How to help child succeed at BASIS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The PP was just being sarcastic.

Some parent who stayed at Basis was complaining about the school but bragging that his/her kid was selected to a college that only admits in the single digits. Gee, it sounds like maybe your kid actually did obtain a good education at Basis...

You can put this in the same category as the posters who bash Basis but also claim that there kid was a straight A student, took Calc BC in 8th grade, and the like.

If you don't like the school, just go elsewhere. And then tout your kids' supposed genius in some other thread. Plenty of students at Basis are happy there.

I enjoy reading Basis threads at the same time I read JR (Wilson) threads. On the one hand "Basis is a terrible building without a library, gym or track coach (ignoring academic rigor and focus on high performers) and on the other hand JR doesn't care about high performing kids."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The PP was just being sarcastic.

Some parent who stayed at Basis was complaining about the school but bragging that his/her kid was selected to a college that only admits in the single digits. Gee, it sounds like maybe your kid actually did obtain a good education at Basis...

You can put this in the same category as the posters who bash Basis but also claim that there kid was a straight A student, took Calc BC in 8th grade, and the like.

If you don't like the school, just go elsewhere. And then tout your kids' supposed genius in some other thread. Plenty of students at Basis are happy there.

Why don't you tout your unduly idealistic view of BASIS DC elsewhere? Make no mistake, there's an undeniable Hobbesian undercurrent to the program, one celebrated by some of the happy families. Search Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher, 1651 Leviathan to get up to speed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: A few of classmates failed comps, were instructed to repeat a grade to stay, then left. These kids weren't treated well by admins before their families bailed, which I considered shameful. Admins want no more than around 50% of the MS students back for HS. That's the BASIS franchise's model wherever they operate.

It's not that admins want high attrition. They want a highly rigorous school. To achieve that, you can either have an entrance exam which selects the students academically capable, or you can let everyone try the school, but have high attrition. The moment you have to have a lottery rather than an admissions test, you're going to end up with a bunch of kids who aren't bright enough or motivated enough to handle a rigorous school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: A few of classmates failed comps, were instructed to repeat a grade to stay, then left. These kids weren't treated well by admins before their families bailed, which I considered shameful. Admins want no more than around 50% of the MS students back for HS. That's the BASIS franchise's model wherever they operate.

It's not that admins want high attrition. They want a highly rigorous school. To achieve that, you can either have an entrance exam which selects the students academically capable, or you can let everyone try the school, but have high attrition. The moment you have to have a lottery rather than an admissions test, you're going to end up with a bunch of kids who aren't bright enough or motivated enough to handle a rigorous school.

I have an 8th grader and got the opposite impression: They really want kids to stay, which is why they had a bunch of events touting high school and had individual meetings with every 8th grade family to let us know what to expect (and to sell us on the idea of HS).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, but the counselor isn’t a powerful player in the not so subtle BASIS game to weed out academic stragglers, starting after 6th grade comp results come out. If admins and teachers want your kid gone, the counselor can’t necessarily do much to help.

What PP means is, their kid couldn't hack it academically and when they failed their comps and were told they needed to repeat the grade (which they are always able to do) because Basis won't socially promote, PP got mad, moved their kid and started blaming everyone but themselves. Apparently it is the counselor's fault their kid couldn't hack it. Now, even removed from that experience, PP can't acknowledge their parenting failure because the knew damn well, as do all Basis families, that there is a comp exam every year starting in 6th.

Psycho babble nonsense, PP. I posted about the counselor's role.

My kid made 90s Club from the get go and passed comps before moving on to a different HS. A few of classmates failed comps, were instructed to repeat a grade to stay, then left. These kids weren't treated well by admins before their families bailed, which I considered shameful. Admins want no more than around 50% of the MS students back for HS. That's the BASIS franchise's model wherever they operate.

That is simply not true. Just as bad: your argument is internally inconsistent.

In fact, as you say, very few kids fail comps and those that do can retake. Basis DC generally doesn't fill seats after 5th grade because new kids would be too far behind to catch up. So, the reduction of numbers at Basis DC is due to normal attrition. Embassy people move to other countries, people decamp to other states, families choose a less demanding school, couples get divorced, etc. Life goes on.

Moreover, every year more and more stay through 12th. Probably 2/3 of the 5th grade class from 4 years ago will move to 9th and 90-95% of them will stay to graduate. For example, fewer and fewer are leaving to go to Walls.

I don't know why people bother to post false information. If you didn't like Basis a few years ago, good for you. But don't pretend you know what the current situation is at Basis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The PP was just being sarcastic.

