The truth about Basis School DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Yes, I am hearing the same rumblings from other 6th grade parents. When I look at the assignments it’s clear the volume is high. Someone said the teachers should be indicating in the CJ how long the assignment should take, but they aren’t.

How long do you think it would take you to study for a unit test, complete a 30-problem math problem set, write a 4-page essay, finish 3 pages in your packet, and write a short story in one night? I appreciate the LD feedback, but I honestly don’t think that’s the issue. I think it’s an issue of volume.

Thanks to others for suggesting I raise it with the admins. Your responses make me think your experiences with them have been positive and helpful. I was also just trying to get a gauge of other experiences here.

Problem set - yes 30 per night.

But I've had 2 kids at BASIS DC since it opened and neither ever had a 4-page essay or a short story that was assigned on one day and due the next, much less 2. I actually think there were too few writing assignments, but when they had them they were always something that the students worked on for several days in class and finish up at home or over a weekend. One kid used his time in class well, the other didn't and wound up trying to cram it in.

This sounds a bit off to have a 4 page essay perfected in one night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Yes, I am hearing the same rumblings from other 6th grade parents. When I look at the assignments it’s clear the volume is high. Someone said the teachers should be indicating in the CJ how long the assignment should take, but they aren’t.

How long do you think it would take you to study for a unit test, complete a 30-problem math problem set, write a 4-page essay, finish 3 pages in your packet, and write a short story in one night? I appreciate the LD feedback, but I honestly don’t think that’s the issue. I think it’s an issue of volume.

Thanks to others for suggesting I raise it with the admins. Your responses make me think your experiences with them have been positive and helpful. I was also just trying to get a gauge of other experiences here.

Problem set - yes 30 per night.

But I've had 2 kids at BASIS DC since it opened and neither ever had a 4-page essay or a short story that was assigned on one day and due the next, much less 2. I actually think there were too few writing assignments, but when they had them they were always something that the students worked on for several days in class and finish up at home or over a weekend. One kid used his time in class well, the other didn't and wound up trying to cram it in.

The 4-page essay outline was written and approved that Friday and the essay was due on Monday. So yes, he had an outline but the essay had not been written yet.

Also, those were two separate classes. One an English essay and the other a Creative Writing story. Did your kids take the CW fine arts elective? Or are you saying that your kid never had two separate homework assignments due on the same day? Hmm...hard to believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you discussed the fact that homework is for completion, not perfection, with your child? Is you student spending the entire 3-4 hours doing only homework, I.e., not also wasting time on phone or internet?

Have you expressed this concern about load with Mrs. G?

Wow, that's a pretty bad teaching method! So just drown the kids in homework without being concerned that they do it well or correctly?

Exactly!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Yes, I am hearing the same rumblings from other 6th grade parents. When I look at the assignments it’s clear the volume is high. Someone said the teachers should be indicating in the CJ how long the assignment should take, but they aren’t.

How long do you think it would take you to study for a unit test, complete a 30-problem math problem set, write a 4-page essay, finish 3 pages in your packet, and write a short story in one night? I appreciate the LD feedback, but I honestly don’t think that’s the issue. I think it’s an issue of volume.

Thanks to others for suggesting I raise it with the admins. Your responses make me think your experiences with them have been positive and helpful. I was also just trying to get a gauge of other experiences here.

Problem set - yes 30 per night.

But I've had 2 kids at BASIS DC since it opened and neither ever had a 4-page essay or a short story that was assigned on one day and due the next, much less 2. I actually think there were too few writing assignments, but when they had them they were always something that the students worked on for several days in class and finish up at home or over a weekend. One kid used his time in class well, the other didn't and wound up trying to cram it in.

The 4-page essay outline was written and approved that Friday and the essay was due on Monday. So yes, he had an outline but the essay had not been written yet.

Also, those were two separate classes. One an English essay and the other a Creative Writing story. Did your kids take the CW fine arts elective? Or are you saying that your kid never had two separate homework assignments due on the same day? Hmm...hard to believe.

No, they didn't take the creative writing elective.

There were, of course, homework assignments due the same day. But the kids also became pretty good at speaking up and asking (whining/begging) the teachers to change the deadlines if too many big projects were due the same day. That worked too.

The electives typically have very little homework. That's by design. So that's definitely something you should be raising with them or perhaps asking for a switch to something else. Is that teacher new?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you discussed the fact that homework is for completion, not perfection, with your child? Is you student spending the entire 3-4 hours doing only homework, I.e., not also wasting time on phone or internet?

Have you expressed this concern about load with Mrs. G?

Wow, that's a pretty bad teaching method! So just drown the kids in homework without being concerned that they do it well or correctly?

Exactly!

The only class that comment applies to is math. They are supposed to do the homework, then go over errors the next day in class and correct them.

[Anonymous]

Op - my advice is to get to the worst offender teachers' parent hours asap, if you haven't already and get their side of the issue.

Tell them how long the assignments are taking your child. Ask whether any time is given in class for students to work on homework or projects, and whether your student takes advantage of that time. Ideally take your kid with you (not as a punishment, but to help them learn self advocacy).

Then go to the administration. But if you haven't engaged the teachers directly yet, do that first.

