BASIS: PCSB staff recommends conditional continuance due to SWD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But is it discrimination against other SN to advertise that BASIS could be a very good fit for kids with SN that make them pretty rigid?

If they're advertising in a way that suggests they will only support specific disabilities or profiles, then yes, that would be extremely problematic. You see private schools and camps advertise in that way and it's clearly meant to exclude kids with higher support/perceived higher support needs, as well as, frankly, kids with autism who are "too" autistic.

Remember just because Basis is a charter does not mean they are exempt from supporting kids with SN of all levels. They can't just pick and chose. The Charter Board pointed out that Basis has basically no higher-needs kids.

The SN boosters here are missing the point altogether in their zeal and assumptions.

The point is that Basis would likely make a great fit for any student who does well with structure, clear expectations, focus on individual work, lots of emphasis on organization and concrete curriculums. Many kids with HFA would fit the bill.

Emphasising those strengths and talking about how this kind of learning can benefit some students would be a way to message that out to families with all types of kids, including HFA or others and might encourage kids who otherwise wouldn't think to apply.

"SN Booster"? Really? Forgive me for having "zeal and assumptions" as I attempt to ensure my child with disabilities gets an education.

As much as you want Basis to be exempt from special education laws, it is not. It would be great if Basis established and funded an HFA program and advertised it. That doesn't allow it to screen for certain disabilities and levels of disabilities. Clearly Basis has a serious issue retaining and serving kids with disabilities. Falling back on "oh the few we have do well" does not fix that problem.

Do you feel a school focused on AP test prep would benefit your SN child? If so, apply. I have a non SN child, and because of the above would skip Basis for our family. Different strokes for differenr folks.

Sure, it could benefit him if it had the right supports in place. That's the whole point of special education. My SN kid likes tests. But he also needs social skills support, some support with organization, a behavioral plan ...

So he has something like Aspbergers, executive functioning challenges and needs an IEP? I would imagine most any school in Basis tier can support him well (not solve,.since it's not a problem to be solved, but support). Does this otherwise describe him (from Basis website): "BASIS DC students are hungry for challenge, curious about the world around them, and unafraid of the extra effort required to meet and exceed the high standards of BASIS Curriculum Schools". If so, why not contact the school instead of going off a bunch of heresay?

It's not "hearsay." It's the informed opinion of multiple therapists/medical professionals who talk to a lot of families on the Hill, which is a main source of Basis students. I'll go to the open houses, but the informed opinions plus the Charter Board's actions absolutely give me pause. If Basis responses in a legitimate and transparent way and staffs up their special ed team, maybe. As it stands now, I can't even find the name of the special ed coordinator on their website.

Basis isn’t a good fit for some kids. A kid that isn’t into academics and wants to play big-league varsity football won’t do well at Basis. He can get all the support he wants but it will be a slog for him and his parents

The same is true for SPED kids. As you can see from the comments, some SPED kids do great at Basis. Many of these are HFA or ADHD but there is a variety of disabilities there. Other SPED kids won’t do well. But that is not because they are disabled but because they would do better in a less rigorous school.

Sure, Basis (like other schools) can and should do a better job on SPED issues. But the “violations” laid out in the 10-year report are pretty minor, along the lines of not requiring teachers to do a webinar about how to recognize SPED.

Basis could provide all the services it can to put a SPED kid on par with a non-SPED kid but that doesn’t change the rigor of the Basis curriculum, the amount of work kids have to do and the level of that work, the pre-comps and comps, and the lack of social promotion (i.e., moving kids to the next grade level even though they fail a course). All kids, SPED and non-SPED, would have it easier at another school. IDEA just levels the playing field; it doesn’t transform your kid into something he or she is not.

Given your many posts here about your kid and your negative views about Basis, it might make sense to consider another school. Just something to think about.

As the old expression has it: be careful what you wish for.

Good luck with your choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, I’m the mom of a SN kid who was repeatedly warned — by specialists, parents and definitely DCUM — to avoid BASIS due to inadequate supports. But I disregarded everyone and trusted my instincts, which told me to cater to my child’s strengths (not weaknesses). And as I noted earlier in the thread, my ASD kid is thriving at BASIS. And this is a kid who many times throughout preschool and elementary school seemed on the brink of needing a self-contained classroom.

We still have a number of years ahead of us at BASIS, so I don’t know how our experience will end. But my child is happy, excelling academically, and my phone hasn’t rung once (yet) to discuss a problem. All of that is huge.

Wow. That's pretty amazing. I just wanted to say congrats!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But is it discrimination against other SN to advertise that BASIS could be a very good fit for kids with SN that make them pretty rigid?

If they're advertising in a way that suggests they will only support specific disabilities or profiles, then yes, that would be extremely problematic. You see private schools and camps advertise in that way and it's clearly meant to exclude kids with higher support/perceived higher support needs, as well as, frankly, kids with autism who are "too" autistic.

Remember just because Basis is a charter does not mean they are exempt from supporting kids with SN of all levels. They can't just pick and chose. The Charter Board pointed out that Basis has basically no higher-needs kids.

The SN boosters here are missing the point altogether in their zeal and assumptions.

The point is that Basis would likely make a great fit for any student who does well with structure, clear expectations, focus on individual work, lots of emphasis on organization and concrete curriculums. Many kids with HFA would fit the bill.

Emphasising those strengths and talking about how this kind of learning can benefit some students would be a way to message that out to families with all types of kids, including HFA or others and might encourage kids who otherwise wouldn't think to apply.

