BASIS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP above tells of a common experience. Even the best DC public schools aren't too hot in the big picture. My older kid found it difficult to appreciate those top-notch academics in the bad building with favorite teachers quitting. He also disliked being forced to take a beginning language class in 8th grade although he's an advanced language student. We left for a private (financed by concerned grandparents) that he loves. Without surprise help from super generous grandparents, we'd be in Bethesda or Arlington.

It seems like the most interesting thing that happens when people attend BASIS is that is adjusts everyone's expectations of what a good education should entail. Like, it's hard to go backwards to a less rigorous experience with less learning, which means only private/parochial or maybe Walls will do for high school.

Speaking as a 4th grade parent -- when I think about the potential path, I thought I was as open to a good enough DCPS like FS or SH and then Walls or Banneker or McKinley, as BASIS. But now that we have matched as BASIS and I'm learning all the very detailed information about their curriculum, I don't know if we would choose Banneker or McKinley. But if we had been at FS, I bet we would have been very happy with that outcome.

I mean, who knows what will happen. I also find the building deeply weird and unhealthy and the teacher turnover alarming. But the curriculum is great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents should talk to families with kids older than 5th grade at BASIS. The 5th grade experience is pretty different than the rest of the middle school experience.

My kid went to BASIS from 5th-8th. I thought the academics were top notch - way beyond anything I was taught/learned at that age, and head and shoulders above friends' curriculums at other DCPS and charter middle schools. True there wasn't a lot of writing - because, as a prior poster noted, BASIS middle school focuses heavily on grammar (my kid can diagram a sentence like nobody's business!). Kid decided to go to Walls mainly for social reasons - all elementary school friends were going there (coming from other non-BASIS middle schools). Academics at Walls are, so far, not even close to as good as they were at BASIS. I think the kids are actually writing LESS than they did at BASIS, and I know my kid read more books in 8th grade at BASIS than in 9th at Walls. Kid is happy and I'm sure all will be fine/will ultimately get in to a good college - but I don't kid myself on the academics front (at least so far! Hope springs eternal!)

I feel like Walls kids read a lot in 9th grade, just not actual books. But DCPS is moving away from kids reading books in general. They want them to read informational texts. I think it’s because they don’t think kids will actually read books and it’s a low expectation but that’s for a separate thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The poster who chose parochial school for their youngest child had an experience that is not particularly relevant to families currently considering Basis for middle school. Recently (a couple of years ago), Basis strengthened its middle school writing program by eliminating the required Latin class and replacing it with a required, intensive writing class called Writing Mastery. My 5th grader now takes three required classes that involve significant writing: Writing Mastery, English, and History. (The 5th grade Writing Mastery teacher, who is excellent, also teaches 5th grade History.)

As a middle school parent, I have been impressed with the quality of writing instruction at Basis. My 5th grader is writing a lot -- persuasive writing, narrative writing, literary and historical analysis, even a bit of fiction -- and is getting a strong foundation in grammar. Plus, the kids don't use devices in class at all.

No school is perfect, but Basis has been great for my motivated, humanities-oriented kid. Those who are considering Basis should talk to current Basis middle school families, visit the school, and keep in mind that some information on DCUM is simply not up-to-date or accurate.

Keep in mind that BASIS is plagued by fairly high teacher turnover and markedly uneven quality of instruction. My 5th grader also had required classes involving significant writing, in theory. In practice, one humanities teacher left mid-year, another was a dud, and the third was super enthusiastic but very young with hopeless classroom management skills. The result was little writing instruction. Your account is surely up-to-date and accurate. Sadly, so is mine. But let's all pretend that the good parochial writing training doesn't exist, so we don't lose faith since BASIS is all that stands between us and burbs we'd rather not live in...

You must not have ever had kids in other public schools if you think this is specific to BASIS. Teachers are leaving the profession left and right and DCPS (and the other public schools my step kids attend) are filled with some great teachers alongside some terrible ones who have been terrible for years and are untouchable due to tenure rules.

