Moving to Basis from dual language school

[Anonymous]

BASIS certainly doesn't have to be everything for ambitious families in unusual situations asking no more than a little flexibility on curriculum at no expense to BASIS.

Not impressed with a program where admins actively deter families from enrolling, and encourage them to leave, for shooting for academic excellence in a knowledge area BASIS doesn't value: bilingualism and biliteracy in a major world language in the teenage years.

How would it hurt BASIS if it was educating kids who could score 5s on an AP language test in 8th or 9th grade, with parents paying for the acceleration to get these results? It wouldn't. From BASIS' perspective, the danger is that parents would emerge as stakeholders worth involving in policy decisions.

[Anonymous]

We were in your same position, and our daughter is now in her second year at Basis. I have not regretted it for a minute. She is absolutely thriving, and every day tells me how happy she is. She no longer studies Spanish so we try to do a couple trips a year to keep it up. But Latin is by far her favorite subject, math second. Although there aren’t a ton of extracurriculars, she actually does one almost every day between cross country and the somewhat hapless but still amusing drama activities. We have tons of friends at DCI, and it is very clear this was the right decision for us. Then again, this is not the school for everyone. But if your kid loves it, they love it. And, they can get a great education, even if not concentrated in the language that they studied (in our case to the detriment of every other subject) for so many years.

[Anonymous]

To 12:30 - please please please start your own school because you have many ideas about how it can and should be done. Or maybe apply for the open BASIS DC HOS position.

PPs, whose kid(s) attend or have attended have provided honest feedback (not all positive) about leaving dual language for BASIS, which is what OP asked for. Chiming in about how you think the program should be run is not only off topic but you do it on every thread. You don’t think much of the program - we got it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BASIS certainly doesn't have to be everything for ambitious families in unusual situations asking no more than a little flexibility on curriculum at no expense to BASIS.

Not impressed with a program where admins actively deter families from enrolling, and encourage them to leave, for shooting for academic excellence in a knowledge area BASIS doesn't value: bilingualism and biliteracy in a major world language in the teenage years.

How would it hurt BASIS if it was educating kids who could score 5s on an AP language test in 8th or 9th grade, with parents paying for the acceleration to get these results? It wouldn't. From BASIS' perspective, the danger is that parents would emerge as stakeholders worth involving in policy decisions.

They don’t want to have to administer all that flexibility. I can see why it would be a PITA to manage a school where all the kids were off doing their own thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were in your same position, and our daughter is now in her second year at Basis. I have not regretted it for a minute. She is absolutely thriving, and every day tells me how happy she is. She no longer studies Spanish so we try to do a couple trips a year to keep it up. But Latin is by far her favorite subject, math second. Although there aren’t a ton of extracurriculars, she actually does one almost every day between cross country and the somewhat hapless but still amusing drama activities. We have tons of friends at DCI, and it is very clear this was the right decision for us. Then again, this is not the school for everyone. But if your kid loves it, they love it. And, they can get a great education, even if not concentrated in the language that they studied (in our case to the detriment of every other subject) for so many years.

NP also concerned about lack of willingness to support advanced langauge study at ms level at Basis. Native speakers of French w/a 4t grader in DCPS EotP. We asked at Basis our kid could study advanced French at some point in ms and were told no b/c of scheduling hassles. We remain committed to French and will not apply. Our child probably qualifies for GT services in MD or VA so not confident that DCI would challenge her. Poster above doesn't sound like native speaker of Spanish or parent committed to bilingual ed prje ct. Not great education at BASIS by standards of committed bilingual families, regardless of language, just so-so. Burbs looking greener.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BASIS certainly doesn't have to be everything for ambitious families in unusual situations asking no more than a little flexibility on curriculum at no expense to BASIS.

Not impressed with a program where admins actively deter families from enrolling, and encourage them to leave, for shooting for academic excellence in a knowledge area BASIS doesn't value: bilingualism and biliteracy in a major world language in the teenage years.

How would it hurt BASIS if it was educating kids who could score 5s on an AP language test in 8th or 9th grade, with parents paying for the acceleration to get these results? It wouldn't. From BASIS' perspective, the danger is that parents would emerge as stakeholders worth involving in policy decisions.

They don’t want to have to administer all that flexibility. I can see why it would be a PITA to manage a school where all the kids were off doing their own thing.

This is such BS when BASIS is willing to accelerate like crazy for math. Our neighbor's kid did algebra 1 there in freagin 5th grade, with one other 5th grader...kids off doing their own thing for math. It's just as easy to test kids for language placement in the language normally taught in US public schools as for math if you bother. Basis could administer flexibility for language if language fluency mattered to them. OP, you might wanna pay attention.

[Anonymous]

^^ Basis actually does strike me as being rigidly committed to its curriculum.

The curriculum does not reflect everyone’s priorities. It’s also not something many kids can keep up with.

I for one appreciate that they don’t make exceptions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were in your same position, and our daughter is now in her second year at Basis. I have not regretted it for a minute. She is absolutely thriving, and every day tells me how happy she is. She no longer studies Spanish so we try to do a couple trips a year to keep it up. But Latin is by far her favorite subject, math second. Although there aren’t a ton of extracurriculars, she actually does one almost every day between cross country and the somewhat hapless but still amusing drama activities. We have tons of friends at DCI, and it is very clear this was the right decision for us. Then again, this is not the school for everyone. But if your kid loves it, they love it. And, they can get a great education, even if not concentrated in the language that they studied (in our case to the detriment of every other subject) for so many years.