"SN Booster"? Really? Forgive me for having "zeal and assumptions" as I attempt to ensure my child with disabilities gets an education.

As much as you want Basis to be exempt from special education laws, it is not. It would be great if Basis established and funded an HFA program and advertised it. That doesn't allow it to screen for certain disabilities and levels of disabilities. Clearly Basis has a serious issue retaining and serving kids with disabilities. Falling back on "oh the few we have do well" does not fix that problem.

Do you feel a school focused on AP test prep would benefit your SN child? If so, apply. I have a non SN child, and because of the above would skip Basis for our family. Different strokes for differenr folks.

Sure, it could benefit him if it had the right supports in place. That's the whole point of special education. My SN kid likes tests. But he also needs social skills support, some support with organization, a behavioral plan ...

So he has something like Aspbergers, executive functioning challenges and needs an IEP? I would imagine most any school in Basis tier can support him well (not solve,.since it's not a problem to be solved, but support). Does this otherwise describe him (from Basis website): "BASIS DC students are hungry for challenge, curious about the world around them, and unafraid of the extra effort required to meet and exceed the high standards of BASIS Curriculum Schools". If so, why not contact the school instead of going off a bunch of heresay?

It's not "hearsay." It's the informed opinion of multiple therapists/medical professionals who talk to a lot of families on the Hill, which is a main source of Basis students. I'll go to the open houses, but the informed opinions plus the Charter Board's actions absolutely give me pause. If Basis responses in a legitimate and transparent way and staffs up their special ed team, maybe. As it stands now, I can't even find the name of the special ed coordinator on their website.

Basis isn’t a good fit for some kids. A kid that isn’t into academics and wants to play big-league varsity football won’t do well at Basis. He can get all the support he wants but it will be a slog for him and his parents

The same is true for SPED kids. As you can see from the comments, some SPED kids do great at Basis. Many of these are HFA or ADHD but there is a variety of disabilities there. Other SPED kids won’t do well. But that is not because they are disabled but because they would do better in a less rigorous school.

Sure, Basis (like other schools) can and should do a better job on SPED issues. But the “violations” laid out in the 10-year report are pretty minor, along the lines of not requiring teachers to do a webinar about how to recognize SPED.

Basis could provide all the services it can to put a SPED kid on par with a non-SPED kid but that doesn’t change the rigor of the Basis curriculum, the amount of work kids have to do and the level of that work, the pre-comps and comps, and the lack of social promotion (i.e., moving kids to the next grade level even though they fail a course). All kids, SPED and non-SPED, would have it easier at another school. IDEA just levels the playing field; it doesn’t transform your kid into something he or she is not.

Given your many posts here about your kid and your negative views about Basis, it might make sense to consider another school. Just something to think about.

As the old expression has it: be careful what you wish for.

Good luck with your choice.

No, the problems identified by the charter board were not "pretty minor." They were serious enough that they put the charter at risk by getting only a conditional approval. That's not something that happens for "minor" reasons. Failure to observe procedural steps indicates a poorly resourced/poorly trained special needs staff. That's not minor. And having no level 3 or 4 students is not minor. Having 1/2 as many SN kids as you should is not minor. Having a terrible reputation among SN service provider is not minor. A school can't get out of its federal legal obligations by claiming that its "niche" excludes SN students or, oopsie, we're just not a good "fit" for you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But is it discrimination against other SN to advertise that BASIS could be a very good fit for kids with SN that make them pretty rigid?

If they're advertising in a way that suggests they will only support specific disabilities or profiles, then yes, that would be extremely problematic. You see private schools and camps advertise in that way and it's clearly meant to exclude kids with higher support/perceived higher support needs, as well as, frankly, kids with autism who are "too" autistic.

Remember just because Basis is a charter does not mean they are exempt from supporting kids with SN of all levels. They can't just pick and chose. The Charter Board pointed out that Basis has basically no higher-needs kids.

The SN boosters here are missing the point altogether in their zeal and assumptions.

The point is that Basis would likely make a great fit for any student who does well with structure, clear expectations, focus on individual work, lots of emphasis on organization and concrete curriculums. Many kids with HFA would fit the bill.

Emphasising those strengths and talking about how this kind of learning can benefit some students would be a way to message that out to families with all types of kids, including HFA or others and might encourage kids who otherwise wouldn't think to apply.

"SN Booster"? Really? Forgive me for having "zeal and assumptions" as I attempt to ensure my child with disabilities gets an education.

As much as you want Basis to be exempt from special education laws, it is not. It would be great if Basis established and funded an HFA program and advertised it. That doesn't allow it to screen for certain disabilities and levels of disabilities. Clearly Basis has a serious issue retaining and serving kids with disabilities. Falling back on "oh the few we have do well" does not fix that problem.

Do you feel a school focused on AP test prep would benefit your SN child? If so, apply. I have a non SN child, and because of the above would skip Basis for our family. Different strokes for differenr folks.

Sure, it could benefit him if it had the right supports in place. That's the whole point of special education. My SN kid likes tests. But he also needs social skills support, some support with organization, a behavioral plan ...

So he has something like Aspbergers, executive functioning challenges and needs an IEP? I would imagine most any school in Basis tier can support him well (not solve,.since it's not a problem to be solved, but support). Does this otherwise describe him (from Basis website): "BASIS DC students are hungry for challenge, curious about the world around them, and unafraid of the extra effort required to meet and exceed the high standards of BASIS Curriculum Schools". If so, why not contact the school instead of going off a bunch of heresay?