[Anonymous]

Oh come on, even BASIS DC's leadership and Arizona HQ have conceded that they have an unsustainable problem with high teacher turnover. Steps have been taken to address the problem in the last six months, with teaching pay increasing and more scheduled increases to come. The issue isn't mere nitpicking on the part of unrealistic DCUM's posters who haven't had kids in other public schools. No secret that BASIS DC burns out too many of its teachers.

[Anonymous]

No recess for 5th grade boys, not even after lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Then you got lucky that your favorite teachers didn't hit the road. The high turnover is a fact, not an experience.

Well, you have to put facts in context.

Turnover at BASIS the 2 years has been less than the DC average…turnover is high everywhere.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/11/30/dc-teachers-turnover-public-charter-schools/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Then you got lucky that your favorite teachers didn't hit the road. The high turnover is a fact, not an experience.

Well, you have to put facts in context.

Turnover at BASIS the 2 years has been less than the DC average…turnover is high everywhere.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/11/30/dc-teachers-turnover-public-charter-schools/

Isn’t it more worthwhile to compare turnover at Basis to Walls, Banneker, McKinley? No one on this board is looking at the schools that have the highest turnover for HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Then you got lucky that your favorite teachers didn't hit the road. The high turnover is a fact, not an experience.

Well, you have to put facts in context.

Turnover at BASIS the 2 years has been less than the DC average…turnover is high everywhere.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/11/30/dc-teachers-turnover-public-charter-schools/

Isn’t it more worthwhile to compare turnover at Basis to Walls, Banneker, McKinley? No one on this board is looking at the schools that have the highest turnover for HS.

Comparing a charter against three DCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Then you got lucky that your favorite teachers didn't hit the road. The high turnover is a fact, not an experience.

Well, you have to put facts in context.

Turnover at BASIS the 2 years has been less than the DC average…turnover is high everywhere.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/11/30/dc-teachers-turnover-public-charter-schools/

Isn’t it more worthwhile to compare turnover at Basis to Walls, Banneker, McKinley? No one on this board is looking at the schools that have the highest turnover for HS.

Comparing a charter against three DCPS?

This forum compares Basis to Walls and Banneker over and over again. Why not compare teacher attrition?

[Anonymous]

One of my favorite things as a BASIS HS parent is that the families who don’t like the school leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of my favorite things as a BASIS HS parent is that the families who don’t like the school leave.

And then spend their free time bashing it and gnashing their teeth on this forum.

😀

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of my favorite things as a BASIS HS parent is that the families who don’t like the school leave.

And then spend their free time bashing it and gnashing their teeth on this forum.

😀

True but at least they aren’t making the students unhappy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Then you got lucky that your favorite teachers didn't hit the road. The high turnover is a fact, not an experience.

Well, you have to put facts in context.

Turnover at BASIS the 2 years has been less than the DC average…turnover is high everywhere.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/11/30/dc-teachers-turnover-public-charter-schools/

Isn’t it more worthwhile to compare turnover at Basis to Walls, Banneker, McKinley? No one on this board is looking at the schools that have the highest turnover for HS.

Comparing a charter against three DCPS?

Right. You can't compare a charter against DCPS.

For one things, charters have a lot more flexibility than DCPS schools, and can get rid of teachers that aren't working out. Unfortunately, that isn't true at DCPS, where bad teachers can get embedded and never leave.

Teacher retention is about retaining good teachers, not bad ones. So, teacher attrition is not necessarily a bad thing.

[Anonymous]

This thread has hijacked by BASIS zealots meaning that it’s become a waste if time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread has hijacked by BASIS zealots meaning that it’s become a waste if time.

Literal title of thread is "BASIS". You would prefer the conversation be about something else? Or just that only people with an ax to grind participate? By all means start a new thread titled "I hate BASIS. Please contribute to my echo chamber."