basis woes

[jsteele]

Unless I missed it, nobody has mentioned that the charter board last night refused BASIS's request to expand enrollment. Based on tweets I read, BASIS justified the request on the need for more students so that the school could pay its rent. When asked to provide an educational justification, officials were unable and the board unanimously rejected the expansion request.

Creative Minds' request to expand was also rejected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Why is it that so many pro-BASIS posts seem to come straight from a PR department? I feel like I can't trust anything I hear about BASIS on this forum.

I can assure that the posts you are referring to are by parents of BASIS DC and not by the PR department. Many of the parents at BASIS are very involved and have followed the BASIS story closely fro its inception so it is quite easy for them to tell the facts about BASIS.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:Unless I missed it, nobody has mentioned that the charter board last night refused BASIS's request to expand enrollment. Based on tweets I read, BASIS justified the request on the need for more students so that the school could pay its rent. When asked to provide an educational justification, officials were unable and the board unanimously rejected the expansion request.

Creative Minds' request to expand was also rejected.

But BASIS is still allowed to expand as originally planned. It also may be par for the course for the charter board to turn down a school's request for an increase in the cap in their first year of operation.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:Unless I missed it, nobody has mentioned that the charter board last night refused BASIS's request to expand enrollment. Based on tweets I read, BASIS justified the request on the need for more students so that the school could pay its rent. When asked to provide an educational justification, officials were unable and the board unanimously rejected the expansion request.

Creative Minds' request to expand was also rejected.

But BASIS is still allowed to expand as originally planned. It also may be par for the course for the charter board to turn down a school's request for an increase in the cap in their first year of operation.

Yes, I think that is correct.

[Anonymous]

Creative Minds' request to expand was also rejected

Was the Creative Minds' request to add additional classes to existing grades, i.e. add a 3rd PS class, or was the request to expand the number of grades so students can continue up to 8th grade instead of 5th?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Creative Minds' request to expand was also rejected

Was the Creative Minds' request to add additional classes to existing grades, i.e. add a 3rd PS class, or was the request to expand the number of grades so students can continue up to 8th grade instead of 5th?

They asked to only increase by 12 students for next year. The board cited their newness in deciding not to grant an increase it seems:

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=826897

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Why is it that so many pro-BASIS posts seem to come straight from a PR department? I feel like I can't trust anything I hear about BASIS on this forum.

I can assure that the posts you are referring to are by parents of BASIS DC and not by the PR department. Many of the parents at BASIS are very involved and have followed the BASIS story closely fro its inception so it is quite easy for them to tell the facts about BASIS.

+1

And what the pro-BASIS folks are saying is independently verifiable, you are welcome to contact and visit the school, have your kid shadow at the school to see what it's actually like, they could put you in touch with actual parents and so on. It would be very shortsighted and misinformed/underinformed to formulate any decision to write off BASIS based on anonymous posts on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That was just mid year. I bet it will be at least a 10% attrition rate by year end.

BASIS doesn't return the per pupil funding when the students leave after the count day in October.

To be honest, I'm pleasantly surprised the Charter School Board is doing anything at all. Interesting.

BASIS does not engage in social promotion. Starting in 6th grade, every student must pass comprehensive exams in all core subjects at the end of the year in order to advance to the next grade.

To provide kids with mid-year feedback on their chances for advancement, BASIS administers pre-comprehensive exams in February. These "pre-comps" are just as hard as the year-end comps, but only cover the material taught through February.

The 6% attrition noted in the article is probably due in large part to this year's pre-comp results. If a kid fails his pre-comps, is unlikely to catch up by the end of the year, and does not want to repeat the grade, then it's time to switch schools.

Most of the kids still at BASIS today did well enough on their pre-comps that they are likely to pass their comps and be promoted. There is little reason for them to leave now.

It is unlikely that the attrition will increase to 10% by the end of the year.

Whoops there. Looks like the BASIS attrition rate is already at 10%.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/dc-charter-board-rejects-request-from-basis-to-expand/2013/04/16/32a735ee-a69a-11e2-8302-3c7e0ea97057_story.html

Nice to see the PCSB finally figuring out where they left their car keys though.

[Anonymous]

As for facilities, BASIS is just a few blocks from the Mall. At my asphalt-ringed NYC prep school, we made use of Riverside Park, which was a comparable distance from the school. Weak facilities are not surprising given the location. Real estate in Penn Quarter is not cheap. On the other hand, I am very happy to have DC in school near my office and we meet for lunch frequently.

you don't have to be an asian parent to be concerned about the cramped facility! at least you're admitting that the facilities are weak, unlike other boosters. no, real estate in penn quarter isn't cheap, so why did they drop their school there? how about somewhere with room for decent facilities? basis doesn't seem terribly well planned; i wasn't terribly impressed at the open house either and my kid is one of the best in his dcps 4th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

As for facilities, BASIS is just a few blocks from the Mall. At my asphalt-ringed NYC prep school, we made use of Riverside Park, which was a comparable distance from the school. Weak facilities are not surprising given the location. Real estate in Penn Quarter is not cheap. On the other hand, I am very happy to have DC in school near my office and we meet for lunch frequently.

you don't have to be an asian parent to be concerned about the cramped facility! at least you're admitting that the facilities are weak, unlike other boosters. no, real estate in penn quarter isn't cheap, so why did they drop their school there? how about somewhere with room for decent facilities? basis doesn't seem terribly well planned; i wasn't terribly impressed at the open house either and my kid is one of the best in his dcps 4th grade.

The location makes BASIS accessible to kids from all wards. Imagine how much more BASIS bashing there would be had BASIS, say, rented the old Hardy campus from DCPS, which I understand might become available soon.

It's too bad that you were underwhelmed by the facilities. I value curriculum over facilities, but I understand that many disagree with me.

By the way, where do you plan to send your super-bright fourth grader?

[Anonymous]

Saw this in the The nine schools that won permission to expand are: Carlos Rosario, DC Prep, KIPP DC, Next Step, E.L. Haynes, Education Strengthens Families, Excel, Paul and Washington Yu Ying.


Anybody know more about these expansions?

[Anonymous]

Basis is not a safe place for kids. There needs to be more order and stability. My friend works there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Basis is not a safe place for kids. There needs to be more order and stability. My friend works there.

Yeah, I hear they spit on babies and push little old ladies down in the street.
</sarcasm>

If you think BASIS "is not a safe place for kids" then you should RUN AWAY SCREAMING from every other school in DC.

[Anonymous]

Not to pile on, but I also had a nervous feeling while touring the building. Like I was in a labrinth that was too crowded. Kids are rowdy in all schools, but it felt especially intense in narrow hallways. The lunch room felt especiallly closed in. I blanched hearing that they planned to put several hundred more kids in there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not to pile on, but I also had a nervous feeling while touring the building. Like I was in a labrinth that was too crowded. Kids are rowdy in all schools, but it felt especially intense in narrow hallways. The lunch room felt especiallly closed in. I blanched hearing that they planned to put several hundred more kids in there.

It is pretty crowded. They plan to add a couple of floors to the building when it comes time to expand for high school.