It's not "hearsay." It's the informed opinion of multiple therapists/medical professionals who talk to a lot of families on the Hill, which is a main source of Basis students. I'll go to the open houses, but the informed opinions plus the Charter Board's actions absolutely give me pause. If Basis responses in a legitimate and transparent way and staffs up their special ed team, maybe. As it stands now, I can't even find the name of the special ed coordinator on their website.

Basis isn’t a good fit for some kids. A kid that isn’t into academics and wants to play big-league varsity football won’t do well at Basis. He can get all the support he wants but it will be a slog for him and his parents

The same is true for SPED kids. As you can see from the comments, some SPED kids do great at Basis. Many of these are HFA or ADHD but there is a variety of disabilities there. Other SPED kids won’t do well. But that is not because they are disabled but because they would do better in a less rigorous school.

Sure, Basis (like other schools) can and should do a better job on SPED issues. But the “violations” laid out in the 10-year report are pretty minor, along the lines of not requiring teachers to do a webinar about how to recognize SPED.

Basis could provide all the services it can to put a SPED kid on par with a non-SPED kid but that doesn’t change the rigor of the Basis curriculum, the amount of work kids have to do and the level of that work, the pre-comps and comps, and the lack of social promotion (i.e., moving kids to the next grade level even though they fail a course). All kids, SPED and non-SPED, would have it easier at another school. IDEA just levels the playing field; it doesn’t transform your kid into something he or she is not.

Given your many posts here about your kid and your negative views about Basis, it might make sense to consider another school. Just something to think about.

As the old expression has it: be careful what you wish for.

Good luck with your choice.

No, the problems identified by the charter board were not "pretty minor." They were serious enough that they put the charter at risk by getting only a conditional approval. That's not something that happens for "minor" reasons. Failure to observe procedural steps indicates a poorly resourced/poorly trained special needs staff. That's not minor. And having no level 3 or 4 students is not minor. Having 1/2 as many SN kids as you should is not minor. Having a terrible reputation among SN service provider is not minor. A school can't get out of its federal legal obligations by claiming that its "niche" excludes SN students or, oopsie, we're just not a good "fit" for you!

And as if their "niche" is some immutable fact, rather than the result of their programming choices. Come on. If your school is a bad fit for students with SN, it's because you are choosing to make it so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But is it discrimination against other SN to advertise that BASIS could be a very good fit for kids with SN that make them pretty rigid?

If they're advertising in a way that suggests they will only support specific disabilities or profiles, then yes, that would be extremely problematic. You see private schools and camps advertise in that way and it's clearly meant to exclude kids with higher support/perceived higher support needs, as well as, frankly, kids with autism who are "too" autistic.

Remember just because Basis is a charter does not mean they are exempt from supporting kids with SN of all levels. They can't just pick and chose. The Charter Board pointed out that Basis has basically no higher-needs kids.

The SN boosters here are missing the point altogether in their zeal and assumptions.

The point is that Basis would likely make a great fit for any student who does well with structure, clear expectations, focus on individual work, lots of emphasis on organization and concrete curriculums. Many kids with HFA would fit the bill.

Emphasising those strengths and talking about how this kind of learning can benefit some students would be a way to message that out to families with all types of kids, including HFA or others and might encourage kids who otherwise wouldn't think to apply.

"SN Booster"? Really? Forgive me for having "zeal and assumptions" as I attempt to ensure my child with disabilities gets an education.

As much as you want Basis to be exempt from special education laws, it is not. It would be great if Basis established and funded an HFA program and advertised it. That doesn't allow it to screen for certain disabilities and levels of disabilities. Clearly Basis has a serious issue retaining and serving kids with disabilities. Falling back on "oh the few we have do well" does not fix that problem.

Do you feel a school focused on AP test prep would benefit your SN child? If so, apply. I have a non SN child, and because of the above would skip Basis for our family. Different strokes for differenr folks.

Sure, it could benefit him if it had the right supports in place. That's the whole point of special education. My SN kid likes tests. But he also needs social skills support, some support with organization, a behavioral plan ...

So he has something like Aspbergers, executive functioning challenges and needs an IEP? I would imagine most any school in Basis tier can support him well (not solve,.since it's not a problem to be solved, but support). Does this otherwise describe him (from Basis website): "BASIS DC students are hungry for challenge, curious about the world around them, and unafraid of the extra effort required to meet and exceed the high standards of BASIS Curriculum Schools". If so, why not contact the school instead of going off a bunch of heresay?

It's not "hearsay." It's the informed opinion of multiple therapists/medical professionals who talk to a lot of families on the Hill, which is a main source of Basis students. I'll go to the open houses, but the informed opinions plus the Charter Board's actions absolutely give me pause. If Basis responses in a legitimate and transparent way and staffs up their special ed team, maybe. As it stands now, I can't even find the name of the special ed coordinator on their website.

Basis isn’t a good fit for some kids. A kid that isn’t into academics and wants to play big-league varsity football won’t do well at Basis. He can get all the support he wants but it will be a slog for him and his parents

The same is true for SPED kids. As you can see from the comments, some SPED kids do great at Basis. Many of these are HFA or ADHD but there is a variety of disabilities there. Other SPED kids won’t do well. But that is not because they are disabled but because they would do better in a less rigorous school.