[Anonymous]

5th grade family here. I’d love to have this type of convo w other parents in my child’s class. Our elementary had a list serve and a group chat. Is there anything like this at BASIS and I’m just out of the loop?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:5th grade family here. I’d love to have this type of convo w other parents in my child’s class. Our elementary had a list serve and a group chat. Is there anything like this at BASIS and I’m just out of the loop?

There isn't a listserv, but you can get emails for every family in your kid's element via Parent Square (click on the directory link in left column) and reach out that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you discussed the fact that homework is for completion, not perfection, with your child? Is you student spending the entire 3-4 hours doing only homework, I.e., not also wasting time on phone or internet?

Have you expressed this concern about load with Mrs. G?

Wow, that's a pretty bad teaching method! So just drown the kids in homework without being concerned that they do it well or correctly?

Exactly!

The only class that comment applies to is math. They are supposed to do the homework, then go over errors the next day in class and correct them.

It is a very good method for math homework to assure mastery. The other homework is for perfection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder when this forum will have an honest conversation about Basis Charter School in DC. I’ve read through the threads, and I don’t see a lot of clear dialogue about exactly what’s happening over there. We have a 6th grader there who is drowning under the homework. Sometimes it takes him 3-4 hours a night. And he is not the only one. Anecdotally, other parents have expressed similar concerns.

The homework load is significantly heavier in 6th grade than it was in 5th. The school has not set clear parameters with the teachers around homework volume, and it seems they are not in conversation with one another. My opinion is that the teachers need better training on how to effectively teach this challenging curriculum. In theory, the school appealed to us since our son was academically unchallenged in his DCPS school. But now we are having second thoughts.

Any other Basis parents out there with concerns?

Former BASIS parent. You nailed it, PP. BASIS DC teachers come and go and teacher training is not the program's strong suit. The BASIS franchise is obviously putting far more time, effort and resources into training senior admins than teachers. Too much of the HW at BASIS is blah busy work. Curriculum wasn't sufficiently inspired or effectively implemented for us to justify the commute. We bailed for Deal, which isn't better overall but is a lot closer to home. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I do a little of my 7th grader's BASIS homework on a regular basis so they can do other things I'd much rather have him do, like chat with me about current events or watch the World Series. We "zoom review" his HW together over breakfast. If he's made a good faith effort to do all his work on a given evening but hasn't completed it by around 10 pm, I finish assignments for him so he can sleep. He's doing very well at BASIs without burning out.

I have a BA and BS from an elite college, and a PhD in a humanities subject. Maybe you need that background in a parent to polish off your BASIS HW all the time. The HW arrangement isn't good and needs reform.

[Anonymous]

Homework at BASIS doesn't really count for a large percentage of the grade each term.

The unit tests count for a lot, as do the projects / essays. Doing the math homework can surface areas of confusion, but the quizzes and tests count far more.

Sometimes my kids didn't do a routine homework assignment, or didn't sweat it being late in MS and it really was fine. They also would review for unit tests for 15-20 minutes a night for 4 or 5 days before.

[Anonymous]

At Mrs. G's talk a few weeks ago, she said that they have a large number of new teachers this year largely because the school is 40 students bigger than it has been before.

Back in the bad old days, the new teachers were the worst because they literally had no conception of how long it would take students to complete some assignments.



So a large number of teachers were hired for 40 additional students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

At Mrs. G's talk a few weeks ago, she said that they have a large number of new teachers this year largely because the school is 40 students bigger than it has been before.

Back in the bad old days, the new teachers were the worst because they literally had no conception of how long it would take students to complete some assignments.



So a large number of teachers were hired for 40 additional students?

No, a few new teachers were hired due to enrollment but the rest is the normal turnover/churn that BASIS constantly feeds

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder when this forum will have an honest conversation about Basis Charter School in DC. I’ve read through the threads, and I don’t see a lot of clear dialogue about exactly what’s happening over there. We have a 6th grader there who is drowning under the homework. Sometimes it takes him 3-4 hours a night. And he is not the only one. Anecdotally, other parents have expressed similar concerns.

The homework load is significantly heavier in 6th grade than it was in 5th. The school has not set clear parameters with the teachers around homework volume, and it seems they are not in conversation with one another. My opinion is that the teachers need better training on how to effectively teach this challenging curriculum. In theory, the school appealed to us since our son was academically unchallenged in his DCPS school. But now we are having second thoughts.

Any other Basis parents out there with concerns?

Former BASIS parent. You nailed it, PP. BASIS DC teachers come and go and teacher training is not the program's strong suit. The BASIS franchise is obviously putting far more time, effort and resources into training senior admins than teachers. Too much of the HW at BASIS is blah busy work. Curriculum wasn't sufficiently inspired or effectively implemented for us to justify the commute. We bailed for Deal, which isn't better overall but is a lot closer to home. Good luck.

We are no longer at the school but BASISDC has damaged and can still cause psychological and emotional damage to students. If you have a kid who does not have too many interests outside of the the school and absolutely needs to be in a very small setting, then stay at BASIS. However be careful and do not disregard the signs of abuse. Years ago, a former BASIS teacher said that one needs to have no scruples to be able to function at the school. He also correctly predicted terminations and promotions.