I am confused between Stuart Hobson Middle School vs. Deal Middle School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not really.

What happens is that someone says something mildly favorable about BASIS and then the handful of BASIS haters start posting about how the schools doesn't have a library, gym, theater stage, sport fields, etc. Then BASIS boosters respond, pointing out how that critique is wrong, stupid, irrelevant, etc.

Why is this? My guess is that because a lot of kids drop out of BASIS, the parents have grudges, axes to grind, etc., and think that they need to bash BASIS to rationalize the fact that their kid couldn't handle it. You don't see that kind of vitriol with other schools because those schools socially promote and thus don't have the same attrition. BASIS boosters then correctly point out that the haters are spewing bad information.

People interested in BASIS should just ignore DCUM and do their own research. For the right sort of academically minded kid, it is a great option in DC.

A great option compared to what? Stuart Hobson, Jefferson Academy or Eliot Hine? I'll give you that. Arguably, even the most academically minded kids deserve better than BASIS. They certainly can't have better in DC public schools in terms of rigor and AP prep, so that observation is neither here nor there.

Compared to Deal, Hardy, JR, Latin, Walls, etc. And it compares favorably to DMV suburban schools.

[Anonymous]

BASIS just doesn't compare favorably to the best suburban high schools in this Metro area. This is the stuff of pure fantasy. I know this because I sent my kid to BASIS and used to work in a couple of the highest-performing high schools in this Metro area.

Have you seen the engineering labs in some of the Fairfax high schools? The marine biology research lab at TJ? The school musicals supported by full orchestras in NoVa and MoCo? The high schools teaching Higher Level International Bacclaureate classes (2 years past the AP level) in 8 or 10 languages?

BASIS DC does offer competitive advanced math, because advanced math is cheap to teach. That's about it where world-class offerings at BASIS DC go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BASIS just doesn't compare favorably to the best suburban high schools in this Metro area. This is the stuff of pure fantasy. I know this because I sent my kid to BASIS and used to work in a couple of the highest-performing high schools in this Metro area.

Have you seen the engineering labs in some of the Fairfax high schools? The marine biology research lab at TJ? The school musicals supported by full orchestras in NoVa and MoCo? The high schools teaching Higher Level International Bacclaureate classes (2 years past the AP level) in 8 or 10 languages?

BASIS DC does offer competitive advanced math, because advanced math is cheap to teach. That's about it where world-class offerings at BASIS DC go.

That's incredibly helpful for those divorced parents who live in DC and VA/MD. On behalf of everyone else who lives in DC, please stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BASIS just doesn't compare favorably to the best suburban high schools in this Metro area. This is the stuff of pure fantasy. I know this because I sent my kid to BASIS and used to work in a couple of the highest-performing high schools in this Metro area.

Have you seen the engineering labs in some of the Fairfax high schools? The marine biology research lab at TJ? The school musicals supported by full orchestras in NoVa and MoCo? The high schools teaching Higher Level International Bacclaureate classes (2 years past the AP level) in 8 or 10 languages?

BASIS DC does offer competitive advanced math, because advanced math is cheap to teach. That's about it where world-class offerings at BASIS DC go.

Nice try. Those are much bigger schools. M-B has 900 in the senior class; Basis DC has 50.

In fact, Basis DC has better college admissions per capita than most suburban DMV schools including M-B, Whitman, etc.

[Anonymous]

There's no denying that BASIS DC does best in teaching what's cheap to teach. That's generally true of DC public charters, which lack access to DCPS' far more generous per capita outlays and better buildings. The BASIS franchise hasn't pumped resources into their DC operation like those in Arizona and Texas, particularly the new San Antonio branch (which I've visited for my work). Stuart Hobson's building is fantastic by comparison, but DCPS' staunch refusal to run with a full menu of honors courses in all of its middle schools discourages community buy-in. Deal's overcrowding and unstable leadership keeps it back in countless ways. There just aren't any great public middle schools in the District.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BASIS just doesn't compare favorably to the best suburban high schools in this Metro area. This is the stuff of pure fantasy. I know this because I sent my kid to BASIS and used to work in a couple of the highest-performing high schools in this Metro area.

Have you seen the engineering labs in some of the Fairfax high schools? The marine biology research lab at TJ? The school musicals supported by full orchestras in NoVa and MoCo? The high schools teaching Higher Level International Bacclaureate classes (2 years past the AP level) in 8 or 10 languages?

BASIS DC does offer competitive advanced math, because advanced math is cheap to teach. That's about it where world-class offerings at BASIS DC go.

Nice try. Those are much bigger schools. M-B has 900 in the senior class; Basis DC has 50.

In fact, Basis DC has better college admissions per capita than most suburban DMV schools including M-B, Whitman, etc.