Sure, Basis (like other schools) can and should do a better job on SPED issues. But the “violations” laid out in the 10-year report are pretty minor, along the lines of not requiring teachers to do a webinar about how to recognize SPED.

Basis could provide all the services it can to put a SPED kid on par with a non-SPED kid but that doesn’t change the rigor of the Basis curriculum, the amount of work kids have to do and the level of that work, the pre-comps and comps, and the lack of social promotion (i.e., moving kids to the next grade level even though they fail a course). All kids, SPED and non-SPED, would have it easier at another school. IDEA just levels the playing field; it doesn’t transform your kid into something he or she is not.

Given your many posts here about your kid and your negative views about Basis, it might make sense to consider another school. Just something to think about.

As the old expression has it: be careful what you wish for.

Good luck with your choice.

No, the problems identified by the charter board were not "pretty minor." They were serious enough that they put the charter at risk by getting only a conditional approval. That's not something that happens for "minor" reasons. Failure to observe procedural steps indicates a poorly resourced/poorly trained special needs staff. That's not minor. And having no level 3 or 4 students is not minor. Having 1/2 as many SN kids as you should is not minor. Having a terrible reputation among SN service provider is not minor. A school can't get out of its federal legal obligations by claiming that its "niche" excludes SN students or, oopsie, we're just not a good "fit" for you!

And as if their "niche" is some immutable fact, rather than the result of their programming choices. Come on. If your school is a bad fit for students with SN, it's because you are choosing to make it so.

\

I think there is a substantial proportion of the SN population -- especially level 3 and 4 students -- for whom rigor and no social promotion is not a good fit no matter how much support is provided. Many parents don't WANT their level 4 child to slog through an accelerated math curriculum that they can't meaningfully access even with support or which, even if they can, isn't worth the time/effort-->return tradeoff. OBVIOUSLY it is not all SN students or even all level 3 and 4 students, but I don't think we should pretend that it isn't a substantial number of them. I actually don't think that your school being a bad fit for some students with SN is a problem. I'm not saying BASIS can't do better, but have 50% fewer SN students and/or very few level 3 and 4 students doesn't actually strike me as a damning indictment given the model of the school. Also, all of the parents saying they should set up a GT/LD program... Do you not see the irony? They aren't allowed to set up a GT program AT ALL under the rules... and you don't want them to be a true GT program, because then there would be exceptions to the normal rules about taking everyone who applies... but a GT/LD one would be great because that's what would work for your kid? Come on. This magic program you want them to do in order to attract more SN kids isn't even something they're allowed to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But is it discrimination against other SN to advertise that BASIS could be a very good fit for kids with SN that make them pretty rigid?

If they're advertising in a way that suggests they will only support specific disabilities or profiles, then yes, that would be extremely problematic. You see private schools and camps advertise in that way and it's clearly meant to exclude kids with higher support/perceived higher support needs, as well as, frankly, kids with autism who are "too" autistic.

Remember just because Basis is a charter does not mean they are exempt from supporting kids with SN of all levels. They can't just pick and chose. The Charter Board pointed out that Basis has basically no higher-needs kids.

The SN boosters here are missing the point altogether in their zeal and assumptions.

The point is that Basis would likely make a great fit for any student who does well with structure, clear expectations, focus on individual work, lots of emphasis on organization and concrete curriculums. Many kids with HFA would fit the bill.

Emphasising those strengths and talking about how this kind of learning can benefit some students would be a way to message that out to families with all types of kids, including HFA or others and might encourage kids who otherwise wouldn't think to apply.

"SN Booster"? Really? Forgive me for having "zeal and assumptions" as I attempt to ensure my child with disabilities gets an education.

As much as you want Basis to be exempt from special education laws, it is not. It would be great if Basis established and funded an HFA program and advertised it. That doesn't allow it to screen for certain disabilities and levels of disabilities. Clearly Basis has a serious issue retaining and serving kids with disabilities. Falling back on "oh the few we have do well" does not fix that problem.

Do you feel a school focused on AP test prep would benefit your SN child? If so, apply. I have a non SN child, and because of the above would skip Basis for our family. Different strokes for differenr folks.

Sure, it could benefit him if it had the right supports in place. That's the whole point of special education. My SN kid likes tests. But he also needs social skills support, some support with organization, a behavioral plan ...

So he has something like Aspbergers, executive functioning challenges and needs an IEP? I would imagine most any school in Basis tier can support him well (not solve,.since it's not a problem to be solved, but support). Does this otherwise describe him (from Basis website): "BASIS DC students are hungry for challenge, curious about the world around them, and unafraid of the extra effort required to meet and exceed the high standards of BASIS Curriculum Schools". If so, why not contact the school instead of going off a bunch of heresay?

It's not "hearsay." It's the informed opinion of multiple therapists/medical professionals who talk to a lot of families on the Hill, which is a main source of Basis students. I'll go to the open houses, but the informed opinions plus the Charter Board's actions absolutely give me pause. If Basis responses in a legitimate and transparent way and staffs up their special ed team, maybe. As it stands now, I can't even find the name of the special ed coordinator on their website.

Basis isn’t a good fit for some kids. A kid that isn’t into academics and wants to play big-league varsity football won’t do well at Basis. He can get all the support he wants but it will be a slog for him and his parents

The same is true for SPED kids. As you can see from the comments, some SPED kids do great at Basis. Many of these are HFA or ADHD but there is a variety of disabilities there. Other SPED kids won’t do well. But that is not because they are disabled but because they would do better in a less rigorous school.