NP also concerned about lack of willingness to support advanced langauge study at ms level at Basis. Native speakers of French w/a 4t grader in DCPS EotP. We asked at Basis our kid could study advanced French at some point in ms and were told no b/c of scheduling hassles. We remain committed to French and will not apply. Our child probably qualifies for GT services in MD or VA so not confident that DCI would challenge her. Poster above doesn't sound like native speaker of Spanish or parent committed to bilingual ed prje ct. Not great education at BASIS by standards of committed bilingual families, regardless of language, just so-so. Burbs looking greener.

I’m not sure why you would respond to my responsive post with non-responsive information. If you wanted to ask me questions, the polite thing to do is to do so. No, I’m not a native Spanish speaker, but I was very committed. I have a degree in Spanish Literature, I spoke only Spanish to my child when a baby, I sent my child to a bilingual school for seven years, and I make sure she spends two weeks a year in a Spanish speaking country. I’m not sure if that is a demonstrated level of commitment that is good enough for you. But you are right, I have chosen to send my child to a middle school that does not have advanced Spanish education. And I feel absolutely wonderful about the decision.

[Anonymous]

Give us a break. Coming in with advanced skills in a major world language other than English shouldn't be seen as a problem a school needs to fix by pushing beginners classes on a student. That's nuts in the 21st century. That's a DC charter for you - our way or the highway. So glad we're heading to MoCo for ms and hs, where a student can test-out of language study on day 1 of 9th grade if s/he is up to the job, just like at most colleges. Alternatively, in MoCo middle school kids who are up to the job can freely take advanced language classes in high schools. They're bused over to do it. Language studies in this city's public schools are around 25 years behind the curve compared to the burbs. Those Oyster and Adams grads can't even take Spanish past the AP level at Wilson, or in any other program (yup, including DCI).

[Anonymous]

PO again. Actually, I am loving what it is doing to her language skills. Learning a third language from scratch is giving her greater depth in the other two in which she already has fluency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were in your same position, and our daughter is now in her second year at Basis. I have not regretted it for a minute. She is absolutely thriving, and every day tells me how happy she is. She no longer studies Spanish so we try to do a couple trips a year to keep it up. But Latin is by far her favorite subject, math second. Although there aren’t a ton of extracurriculars, she actually does one almost every day between cross country and the somewhat hapless but still amusing drama activities. We have tons of friends at DCI, and it is very clear this was the right decision for us. Then again, this is not the school for everyone. But if your kid loves it, they love it. And, they can get a great education, even if not concentrated in the language that they studied (in our case to the detriment of every other subject) for so many years.

NP also concerned about lack of willingness to support advanced langauge study at ms level at Basis. Native speakers of French w/a 4t grader in DCPS EotP. We asked at Basis our kid could study advanced French at some point in ms and were told no b/c of scheduling hassles. We remain committed to French and will not apply. Our child probably qualifies for GT services in MD or VA so not confident that DCI would challenge her. Poster above doesn't sound like native speaker of Spanish or parent committed to bilingual ed prje ct. Not great education at BASIS by standards of committed bilingual families, regardless of language, just so-so. Burbs looking greener.

I’m not sure why you would respond to my responsive post with non-responsive information. If you wanted to ask me questions, the polite thing to do is to do so. No, I’m not a native Spanish speaker, but I was very committed. I have a degree in Spanish Literature, I spoke only Spanish to my child when a baby, I sent my child to a bilingual school for seven years, and I make sure she spends two weeks a year in a Spanish speaking country. I’m not sure if that is a demonstrated level of commitment that is good enough for you. But you are right, I have chosen to send my child to a middle school that does not have advanced Spanish education. And I feel absolutely wonderful about the decision.

You didn't plan well, PP. When you drop bilingual learning at age 11, the kids loses much of the language skills acquired in childhood, regardless of how wonderful you feel about the decision. It's the adolescent brain that cements language learning. What you're getting here is a kid who won't be first-rate in two languages, English and Spanish, not unless you the student returns to full immersion later, and for a long time. Nothing to cheer about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PO again. Actually, I am loving what it is doing to her language skills. Learning a third language from scratch is giving her greater depth in the other two in which she already has fluency.

Silly. Nobody is fluent in any language after 4th or 5th grade, when your kid started at BASIS. That's just kid talk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To 12:30 - please please please start your own school because you have many ideas about how it can and should be done. Or maybe apply for the open BASIS DC HOS position.

PPs, whose kid(s) attend or have attended have provided honest feedback (not all positive) about leaving dual language for BASIS, which is what OP asked for. Chiming in about how you think the program should be run is not only off topic but you do it on every thread. You don’t think much of the program - we got it.

No idea who you're responding to, PP. We speak French and don't post o n Basis threads.

[Anonymous]

You just aren’t a nice person. Please go to the suburbs.

[Anonymous]

Don't go to the burbs, PP. Move IB for Deal if you can afford it.

Admins at Deal and Wilson are starting to get what you're talking about. Magical thinking about language acquisition so common in DC public has taken a hit in Upper NW in recent years.

You probably have to bilingual and biliterate to really get it, or maybe just European like us. Advanced math but no advanced language, ridiculous. Ignore Basis boosters when they post about anything but math and science.