Parents are pulling their children out of Basis FAST!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:130 open slots for 5th grade. MAYBE 10-20 for 6th grade. You do the math and then figure out why people feel the need to apply for 5th grade rather than wait for 6th.

Sure, if Basis is your be all and end all, then taking a shot at it for 5th grade is no-brainer, whether your child is ready or not. However, if you're in the market for any of the good middle school slots, then it's neither a necessary nor a wise strategy. In that case, you need to look at the aggregate supply and demand of the entire "5th going into 6th" middle school market in DC. And that, I argue, is seeing a growth in supply that outpaces the growth in demand. In that case, waiting is a much better bet if you're sitting on the demand side of the market.

So what schools would you specifically consider if you wait until 6th to enroll your child in middle school? (thus, BASIS and Latin are not options.)

Of course Basis and Latin are options at 6th grade, you have to look at your (and everyone else's!!) lottery ticket as a whole (the market as a whole), that's what I'm saying. Unless your preferences are limited to any one particular school, your chances of getting a good spot in middle school are higher when applying for 6th grade than for 5th grade. If you look at the whole market of good slots, the ratio of good slots per applying student is in your favor at 6th grade compared to 5th.

Right. But what other schools would YOU consider in your situation aside from Latin and BASIS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:130 open slots for 5th grade. MAYBE 10-20 for 6th grade. You do the math and then figure out why people feel the need to apply for 5th grade rather than wait for 6th.

Sure, if Basis is your be all and end all, then taking a shot at it for 5th grade is no-brainer, whether your child is ready or not. However, if you're in the market for any of the good middle school slots, then it's neither a necessary nor a wise strategy. In that case, you need to look at the aggregate supply and demand of the entire "5th going into 6th" middle school market in DC. And that, I argue, is seeing a growth in supply that outpaces the growth in demand. In that case, waiting is a much better bet if you're sitting on the demand side of the market.

Yes, price elasticity, etc. The theory doesn't need to be explained. The market options, however, do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am curious, where are the kids going who are leaving Basis? Are these waitlisted kids getting into other charters or DCPS out of boundary schools? Are they moving to MoCo and Arlington? Going back to DCPS schools that offer more support for learning delays? Catholic late admission?

They have been sending their kids to Paul middle and high school but its full now.

[Anonymous]

Market options don't amount to much when your 4th grader is pitching fits over the prospect of being the only one of her many friends, kids who became classmates at age 3, left at Brent in the 5th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Market options don't amount to much when your 4th grader is pitching fits over the prospect of being the only one of her many friends, kids who became classmates at age 3, left at Brent in the 5th grade.

Doesn't say much for Basis parents if they're there because their 3rd graders had pitching fits, if you ask me, but I hear you. It's hard to see the forest over the trees, especially when there are a couple of vocal voices who seem to have all the answers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Market options don't amount to much when your 4th grader is pitching fits over the prospect of being the only one of her many friends, kids who became classmates at age 3, left at Brent in the 5th grade.

Doesn't say much for Basis parents if they're there because their 3rd graders had pitching fits, if you ask me, but I hear you. It's hard to see the forest over the trees, especially when there are a couple of vocal voices who seem to have all the answers.

Alright, we get your animus towards BASIS. But where would you consider sending your 5th grader to middle school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But what other schools would YOU consider in your situation aside from Latin and BASIS?

Here is my list, no priorities, just alphabetical: Basis, Cap City, Deal, Hardy, Latin, Stuart-Hobson, Two Rivers, and maybe some privates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it was necessarily for incoming students to be "advanced", but there is definitely an expectation of rigor, an expectation that the curriculum will be accelerated and will push hard on subjects like math and science, that there will not be social promotion, and accordingly that kids and parents will need to be committed, motivated and hard-working. It's not a school for slackers. If it was anyone's notion that they could just coast through BASIS as with a DCPS school, that was their own mistake.

Maybe not advanced in the abstract, but at least successful. Unless there is a special need involved, most of the underachieving kids in our city have been failed but not only the school system, but also by their parents. It would be ridiculous to think that parents that would allow their kids to get so far behind by fifth grade would suddenly participate in the middle school educational process to allow the children to succeed at a rapid pace.

Why do you think that these parents knew that their children are so far behind? Or that if they did know that they "allowed" it. These parents may be doing the best that they can with the information they have been provided. Not every parent is college-educated or they could be basing their knowledge of grade appropriate educational standards on what was appropriate at the substandard or not advanced school they attended. I have been paying tuition at a excellent MoCo public and it amazes me that the parents whose kids are not in the advanced classes have no idea that certain classes even exist or think their child is doing just fine with the limited amount of work their children do in response to homework, projects, etc. These parents are very high SES and I would venture that the vast majority attended upper echelon colleges. I am a native AA Washingtonian and it is very discouraging that the attitude expressed above seems to be the attitude of many of our more recent D.C. citizens (at least on DCUM).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it was necessarily for incoming students to be "advanced", but there is definitely an expectation of rigor, an expectation that the curriculum will be accelerated and will push hard on subjects like math and science, that there will not be social promotion, and accordingly that kids and parents will need to be committed, motivated and hard-working. It's not a school for slackers. If it was anyone's notion that they could just coast through BASIS as with a DCPS school, that was their own mistake.