Sure, Basis (like other schools) can and should do a better job on SPED issues. But the “violations” laid out in the 10-year report are pretty minor, along the lines of not requiring teachers to do a webinar about how to recognize SPED.

Basis could provide all the services it can to put a SPED kid on par with a non-SPED kid but that doesn’t change the rigor of the Basis curriculum, the amount of work kids have to do and the level of that work, the pre-comps and comps, and the lack of social promotion (i.e., moving kids to the next grade level even though they fail a course). All kids, SPED and non-SPED, would have it easier at another school. IDEA just levels the playing field; it doesn’t transform your kid into something he or she is not.

Given your many posts here about your kid and your negative views about Basis, it might make sense to consider another school. Just something to think about.

As the old expression has it: be careful what you wish for.

Good luck with your choice.

No, the problems identified by the charter board were not "pretty minor." They were serious enough that they put the charter at risk by getting only a conditional approval. That's not something that happens for "minor" reasons. Failure to observe procedural steps indicates a poorly resourced/poorly trained special needs staff. That's not minor. And having no level 3 or 4 students is not minor. Having 1/2 as many SN kids as you should is not minor. Having a terrible reputation among SN service provider is not minor. A school can't get out of its federal legal obligations by claiming that its "niche" excludes SN students or, oopsie, we're just not a good "fit" for you!

And as if their "niche" is some immutable fact, rather than the result of their programming choices. Come on. If your school is a bad fit for students with SN, it's because you are choosing to make it so.

\

I think there is a substantial proportion of the SN population -- especially level 3 and 4 students -- for whom rigor and no social promotion is not a good fit no matter how much support is provided. Many parents don't WANT their level 4 child to slog through an accelerated math curriculum that they can't meaningfully access even with support or which, even if they can, isn't worth the time/effort-->return tradeoff. OBVIOUSLY it is not all SN students or even all level 3 and 4 students, but I don't think we should pretend that it isn't a substantial number of them. I actually don't think that your school being a bad fit for some students with SN is a problem. I'm not saying BASIS can't do better, but have 50% fewer SN students and/or very few level 3 and 4 students doesn't actually strike me as a damning indictment given the model of the school. Also, all of the parents saying they should set up a GT/LD program... Do you not see the irony? They aren't allowed to set up a GT program AT ALL under the rules... and you don't want them to be a true GT program, because then there would be exceptions to the normal rules about taking everyone who applies... but a GT/LD one would be great because that's what would work for your kid? Come on. This magic program you want them to do in order to attract more SN kids isn't even something they're allowed to do.

How about 1) Comply with the law; and 2) Stop pretending like BASIS sincerely wants all students, and admit they're trying to operate what is essentially a selective academic school. This "we welcome all students who want rigor" is BS and puts the blame on the kids for not "wanting" it, as if they're just lazy. Special Needs support is not incompatible with rigor and it's ugly to say that it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But is it discrimination against other SN to advertise that BASIS could be a very good fit for kids with SN that make them pretty rigid?

If they're advertising in a way that suggests they will only support specific disabilities or profiles, then yes, that would be extremely problematic. You see private schools and camps advertise in that way and it's clearly meant to exclude kids with higher support/perceived higher support needs, as well as, frankly, kids with autism who are "too" autistic.

Remember just because Basis is a charter does not mean they are exempt from supporting kids with SN of all levels. They can't just pick and chose. The Charter Board pointed out that Basis has basically no higher-needs kids.

The SN boosters here are missing the point altogether in their zeal and assumptions.

The point is that Basis would likely make a great fit for any student who does well with structure, clear expectations, focus on individual work, lots of emphasis on organization and concrete curriculums. Many kids with HFA would fit the bill.

Emphasising those strengths and talking about how this kind of learning can benefit some students would be a way to message that out to families with all types of kids, including HFA or others and might encourage kids who otherwise wouldn't think to apply.

"SN Booster"? Really? Forgive me for having "zeal and assumptions" as I attempt to ensure my child with disabilities gets an education.

As much as you want Basis to be exempt from special education laws, it is not. It would be great if Basis established and funded an HFA program and advertised it. That doesn't allow it to screen for certain disabilities and levels of disabilities. Clearly Basis has a serious issue retaining and serving kids with disabilities. Falling back on "oh the few we have do well" does not fix that problem.

Do you feel a school focused on AP test prep would benefit your SN child? If so, apply. I have a non SN child, and because of the above would skip Basis for our family. Different strokes for differenr folks.

Sure, it could benefit him if it had the right supports in place. That's the whole point of special education. My SN kid likes tests. But he also needs social skills support, some support with organization, a behavioral plan ...

So he has something like Aspbergers, executive functioning challenges and needs an IEP? I would imagine most any school in Basis tier can support him well (not solve,.since it's not a problem to be solved, but support). Does this otherwise describe him (from Basis website): "BASIS DC students are hungry for challenge, curious about the world around them, and unafraid of the extra effort required to meet and exceed the high standards of BASIS Curriculum Schools". If so, why not contact the school instead of going off a bunch of heresay?

It's not "hearsay." It's the informed opinion of multiple therapists/medical professionals who talk to a lot of families on the Hill, which is a main source of Basis students. I'll go to the open houses, but the informed opinions plus the Charter Board's actions absolutely give me pause. If Basis responses in a legitimate and transparent way and staffs up their special ed team, maybe. As it stands now, I can't even find the name of the special ed coordinator on their website.

