BASIS high school versus middle school

[Anonymous]

Yes. Basis finally gets it.

Applying to top East Coast colleges from Arizona and applying from DC are two different things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I doubt that revamping the college counseling process is what BASIS needs to do help students crack the most highly competitive colleges. They could take common sense steps to ratchet up students' chances in other ways.

The most obvious problem is that BASIS crams too much AP work into 3 years of HS. We left after sophomore year for this reason. Our kid is taking 4 AP classes sr. year at a private (the norm at the private), plus doing an internship 15 hours/wk. BASIS could do much more to support kids in developing serious ECs. When a kid is expected to take all AP exams by the end of jr. year, there isn't really enough time for high-powered ECs the family has to arrange off-campus.

BASIS could also stop wasting the language skills of kids who arrive with them in 4th grade. The policy of not permitting kids to study a modern language per the curriculum until 8th is dumb. We were in that situation and kept going with a language on our own. Our kid scored a 5 on AP for the language in 9th grade (took the exam at a different school; BASIS wouldn't work with us). She took a Cambridge Exam A-Level in the language this past November. We got the result a month ago, in time to include it with college applications. The BASIS DC position that if you care about languages, shut up and head to DCI isn't constructive.

This. It’s cramming AP at the expense of all else. Not only is it unhealthy and puts too much pressure/stress on the kids but it is a very narrow focus. It leaves not much time for other pursuits to be well rounded.

It also doesn’t help that the school is really lacking in extracurriculars and the facilities to support it both in sports and clubs.

[Anonymous]

You know, you could all just follow the instagram accts and see who is getting in where at the moment. Save yourselves some DCUM crazy.

[Anonymous]

Looks like Hopkins, Haverford, Vassar, Howard, Oberlin, Middlebury.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know, you could all just follow the instagram accts and see who is getting in where at the moment. Save yourselves some DCUM crazy.

You trust BASIS instagram accounts? We don't necessarily.

Even when you believe the self-reported admissions results in Instagram, you don't find out what kind of aid packages kids get, or where they enroll.

[Anonymous]

Also, Instagram only includes those who want to share their college news. I’m sure many families avoid posting on Instagram, including for reasons related to not wanting their child’s college admission being discussed on this forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You do realize that if “a dozen” BASIS students are admitted into top schools that’s roughly 30% of the graduating class, right?! Don’t compare the number of students going to top colleges, but rather the percentage of the graduating class…In any event, BASIS is supposedly looking to revamp is college counseling process, recognizing the extreme competitiveness for top college admissions these days.

What BASIS needs to revamp is the pay and working conditions for top teachers.

As a HS family, you get fed up with some of the best teachers leaving for better pay at Walls and JR and better working conditions (training, facilities, hours) in the burbs.

We're not happy that a star math teacher left for Walls in the spring.

They can revamp the college counseling process all they want without fixing high teacher turnover. I don't know what the solution is knowing that charters don't get the same per student allocations as DCPS. Arizona needs to fundraise more for the DC campus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You do realize that if “a dozen” BASIS students are admitted into top schools that’s roughly 30% of the graduating class, right?! Don’t compare the number of students going to top colleges, but rather the percentage of the graduating class…In any event, BASIS is supposedly looking to revamp is college counseling process, recognizing the extreme competitiveness for top college admissions these days.

What BASIS needs to revamp is the pay and working conditions for top teachers.

As a HS family, you get fed up with some of the best teachers leaving for better pay at Walls and JR and better working conditions (training, facilities, hours) in the burbs.

We're not happy that a star math teacher left for Walls in the spring.

They can revamp the college counseling process all they want without fixing high teacher turnover. I don't know what the solution is knowing that charters don't get the same per student allocations as DCPS. Arizona needs to fundraise more for the DC campus.

You have every right to be upset when teachers leave, but not the right to employ hyperbole and to just make things up. This has been covered elsewhere on DCUM. There has not been an exodus of teachers leaving for JR and Walls. One person does not an exodus make. Do better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know, you could all just follow the instagram accts and see who is getting in where at the moment. Save yourselves some DCUM crazy.

You trust BASIS instagram accounts? We don't necessarily.

Even when you believe the self-reported admissions results in Instagram, you don't find out what kind of aid packages kids get, or where they enroll.