BASIS DC gets fantastic college admissions results for roughly one-third of its seniors. The rest of the kids endure a hard slog from a young age without an incredible payoff at the finish line. Limited extra-curriculars, lack of hands-on learning opportunities, a narrow focus on science and math acceleration and the push to pass at least 6 AP exams by spring of junior year can make things tough for excellent students for whom quantitative work doesn't come easily. This is particularly true where BASIS families aren't in a good position to support outside activities/enrichment through the years. Excellent students who don't excel at STEM tend to get better admissions results from Walls, Banneker and JR.

College admissions at BASIS just isn't the universally rosy picture you're painting. I used to work at a DC parochial school with a senior class of less than 50 (not difficult to guess which) where college admissions "per capita" were more impressive across the board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every thread gets taken over by Basis parents. They are very active on this listserve apparently. They make the school look bad if you ask me. The parents seem completely neurotic

Seems more like every thread is taken over by BASIS haters and BASIS parents choose not to sit idly by and watch the same few people with library fetishes go unchecked.

P.S. I bet the BASIS parents on DCUM will lose sleep tonight knowing you don't think they look good saying positive things about the school.

Come on, recent critiques of BASIS haven't come from posters who bemoan the lack of a library. They've mostly come from current parents who champion the fabulousness of BASIS even as they admit that the building is bad, the curriculum is limited, and the enrichment on offer isn't a selling point. It all boils down to the same thing: parents EotP who can't afford privates or houses in Upper NW, don't want to move, struck out in the Latin 1 lottery, and have little confidence in DCPS 6-8 programs make the best of BASIS. Some claim that they'd have gone for wonderful BASIS regardless, which is BS. We've heard all this umpteen times.

Untrue.

+1. I send my boy to BASIS middle school because I like the student population and many aspects of the way the school is run. We will probably move/go private for high school, but for middle school, BASIS really works for us.

[Anonymous]

I like the post above that digs into college admissions at BASIS. So glad we left for Walls, where college admissions isn’t the be and end all. My kid rows crew and plays in the orchestra, lots of fun. With an 800 on her math SAT and half a dozen 5s on AP exams, I’m not worried about college admissions.. BASIS was much too controlling for some of us. Their admins underwhelm. DCPS can work fine all the way up for a top kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like the post above that digs into college admissions at BASIS. So glad we left for Walls, where college admissions isn’t the be and end all. My kid rows crew and plays in the orchestra, lots of fun. With an 800 on her math SAT and half a dozen 5s on AP exams, I’m not worried about college admissions.. BASIS was much too controlling for some of us. Their admins underwhelm. DCPS can work fine all the way up for a top kid.

The complete and total lack of self awareness astounds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like the post above that digs into college admissions at BASIS. So glad we left for Walls, where college admissions isn’t the be and end all. My kid rows crew and plays in the orchestra, lots of fun. With an 800 on her math SAT and half a dozen 5s on AP exams, I’m not worried about college admissions.. BASIS was much too controlling for some of us. Their admins underwhelm. DCPS can work fine all the way up for a top kid.

Bully for you. Not sure what your point is.

Walls is a good school too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BASIS just doesn't compare favorably to the best suburban high schools in this Metro area. This is the stuff of pure fantasy. I know this because I sent my kid to BASIS and used to work in a couple of the highest-performing high schools in this Metro area.

Have you seen the engineering labs in some of the Fairfax high schools? The marine biology research lab at TJ? The school musicals supported by full orchestras in NoVa and MoCo? The high schools teaching Higher Level International Bacclaureate classes (2 years past the AP level) in 8 or 10 languages?

BASIS DC does offer competitive advanced math, because advanced math is cheap to teach. That's about it where world-class offerings at BASIS DC go.

Nice try. Those are much bigger schools. M-B has 900 in the senior class; Basis DC has 50.

In fact, Basis DC has better college admissions per capita than most suburban DMV schools including M-B, Whitman, etc.

BASIS DC gets fantastic college admissions results for roughly one-third of its seniors. The rest of the kids endure a hard slog from a young age without an incredible payoff at the finish line. Limited extra-curriculars, lack of hands-on learning opportunities, a narrow focus on science and math acceleration and the push to pass at least 6 AP exams by spring of junior year can make things tough for excellent students for whom quantitative work doesn't come easily. This is particularly true where BASIS families aren't in a good position to support outside activities/enrichment through the years. Excellent students who don't excel at STEM tend to get better admissions results from Walls, Banneker and JR.

College admissions at BASIS just isn't the universally rosy picture you're painting. I used to work at a DC parochial school with a senior class of less than 50 (not difficult to guess which) where college admissions "per capita" were more impressive across the board.