Basis isn’t a good fit for some kids. A kid that isn’t into academics and wants to play big-league varsity football won’t do well at Basis. He can get all the support he wants but it will be a slog for him and his parents

The same is true for SPED kids. As you can see from the comments, some SPED kids do great at Basis. Many of these are HFA or ADHD but there is a variety of disabilities there. Other SPED kids won’t do well. But that is not because they are disabled but because they would do better in a less rigorous school.

Sure, Basis (like other schools) can and should do a better job on SPED issues. But the “violations” laid out in the 10-year report are pretty minor, along the lines of not requiring teachers to do a webinar about how to recognize SPED.

Basis could provide all the services it can to put a SPED kid on par with a non-SPED kid but that doesn’t change the rigor of the Basis curriculum, the amount of work kids have to do and the level of that work, the pre-comps and comps, and the lack of social promotion (i.e., moving kids to the next grade level even though they fail a course). All kids, SPED and non-SPED, would have it easier at another school. IDEA just levels the playing field; it doesn’t transform your kid into something he or she is not.

Given your many posts here about your kid and your negative views about Basis, it might make sense to consider another school. Just something to think about.

As the old expression has it: be careful what you wish for.

Good luck with your choice.

No, the problems identified by the charter board were not "pretty minor." They were serious enough that they put the charter at risk by getting only a conditional approval. That's not something that happens for "minor" reasons. Failure to observe procedural steps indicates a poorly resourced/poorly trained special needs staff. That's not minor. And having no level 3 or 4 students is not minor. Having 1/2 as many SN kids as you should is not minor. Having a terrible reputation among SN service provider is not minor. A school can't get out of its federal legal obligations by claiming that its "niche" excludes SN students or, oopsie, we're just not a good "fit" for you!

And as if their "niche" is some immutable fact, rather than the result of their programming choices. Come on. If your school is a bad fit for students with SN, it's because you are choosing to make it so.

\

I think there is a substantial proportion of the SN population -- especially level 3 and 4 students -- for whom rigor and no social promotion is not a good fit no matter how much support is provided. Many parents don't WANT their level 4 child to slog through an accelerated math curriculum that they can't meaningfully access even with support or which, even if they can, isn't worth the time/effort-->return tradeoff. OBVIOUSLY it is not all SN students or even all level 3 and 4 students, but I don't think we should pretend that it isn't a substantial number of them. I actually don't think that your school being a bad fit for some students with SN is a problem. I'm not saying BASIS can't do better, but have 50% fewer SN students and/or very few level 3 and 4 students doesn't actually strike me as a damning indictment given the model of the school. Also, all of the parents saying they should set up a GT/LD program... Do you not see the irony? They aren't allowed to set up a GT program AT ALL under the rules... and you don't want them to be a true GT program, because then there would be exceptions to the normal rules about taking everyone who applies... but a GT/LD one would be great because that's what would work for your kid? Come on. This magic program you want them to do in order to attract more SN kids isn't even something they're allowed to do.

Again - an LEA can’t exclude kids because the school is “rigorous.” Not how the law works. “GT/LD” is a concept more commonly called 2E today. It’s not “gifted” like tracking, but is for the kids who can accelerate but need substantial supports. But yeah I’m sure you’d freak out if you thought an IEP kid was getting something you felt entitled to.

[Anonymous]

So how many students with level 3 and 4 IEPs attend Latin and DCI (not at a private school at city expense?)

Do those schools' SWDs perform compared to BDC's?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So how many students with level 3 and 4 IEPs attend Latin and DCI (not at a private school at city expense?)

Do those schools' SWDs perform compared to BDC's?

You can find this on one of the last tabs in the OSSE Enrollment Audit Data spreadsheet for SY 20-21. Latin and BASIS are similar in that they have some Level 1 students, but zero or close to zero Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4. DCI, in school year 20-21, had 43 Level 1, 120 Level 2, 62 Level 3 and 11 Level 4. Out of 1442 total students. It's unclear to me why Latin and BASIS can't have as many as DCI does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I’m the mom of a SN kid who was repeatedly warned — by specialists, parents and definitely DCUM — to avoid BASIS due to inadequate supports. But I disregarded everyone and trusted my instincts, which told me to cater to my child’s strengths (not weaknesses). And as I noted earlier in the thread, my ASD kid is thriving at BASIS. And this is a kid who many times throughout preschool and elementary school seemed on the brink of needing a self-contained classroom.

We still have a number of years ahead of us at BASIS, so I don’t know how our experience will end. But my child is happy, excelling academically, and my phone hasn’t rung once (yet) to discuss a problem. All of that is huge.

Wow. That's pretty amazing. I just wanted to say congrats!

Love this. So much of dcps is focused on what is wrong with kids and not what is tight with them.

[Anonymous]

Not doubting what anyone has to say about the law with respect to SN kids.

But can y’all just leave basis alone? The vast majority of schools in dcps devote a tremendous portion of their resources to the kids who struggle. Those of us with kids who are capable of excelling academically know to keep our mouths shut through all of elementary, knowing that the limited resources must be focused on other kids.

But basis provides an opportunity for academic excellence for those who are not IB for deal. In exchange these families put up with insane homework, crap facilities, mediocre extra-curriculars, and high staff turnover, just to get their kids the academic challenge that dcps would never provide. Can y’all just leave these families alone and take your IEPs elsewhere?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So how many students with level 3 and 4 IEPs attend Latin and DCI (not at a private school at city expense?)