I don't even know what this means (and neither do you). Are you suggesting kids should publish their aid packages? Is it also your impression that kids are posting where the were accepted, but not where they enrolled? And, even if they were, for purposes of assessing what college doors BASIS can and cannot open, don't you actually care about where they were admitted and not where their personal and financial situation resulted in enrollment?

BASIS brings out the worst in DCUM. You people are so mad you don't even know what you are mad about!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You do realize that if “a dozen” BASIS students are admitted into top schools that’s roughly 30% of the graduating class, right?! Don’t compare the number of students going to top colleges, but rather the percentage of the graduating class…In any event, BASIS is supposedly looking to revamp is college counseling process, recognizing the extreme competitiveness for top college admissions these days.

What BASIS needs to revamp is the pay and working conditions for top teachers.

As a HS family, you get fed up with some of the best teachers leaving for better pay at Walls and JR and better working conditions (training, facilities, hours) in the burbs.

We're not happy that a star math teacher left for Walls in the spring.

They can revamp the college counseling process all they want without fixing high teacher turnover. I don't know what the solution is knowing that charters don't get the same per student allocations as DCPS. Arizona needs to fundraise more for the DC campus.

You have every right to be upset when teachers leave, but not the right to employ hyperbole and to just make things up. This has been covered elsewhere on DCUM. There has not been an exodus of teachers leaving for JR and Walls. One person does not an exodus make. Do better.

The hyperbole is yours to own. BASIS loses much more than one good HS teacher over poor pay every summer. You cover what you want on DCUM; let others cover what they want. Revamping college admissions to improve outcomes will be yet another exercise in papering over the cracks, bandaid treatment, whitewashing. If you have a kid in the HS above 9th grade, you know this as well as I do.

We're waiting for fi aid offers from privates, hoping that we won't be back to BASIS for 11th grade. We're not alone.

[Anonymous]

I hear you. We’re sick and tired of teacher turnover ourselves. There’s too much every year at BASIS but no community engagement on the issues. We’re also on the fence about sticking around for the rest of high school…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You do realize that if “a dozen” BASIS students are admitted into top schools that’s roughly 30% of the graduating class, right?! Don’t compare the number of students going to top colleges, but rather the percentage of the graduating class…In any event, BASIS is supposedly looking to revamp is college counseling process, recognizing the extreme competitiveness for top college admissions these days.

What BASIS needs to revamp is the pay and working conditions for top teachers.

As a HS family, you get fed up with some of the best teachers leaving for better pay at Walls and JR and better working conditions (training, facilities, hours) in the burbs.

We're not happy that a star math teacher left for Walls in the spring.

They can revamp the college counseling process all they want without fixing high teacher turnover. I don't know what the solution is knowing that charters don't get the same per student allocations as DCPS. Arizona needs to fundraise more for the DC campus.

You have every right to be upset when teachers leave, but not the right to employ hyperbole and to just make things up. This has been covered elsewhere on DCUM. There has not been an exodus of teachers leaving for JR and Walls. One person does not an exodus make. Do better.

The hyperbole is yours to own. BASIS loses much more than one good HS teacher over poor pay every summer. You cover what you want on DCUM; let others cover what they want. Revamping college admissions to improve outcomes will be yet another exercise in papering over the cracks, bandaid treatment, whitewashing. If you have a kid in the HS above 9th grade, you know this as well as I do.

We're waiting for fi aid offers from privates, hoping that we won't be back to BASIS for 11th grade. We're not alone.

Can't help but notice you can't name the huge number of teachers who departed BASIS for Walls and JR, as you said in your original post. You think we didn't notice you morphed from that specific assertion to a broader indictment related to money?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know, you could all just follow the instagram accts and see who is getting in where at the moment. Save yourselves some DCUM crazy.

You trust BASIS instagram accounts? We don't necessarily.

Even when you believe the self-reported admissions results in Instagram, you don't find out what kind of aid packages kids get, or where they enroll.

OMG the Instagram account that announces where kids are going is run by the kids that actually go to BASIS. Yes, you can trust the BASIS class of '23 account. There is no conspiracy that is hiding admissions information.