Do you really not hear how obnoxious that sounds? Do you really believe that parents of students who are struggling are supposed to give up and have low expectations for their children?

I am not a Basis parent, I don't have a dog in this fight. What I find amazing about these sorts of assertions, is the underlying assumption that families with children "less special" than your snowflake, are supposed to back-off, bow out, and/or give up, so that you can direct all the resources to your child. It's all their fault, for not agreeing with your worldview that your snowflake deserves extra-special treatment, at tax-payer expense.

No but many parents believe just putting their child in a rigorous school will suddenly make their child smarter/attentive/eager to learn and it doesn't work like that. If the basics are lacking, they will never get anywhere.

Then it's the responsibility of the school to allocate resources and use research based methods (hint: this doesn't mean retention which has been shown time and time again to not work) to address the lack of basics in the students they are serving.

DC law does not allow schools to refuse to serve kids because they are missing the basics. Basis knew that when they chose to come here. It also does not allow schools to fail to educate the kids sitting in their classrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But what other schools would YOU consider in your situation aside from Latin and BASIS?

Here is my list, no priorities, just alphabetical: Basis, Cap City, Deal, Hardy, Latin, Stuart-Hobson, Two Rivers, and maybe some privates.

You know, you are absolutely correct that a 6th grader will definitely find a slot at one of the schools you list if a family really has no preference. You would have to be just as willing to go to Hardy as you are willing to go to Cap City as you are willing to.go to Latin. If a family has a real preference for Deal, they must get into a Deal feeder school in 5th etc. For a family who really wants the freedom to choose the best fit for their student, the move really needs to happen in 5th

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Of course Basis and Latin are options at 6th grade, you have to look at your (and everyone else's!!) lottery ticket as a whole (the market as a whole), that's what I'm saying. Unless your preferences are limited to any one particular school, your chances of getting a good spot in middle school are higher when applying for 6th grade than for 5th grade. If you look at the whole market of good slots, the ratio of good slots per applying student is in your favor at 6th grade compared to 5th.

But your chances of getting the school you really want are highest if you apply in fifth, and then apply again in sixth if you don't get in for fifth.

[Anonymous]

17:59 and 18:11, you forget that there is no predictable "best" here and that there are "opportunity costs" to these machinations. In any of those cases, an average preteen loses out in two transfers, both academically and socially. PP who claimed being fed up with DCPS mediocrity - to the extent there is - you'd want to weigh avoiding those against the pitfalls of moving your preteen around like a commodity. There are many who'll do just fine with that, but also unfortunately a great many for whom this is a difficult time as it is, and who you've now just burned more than if you made reasonable and feasible options work for you. In playing lottery with my child's life, I prefer a measured approach, is what I'm trying to say.

[Anonymous]

^clearly you operate out of fear. And you dont trust parents to know their children and make sound decisions for them. Too bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:. If a family has a real preference for Deal, they must get into a Deal feeder school in 5th etc. For a family who really wants the freedom to choose the best fit for their student, the move really needs to happen in 5th

My god, I hope that OOB @ feeder nonsense ends soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it was necessarily for incoming students to be "advanced", but there is definitely an expectation of rigor, an expectation that the curriculum will be accelerated and will push hard on subjects like math and science, that there will not be social promotion, and accordingly that kids and parents will need to be committed, motivated and hard-working. It's not a school for slackers. If it was anyone's notion that they could just coast through BASIS as with a DCPS school, that was their own mistake.

Do you really not hear how obnoxious that sounds? Do you really believe that parents of students who are struggling are supposed to give up and have low expectations for their children?

I am not a Basis parent, I don't have a dog in this fight. What I find amazing about these sorts of assertions, is the underlying assumption that families with children "less special" than your snowflake, are supposed to back-off, bow out, and/or give up, so that you can direct all the resources to your child. It's all their fault, for not agreeing with your worldview that your snowflake deserves extra-special treatment, at tax-payer expense.

No but many parents believe just putting their child in a rigorous school will suddenly make their child smarter/attentive/eager to learn and it doesn't work like that. If the basics are lacking, they will never get anywhere.

Then it's the responsibility of the school to allocate resources and use research based methods (hint: this doesn't mean retention which has been shown time and time again to not work) to address the lack of basics in the students they are serving.

DC law does not allow schools to refuse to serve kids because they are missing the basics. Basis knew that when they chose to come here. It also does not allow schools to fail to educate the kids sitting in their classrooms.

I seriously do not appreciate the repeated use of the term "snowflake" on this forum, it has distinctly racist undertones, as though we are talking about some supposedly special and unique little WHITE child.