Do those schools' SWDs perform compared to BDC's?

You can find this on one of the last tabs in the OSSE Enrollment Audit Data spreadsheet for SY 20-21. Latin and BASIS are similar in that they have some Level 1 students, but zero or close to zero Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4. DCI, in school year 20-21, had 43 Level 1, 120 Level 2, 62 Level 3 and 11 Level 4. Out of 1442 total students. It's unclear to me why Latin and BASIS can't have as many as DCI does.

Well word on the street is DCI has good accomodations so that’s probably why. Hopefully Latin will be held accountable on its 10 year review (although it does have a better rep than Basis.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But is it discrimination against other SN to advertise that BASIS could be a very good fit for kids with SN that make them pretty rigid?

If they're advertising in a way that suggests they will only support specific disabilities or profiles, then yes, that would be extremely problematic. You see private schools and camps advertise in that way and it's clearly meant to exclude kids with higher support/perceived higher support needs, as well as, frankly, kids with autism who are "too" autistic.

Remember just because Basis is a charter does not mean they are exempt from supporting kids with SN of all levels. They can't just pick and chose. The Charter Board pointed out that Basis has basically no higher-needs kids.

The SN boosters here are missing the point altogether in their zeal and assumptions.

The point is that Basis would likely make a great fit for any student who does well with structure, clear expectations, focus on individual work, lots of emphasis on organization and concrete curriculums. Many kids with HFA would fit the bill.

Emphasising those strengths and talking about how this kind of learning can benefit some students would be a way to message that out to families with all types of kids, including HFA or others and might encourage kids who otherwise wouldn't think to apply.

"SN Booster"? Really? Forgive me for having "zeal and assumptions" as I attempt to ensure my child with disabilities gets an education.

As much as you want Basis to be exempt from special education laws, it is not. It would be great if Basis established and funded an HFA program and advertised it. That doesn't allow it to screen for certain disabilities and levels of disabilities. Clearly Basis has a serious issue retaining and serving kids with disabilities. Falling back on "oh the few we have do well" does not fix that problem.

Do you feel a school focused on AP test prep would benefit your SN child? If so, apply. I have a non SN child, and because of the above would skip Basis for our family. Different strokes for differenr folks.

Sure, it could benefit him if it had the right supports in place. That's the whole point of special education. My SN kid likes tests. But he also needs social skills support, some support with organization, a behavioral plan ...

So he has something like Aspbergers, executive functioning challenges and needs an IEP? I would imagine most any school in Basis tier can support him well (not solve,.since it's not a problem to be solved, but support). Does this otherwise describe him (from Basis website): "BASIS DC students are hungry for challenge, curious about the world around them, and unafraid of the extra effort required to meet and exceed the high standards of BASIS Curriculum Schools". If so, why not contact the school instead of going off a bunch of heresay?

It's not "hearsay." It's the informed opinion of multiple therapists/medical professionals who talk to a lot of families on the Hill, which is a main source of Basis students. I'll go to the open houses, but the informed opinions plus the Charter Board's actions absolutely give me pause. If Basis responses in a legitimate and transparent way and staffs up their special ed team, maybe. As it stands now, I can't even find the name of the special ed coordinator on their website.

Basis isn’t a good fit for some kids. A kid that isn’t into academics and wants to play big-league varsity football won’t do well at Basis. He can get all the support he wants but it will be a slog for him and his parents

The same is true for SPED kids. As you can see from the comments, some SPED kids do great at Basis. Many of these are HFA or ADHD but there is a variety of disabilities there. Other SPED kids won’t do well. But that is not because they are disabled but because they would do better in a less rigorous school.

Sure, Basis (like other schools) can and should do a better job on SPED issues. But the “violations” laid out in the 10-year report are pretty minor, along the lines of not requiring teachers to do a webinar about how to recognize SPED.

Basis could provide all the services it can to put a SPED kid on par with a non-SPED kid but that doesn’t change the rigor of the Basis curriculum, the amount of work kids have to do and the level of that work, the pre-comps and comps, and the lack of social promotion (i.e., moving kids to the next grade level even though they fail a course). All kids, SPED and non-SPED, would have it easier at another school. IDEA just levels the playing field; it doesn’t transform your kid into something he or she is not.

Given your many posts here about your kid and your negative views about Basis, it might make sense to consider another school. Just something to think about.

As the old expression has it: be careful what you wish for.

Good luck with your choice.

No, the problems identified by the charter board were not "pretty minor." They were serious enough that they put the charter at risk by getting only a conditional approval. That's not something that happens for "minor" reasons. Failure to observe procedural steps indicates a poorly resourced/poorly trained special needs staff. That's not minor. And having no level 3 or 4 students is not minor. Having 1/2 as many SN kids as you should is not minor. Having a terrible reputation among SN service provider is not minor. A school can't get out of its federal legal obligations by claiming that its "niche" excludes SN students or, oopsie, we're just not a good "fit" for you!

And as if their "niche" is some immutable fact, rather than the result of their programming choices. Come on. If your school is a bad fit for students with SN, it's because you are choosing to make it so.

Wow, this year a the kind of stuff that makes people dislike "equity" policy like IDEa and title 9. Fair isn't always everyone getting the same,.but that's the end result.of.blunt instrument thinking...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not doubting what anyone has to say about the law with respect to SN kids.