Some parent who stayed at Basis was complaining about the school but bragging that his/her kid was selected to a college that only admits in the single digits. Gee, it sounds like maybe your kid actually did obtain a good education at Basis...

You can put this in the same category as the posters who bash Basis but also claim that there kid was a straight A student, took Calc BC in 8th grade, and the like.

If you don't like the school, just go elsewhere. And then tout your kids' supposed genius in some other thread. Plenty of students at Basis are happy there.

Why don't you tout your unduly idealistic view of BASIS DC elsewhere? Make no mistake, there's an undeniable Hobbesian undercurrent to the program, one celebrated by some of the happy families. Search Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher, 1651 Leviathan to get up to speed.

Ah, yes, the Google pedant strikes again.

As Hobbes wrote, "Words are the money of fools."

If Hobbes is right, you would be a billionaire.

[Anonymous]

The more I learn about BASIS the less appealing it sounds. Too cutthroat and high stress for our family I think. We have PhDs and our kid has been rather bored in DCPS (almost all 4s on every report card since K). Sounds like we will need to go private or move after 5th grade if we don't get into Latin 1 or 2.

[Anonymous]

Since there is apparently a trend for more students to remain at BASIS for HS, I am wondering would the school actually consider moving to a larger space or would they sooner decrease the size of the incoming 5th grade class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Since there is apparently a trend for more students to remain at BASIS for HS, I am wondering would the school actually consider moving to a larger space or would they sooner decrease the size of the incoming 5th grade class?

This has come up in school town halls. No bigger building, as more high school student stay, the 5th grade class will get smaller

[Anonymous]

What are the factors causing more students to stay for high school? Did BASIS address past problems and improve in ways that students/parents find more appealing? Or does it have to do with other school options now somehow being less desirable than previously? What schools were BASIS MS students often switching to for HS previously? Or a combination of factors or other factors causing increased popularity in the high school?

[Anonymous]

Do we know how many kids — in raw numbers — have enrolled in 9th for next year? Did I hear correctly on a recent townhall that it’s about 90 kids? Or am I mistaken?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, but the counselor isn’t a powerful player in the not so subtle BASIS game to weed out academic stragglers, starting after 6th grade comp results come out. If admins and teachers want your kid gone, the counselor can’t necessarily do much to help.

What PP means is, their kid couldn't hack it academically and when they failed their comps and were told they needed to repeat the grade (which they are always able to do) because Basis won't socially promote, PP got mad, moved their kid and started blaming everyone but themselves. Apparently it is the counselor's fault their kid couldn't hack it. Now, even removed from that experience, PP can't acknowledge their parenting failure because the knew damn well, as do all Basis families, that there is a comp exam every year starting in 6th.

Psycho babble nonsense, PP. I posted about the counselor's role.

My kid made 90s Club from the get go and passed comps before moving on to a different HS. A few of classmates failed comps, were instructed to repeat a grade to stay, then left. These kids weren't treated well by admins before their families bailed, which I considered shameful. Admins want no more than around 50% of the MS students back for HS. That's the BASIS franchise's model wherever they operate.

That's an incredibly dumb statement even by DCUM standards. Basis gets paid only for butts in seats. Fewer students=less money.

Basis wants kids who are at grade level and can handle the rigor. Kids for whom it is not a good fit leave. That's ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do we know how many kids — in raw numbers — have enrolled in 9th for next year? Did I hear correctly on a recent townhall that it’s about 90 kids? Or am I mistaken?

Whoa 90 staying? That must be a record!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the factors causing more students to stay for high school? Did BASIS address past problems and improve in ways that students/parents find more appealing? Or does it have to do with other school options now somehow being less desirable than previously? What schools were BASIS MS students often switching to for HS previously? Or a combination of factors or other factors causing increased popularity in the high school?

I wonder too. Maybe (my guesses): BASIS did a really good job with distance learning and transitioned seamlessly back to In Person learning this year. So parents have trust/confidence in the administration and teachers (and saw how bad the alternative was); more and more parents are self-selecting out of lottery and parents only lottery their kids in who they truly think can handle the challenging curriculum (= greater percentage of kids who actually can handle it); bad recent rap SWW has gotten during Covid (terrible at distance learning; not great transition back to in person; watering down of entrance requirements so caliber of student body not as much of a known quantity).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do we know how many kids — in raw numbers — have enrolled in 9th for next year? Did I hear correctly on a recent townhall that it’s about 90 kids? Or am I mistaken?

Whoa 90 staying? That must be a record!

Hopefully they’re right sizing the student body so they don’t end up with an even more over-crammed building.