It is still early in the process so what you see on that account in February (just like what you see on the Walls admissions account or the Latin account or any other high school admissions account) are the decisions of kids who applied ED1 or ED2 and know where they are going right now -- today. You're right, PP, kids are not posting what colleges they got into or where they were rejected from or how much money a college is giving them in merit aid. That doesn't matter to them for social media! What matters is looking cute in their college sweatshirt and celebrating that a decision was made.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You do realize that if “a dozen” BASIS students are admitted into top schools that’s roughly 30% of the graduating class, right?! Don’t compare the number of students going to top colleges, but rather the percentage of the graduating class…In any event, BASIS is supposedly looking to revamp is college counseling process, recognizing the extreme competitiveness for top college admissions these days.

What BASIS needs to revamp is the pay and working conditions for top teachers.

As a HS family, you get fed up with some of the best teachers leaving for better pay at Walls and JR and better working conditions (training, facilities, hours) in the burbs.

We're not happy that a star math teacher left for Walls in the spring.

They can revamp the college counseling process all they want without fixing high teacher turnover. I don't know what the solution is knowing that charters don't get the same per student allocations as DCPS. Arizona needs to fundraise more for the DC campus.

You have every right to be upset when teachers leave, but not the right to employ hyperbole and to just make things up. This has been covered elsewhere on DCUM. There has not been an exodus of teachers leaving for JR and Walls. One person does not an exodus make. Do better.

The hyperbole is yours to own. BASIS loses much more than one good HS teacher over poor pay every summer. You cover what you want on DCUM; let others cover what they want. Revamping college admissions to improve outcomes will be yet another exercise in papering over the cracks, bandaid treatment, whitewashing. If you have a kid in the HS above 9th grade, you know this as well as I do.

We're waiting for fi aid offers from privates, hoping that we won't be back to BASIS for 11th grade. We're not alone.

Can't help but notice you can't name the huge number of teachers who departed BASIS for Walls and JR, as you said in your original post. You think we didn't notice you morphed from that specific assertion to a broader indictment related to money?

New poster. You're twisting posts. Nobody on this thread has argued that BASIS teachers only leave for better pay at Walls + JR. PPs mention teachers leaving for better working conditions, facilities and pay at a variety of schools, which is factually correct.

BASIS doesn't pay well relative to many other DC Metro area schools and doesn't seem to put much into supporting its teachers (via training). The facilities at BASIS obviously aren't good.

In short, too many BASIS teachers leave for better JOBS. This is a valid criticism and a real concern.

I'm going to argue that parents put up with chronically high teacher turnover at BASIS relative to top privates and public schools in VA and MD because their DC public HS options just aren't great. Slam me now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You do realize that if “a dozen” BASIS students are admitted into top schools that’s roughly 30% of the graduating class, right?! Don’t compare the number of students going to top colleges, but rather the percentage of the graduating class…In any event, BASIS is supposedly looking to revamp is college counseling process, recognizing the extreme competitiveness for top college admissions these days.

What BASIS needs to revamp is the pay and working conditions for top teachers.

As a HS family, you get fed up with some of the best teachers leaving for better pay at Walls and JR and better working conditions (training, facilities, hours) in the burbs.

We're not happy that a star math teacher left for Walls in the spring.

They can revamp the college counseling process all they want without fixing high teacher turnover. I don't know what the solution is knowing that charters don't get the same per student allocations as DCPS. Arizona needs to fundraise more for the DC campus.

You have every right to be upset when teachers leave, but not the right to employ hyperbole and to just make things up. This has been covered elsewhere on DCUM. There has not been an exodus of teachers leaving for JR and Walls. One person does not an exodus make. Do better.

The hyperbole is yours to own. BASIS loses much more than one good HS teacher over poor pay every summer. You cover what you want on DCUM; let others cover what they want. Revamping college admissions to improve outcomes will be yet another exercise in papering over the cracks, bandaid treatment, whitewashing. If you have a kid in the HS above 9th grade, you know this as well as I do.

We're waiting for fi aid offers from privates, hoping that we won't be back to BASIS for 11th grade. We're not alone.

Can't help but notice you can't name the huge number of teachers who departed BASIS for Walls and JR, as you said in your original post. You think we didn't notice you morphed from that specific assertion to a broader indictment related to money?

I don’t know why you are being so weird about this topic. New poster and current BASIS family, and the Head of School has said himself in town halls this year that teacher retention is a major issue the school is working on, that they are trying to reduce the number of top teachers who leave every year. The school is aiming to get the percentage of top performing teachers who leave each year below 10% as part of their 5 year plan - meaning that more than 10% leave now (and probably substantially more if they think they need 5 years to meet this goal).