But can y’all just leave basis alone? The vast majority of schools in dcps devote a tremendous portion of their resources to the kids who struggle. Those of us with kids who are capable of excelling academically know to keep our mouths shut through all of elementary, knowing that the limited resources must be focused on other kids.

But basis provides an opportunity for academic excellence for those who are not IB for deal. In exchange these families put up with insane homework, crap facilities, mediocre extra-curriculars, and high staff turnover, just to get their kids the academic challenge that dcps would never provide. Can y’all just leave these families alone and take your IEPs elsewhere?

no. you can go private if you want to be “left alone” by kids with disabilities. any other questions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But is it discrimination against other SN to advertise that BASIS could be a very good fit for kids with SN that make them pretty rigid?

If they're advertising in a way that suggests they will only support specific disabilities or profiles, then yes, that would be extremely problematic. You see private schools and camps advertise in that way and it's clearly meant to exclude kids with higher support/perceived higher support needs, as well as, frankly, kids with autism who are "too" autistic.

Remember just because Basis is a charter does not mean they are exempt from supporting kids with SN of all levels. They can't just pick and chose. The Charter Board pointed out that Basis has basically no higher-needs kids.

The SN boosters here are missing the point altogether in their zeal and assumptions.

The point is that Basis would likely make a great fit for any student who does well with structure, clear expectations, focus on individual work, lots of emphasis on organization and concrete curriculums. Many kids with HFA would fit the bill.

Emphasising those strengths and talking about how this kind of learning can benefit some students would be a way to message that out to families with all types of kids, including HFA or others and might encourage kids who otherwise wouldn't think to apply.

"SN Booster"? Really? Forgive me for having "zeal and assumptions" as I attempt to ensure my child with disabilities gets an education.

As much as you want Basis to be exempt from special education laws, it is not. It would be great if Basis established and funded an HFA program and advertised it. That doesn't allow it to screen for certain disabilities and levels of disabilities. Clearly Basis has a serious issue retaining and serving kids with disabilities. Falling back on "oh the few we have do well" does not fix that problem.

Do you feel a school focused on AP test prep would benefit your SN child? If so, apply. I have a non SN child, and because of the above would skip Basis for our family. Different strokes for differenr folks.

Sure, it could benefit him if it had the right supports in place. That's the whole point of special education. My SN kid likes tests. But he also needs social skills support, some support with organization, a behavioral plan ...

So he has something like Aspbergers, executive functioning challenges and needs an IEP? I would imagine most any school in Basis tier can support him well (not solve,.since it's not a problem to be solved, but support). Does this otherwise describe him (from Basis website): "BASIS DC students are hungry for challenge, curious about the world around them, and unafraid of the extra effort required to meet and exceed the high standards of BASIS Curriculum Schools". If so, why not contact the school instead of going off a bunch of heresay?

It's not "hearsay." It's the informed opinion of multiple therapists/medical professionals who talk to a lot of families on the Hill, which is a main source of Basis students. I'll go to the open houses, but the informed opinions plus the Charter Board's actions absolutely give me pause. If Basis responses in a legitimate and transparent way and staffs up their special ed team, maybe. As it stands now, I can't even find the name of the special ed coordinator on their website.

Basis isn’t a good fit for some kids. A kid that isn’t into academics and wants to play big-league varsity football won’t do well at Basis. He can get all the support he wants but it will be a slog for him and his parents

The same is true for SPED kids. As you can see from the comments, some SPED kids do great at Basis. Many of these are HFA or ADHD but there is a variety of disabilities there. Other SPED kids won’t do well. But that is not because they are disabled but because they would do better in a less rigorous school.

Sure, Basis (like other schools) can and should do a better job on SPED issues. But the “violations” laid out in the 10-year report are pretty minor, along the lines of not requiring teachers to do a webinar about how to recognize SPED.

Basis could provide all the services it can to put a SPED kid on par with a non-SPED kid but that doesn’t change the rigor of the Basis curriculum, the amount of work kids have to do and the level of that work, the pre-comps and comps, and the lack of social promotion (i.e., moving kids to the next grade level even though they fail a course). All kids, SPED and non-SPED, would have it easier at another school. IDEA just levels the playing field; it doesn’t transform your kid into something he or she is not.

Given your many posts here about your kid and your negative views about Basis, it might make sense to consider another school. Just something to think about.

As the old expression has it: be careful what you wish for.

Good luck with your choice.

No, the problems identified by the charter board were not "pretty minor." They were serious enough that they put the charter at risk by getting only a conditional approval. That's not something that happens for "minor" reasons. Failure to observe procedural steps indicates a poorly resourced/poorly trained special needs staff. That's not minor. And having no level 3 or 4 students is not minor. Having 1/2 as many SN kids as you should is not minor. Having a terrible reputation among SN service provider is not minor. A school can't get out of its federal legal obligations by claiming that its "niche" excludes SN students or, oopsie, we're just not a good "fit" for you!

And as if their "niche" is some immutable fact, rather than the result of their programming choices. Come on. If your school is a bad fit for students with SN, it's because you are choosing to make it so.

Wow, this year a the kind of stuff that makes people dislike "equity" policy like IDEa and title 9. Fair isn't always everyone getting the same,.but that's the end result.of.blunt instrument thinking...

IDEA is not “equity policy.” It requires that each student with a disability be given individualized support to access the curriculum. you Basis people sure are not covering yourselves with glory here.