. The Blocks of Arizona are entrepreneurs, vs. teachers or ed policy wonks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can BASIS students test into AP Calc BC without taking AP Calc AB? The have test-in math acceleration opportunities throughout MS and HS, and I'd be surprised if there wasn't one for this as well.

Can someone give context to BASIS only offering one AP Physics course when there are 4, after starting students on physics so early in MS (6th grade)?

How many kids do take/pass the other ones at JR and Walls? At privates?

No, they can't. We asked. BASIS lost a fine HS Physics teacher to DCPS two years ago. Middle school physics instruction isn't as strong as chem or bio instruction and they don't have the facilities for serious high school robotics or engineering work to motivate top kids to get serious about physics. J-R offers in the strongest physics instruction in DC public by a long shot, with at least a dozen students taking Physics 2 and the two Physics Cs every year. Not sure about physics at privates in general but I know that St. Albans and Sidwell offer all four.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious if/how BASIS (as a national network since it’s not decided in DC) justifies its curriculum decisions? It’s fine that they don’t prioritize foreign language just as it’s fine schools that privatize foreign language don’t priority math and science like BASIS does. Families know that when they make their choice to attend BASIS. But I’m curious how they defend their math curriculum decisions since that clearly is a subject that they do prioritize. And I’m curious about the “why” behind the foreign language set up. I think families would be more okay with the network’s decisions if they were better explained (or explained at all).

Maybe BASIS thinks linguistics helps students ultimately do better on the verbal section of the SAT? Maybe they think dividing up AB and BC calculus ensures more kids score higher on the AB part (which which reflects better on the school) or maybe it’s because they don’t know if enough students in the grade could handle calculus ABC all at once to make it worth having a class or a teacher qualified to handle that combined calculus class. I know the school doesn’t necessarily have to justify its decisions but having that insight could help people appreciate the decision or better appreciate what they are trading off. Has anyone ever had meaningful discussion about this with the BASIS powers that be?

The bolded is the reason.

You must not have had a kid in the BASIS HS yet. Meaningful discussions with the powers that be aren't an option. It's their way or the highway on calc sequencing and that of every other subject ("You knew what the options were when you signed up.") I don't think that their sequencing has been thought through or reflects better on the school. I think it helps train their young HS math teachers though. What does is limits the math choices, including STEM research and application, of their strongest quantitative students. We're very unusual in that we bailed for a private after 10th grade, after having woken up to the reality that the franchise isn't headed up by educators. The Blocks of Arizona are entrepreneurs, vs. teachers or ed policy wonks.

Would you be willing to share what private you ended up at and how it worked with course placement?

[Anonymous]

Small boys school in NE; you can guess which. Kid had to take four 90-min subject placement tests. BASIS prep was adequate. School has few or no 10th grade spots so we were lucky to land there despite the cost. Kid had to adjust to a v. different culture where weeks-long research projects, hands-on group work, volunteer gigs,ethics training and team building are the norm.

[Anonymous]

SAAS?

No thanks.