No one thinks that college admissions is universally rosy, whatever that means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the post above that digs into college admissions at BASIS. So glad we left for Walls, where college admissions isn’t the be and end all. My kid rows crew and plays in the orchestra, lots of fun. With an 800 on her math SAT and half a dozen 5s on AP exams, I’m not worried about college admissions.. BASIS was much too controlling for some of us. Their admins underwhelm. DCPS can work fine all the way up for a top kid.

The complete and total lack of self awareness astounds.

Exactly, on the part of BASIS parents who think that most of the kids are headed to MIT, Yale, Harvard etc. (four or five admitted to those particular schools this past spring).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BASIS just doesn't compare favorably to the best suburban high schools in this Metro area. This is the stuff of pure fantasy. I know this because I sent my kid to BASIS and used to work in a couple of the highest-performing high schools in this Metro area.

Have you seen the engineering labs in some of the Fairfax high schools? The marine biology research lab at TJ? The school musicals supported by full orchestras in NoVa and MoCo? The high schools teaching Higher Level International Bacclaureate classes (2 years past the AP level) in 8 or 10 languages?

BASIS DC does offer competitive advanced math, because advanced math is cheap to teach. That's about it where world-class offerings at BASIS DC go.

Nice try. Those are much bigger schools. M-B has 900 in the senior class; Basis DC has 50.

In fact, Basis DC has better college admissions per capita than most suburban DMV schools including M-B, Whitman, etc.

BASIS DC gets fantastic college admissions results for roughly one-third of its seniors. The rest of the kids endure a hard slog from a young age without an incredible payoff at the finish line. Limited extra-curriculars, lack of hands-on learning opportunities, a narrow focus on science and math acceleration and the push to pass at least 6 AP exams by spring of junior year can make things tough for excellent students for whom quantitative work doesn't come easily. This is particularly true where BASIS families aren't in a good position to support outside activities/enrichment through the years. Excellent students who don't excel at STEM tend to get better admissions results from Walls, Banneker and JR.

College admissions at BASIS just isn't the universally rosy picture you're painting. I used to work at a DC parochial school with a senior class of less than 50 (not difficult to guess which) where college admissions "per capita" were more impressive across the board.

No one thinks that college admissions is universally rosy, whatever that means.

The poster above certainly does. He'll be trotting out USNWR high school rankings shortly as per usual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BASIS just doesn't compare favorably to the best suburban high schools in this Metro area. This is the stuff of pure fantasy. I know this because I sent my kid to BASIS and used to work in a couple of the highest-performing high schools in this Metro area.

Have you seen the engineering labs in some of the Fairfax high schools? The marine biology research lab at TJ? The school musicals supported by full orchestras in NoVa and MoCo? The high schools teaching Higher Level International Bacclaureate classes (2 years past the AP level) in 8 or 10 languages?

BASIS DC does offer competitive advanced math, because advanced math is cheap to teach. That's about it where world-class offerings at BASIS DC go.

Nice try. Those are much bigger schools. M-B has 900 in the senior class; Basis DC has 50.

In fact, Basis DC has better college admissions per capita than most suburban DMV schools including M-B, Whitman, etc.

BASIS DC gets fantastic college admissions results for roughly one-third of its seniors. The rest of the kids endure a hard slog from a young age without an incredible payoff at the finish line. Limited extra-curriculars, lack of hands-on learning opportunities, a narrow focus on science and math acceleration and the push to pass at least 6 AP exams by spring of junior year can make things tough for excellent students for whom quantitative work doesn't come easily. This is particularly true where BASIS families aren't in a good position to support outside activities/enrichment through the years. Excellent students who don't excel at STEM tend to get better admissions results from Walls, Banneker and JR.

College admissions at BASIS just isn't the universally rosy picture you're painting. I used to work at a DC parochial school with a senior class of less than 50 (not difficult to guess which) where college admissions "per capita" were more impressive across the board.

No one thinks that college admissions is universally rosy, whatever that means.

The poster above certainly does. He'll be trotting out USNWR high school rankings shortly as per usual.

You clearly don’t understand college admissions or USNWR rankings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the post above that digs into college admissions at BASIS. So glad we left for Walls, where college admissions isn’t the be and end all. My kid rows crew and plays in the orchestra, lots of fun. With an 800 on her math SAT and half a dozen 5s on AP exams, I’m not worried about college admissions.. BASIS was much too controlling for some of us. Their admins underwhelm. DCPS can work fine all the way up for a top kid.

The complete and total lack of self awareness astounds.

Exactly, on the part of BASIS parents who think that most of the kids are headed to MIT, Yale, Harvard etc. (four or five admitted to those particular schools this past spring).

Name a school where “most” kids are heading to those colleges.

I’ll wait.