Teacher turnover at BASIS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Terrific chemistry teacher and extremely smart, decent and personable person. But there are various certifications in counseling she could have completed but hasn't, e.g. a popular 8-course certificate offered by UCLA Extension. She also hasn't graduated from blue chip schools (Ivies, high octane STEM programs). You think that BASIS would hire an experienced college counselor who really knows the ropes, rather than a 20-something eager beaver who really knows the kids.

People with an Ivy degree on their resume (and I am one) often tend to think that the prestige means they're obviously smarter and somehow "better" than those who don't. We're not. A lot of very smart people get degrees from schools that aren't on the US News Top Ten list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Terrific chemistry teacher and extremely smart, decent and personable person. But there are various certifications in counseling she could have completed but hasn't, e.g. a popular 8-course certificate offered by UCLA Extension. She also hasn't graduated from blue chip schools (Ivies, high octane STEM programs). You think that BASIS would hire an experienced college counselor who really knows the ropes, rather than a 20-something eager beaver who really knows the kids.

People with an Ivy degree on their resume (and I am one) often tend to think that the prestige means they're obviously smarter and somehow "better" than those who don't. We're not. A lot of very smart people get degrees from schools that aren't on the US News Top Ten list.

BASIS' college counselor has often shared that she was first in her family to attend college; she went where she got tons of merit aid. Smart decision.

Many of the kids she has responsibility for have similar profiles, and she is able to relate to them and their parents. She is also doing fine with the parents who can't talk about anything but Ivys quite well.

Plenty of things to criticize about BASIS DC but this staff member isn't one of them.

[Anonymous]

Nothing against her, but she's not a college counselor by trade or experience, she's a chemistry teacher. BASIS should hire a bona fide college counselor to mentor her for a year or two.

[Anonymous]

If you're satisfied with the current BASIS college counselor, great, lucky for you. We're not, although we adored her as a chem teacher and admire her smarts and commitment to helping kids.

As things stand, we plan to hire an independent counselor to assist our BASIS student (a sophomore) in preparing her applications. We know other BASIS parents who plan to do the same. College counseling speakers in the last 18 months have impressed us, one in particular, so we're making arrangements to hire her. We plan to pay at least 1K for admissions support, maybe as much as 2K.

Our student has her heart set on a school admitting in the single digits, along with the academics, extra-curriculars and drive if she keeps going the way she's going, so we don't want to mess around. We don't need college fairs - we know the schools we're aiming for and what they have to offer (reference FISKE Guide "Academics 5 Pens"). One school is mom's alma mater.

But, hey, who's complaining, the arrangement is vastly cheaper than years of tuition at Sidwell or NCS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:not pp but another former parent.
BASIS uses the survival of the fittest model, with the fittest not necessarily being the smartest or most hard working. A student can get really good grades all year long; however 2 exams January precomp and June comp/final test) count for 60% of the entire year. So when admin wants to get rid of a student, they just give an F for the final exam and The A's becomes a C- and the B's becomes a D. And there have been several cases of large discrepancies in the grades given by teachers and marks in the report cards. I understand grade manipulation happens in many schools, but not to this extend.

This is BS. Any parent and student can request a meeting to review actual comprehensive tests per their policy which would make grade manipulation impossible.

Also, the comprehensive exams I saw were rather easy IMO and you only need 60% to pass which is a low bar.

Not a BASIS parent, but I was going to say that this claim had to be false. It doesn't make sense. Under that theory, they could inflate a student's grade, as well, which would lead to serious issues. If PP believes that is true, I feel they should bring their proof to the charter board. It's not okay. Otherwise, do not make crazy claims.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you're satisfied with the current BASIS college counselor, great, lucky for you. We're not, although we adored her as a chem teacher and admire her smarts and commitment to helping kids.

As things stand, we plan to hire an independent counselor to assist our BASIS student (a sophomore) in preparing her applications. We know other BASIS parents who plan to do the same. College counseling speakers in the last 18 months have impressed us, one in particular, so we're making arrangements to hire her. We plan to pay at least 1K for admissions support, maybe as much as 2K.

Our student has her heart set on a school admitting in the single digits, along with the academics, extra-curriculars and drive if she keeps going the way she's going, so we don't want to mess around. We don't need college fairs - we know the schools we're aiming for and what they have to offer (reference FISKE Guide "Academics 5 Pens"). One school is mom's alma mater.

But, hey, who's complaining, the arrangement is vastly cheaper than years of tuition at Sidwell or NCS.

Yay, you?

[Anonymous]

You make the best of things at BASIS. What you want are better facilities, trained college counselors, a library and so forth on top of all the good rigor. But you can't have all that without moving to the burbs or paying for a private, so you make the best of things. That's all you do. You came here and boost and rationalize away without changing that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You make the best of things at BASIS. What you want are better facilities, trained college counselors, a library and so forth on top of all the good rigor. But you can't have all that without moving to the burbs or paying for a private, so you make the best of things. That's all you do. You came here and boost and rationalize away without changing that.

The BASIS facilities are given an unfair bad rap, particularly considering the location -- blocks away from museums, the mall, everything that DC has to offer. As far as a on campus library, what is a waste of resources when we are a couple blocks from the MLK library. I'd personally rather my DC learn to use a real library that they can use for the rest of their life that has so much more to offer than a limited school library. Trained college counselors? That is the last thing on my "wish list." I would like more sports teams, a leadership class, and a parent google group. Expert college counselors are easy to outsource if you aren't happy with the in-house options.

BASIS is better than many of the burb schools or the privates. Maybe not compared to Sidwell, but that can't be the standard since 99% of Americans cannot afford to send their children to Sidwell. DC should be commended for having a public school like BASIS available, particularly with the rich NoVA burbs paying for the private equivalent. DC doesn't appreciate it, because we see schools like Sidwell, Georgetown Day, etc, but if I lived anywhere else, I'd knock DC parents on top of their heads for having any complaints about a public option like BASIS. Friends that rubbed in their admissions to Latin now wish they had ended up in BASIS, IB Deal parents tell me that they had considered BASIS, the K-8 charter schools wish they could compete with a school like BASIS. Those who got in should be counting their lucky stars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You make the best of things at BASIS. What you want are better facilities, trained college counselors, a library and so forth on top of all the good rigor. But you can't have all that without moving to the burbs or paying for a private, so you make the best of things. That's all you do. You came here and boost and rationalize away without changing that.

The BASIS facilities are given an unfair bad rap, particularly considering the location -- blocks away from museums, the mall, everything that DC has to offer. As far as a on campus library, what is a waste of resources when we are a couple blocks from the MLK library. I'd personally rather my DC learn to use a real library that they can use for the rest of their life that has so much more to offer than a limited school library. Trained college counselors? That is the last thing on my "wish list." I would like more sports teams, a leadership class, and a parent google group. Expert college counselors are easy to outsource if you aren't happy with the in-house options.

BASIS is better than many of the burb schools or the privates. Maybe not compared to Sidwell, but that can't be the standard since 99% of Americans cannot afford to send their children to Sidwell. DC should be commended for having a public school like BASIS available, particularly with the rich NoVA burbs paying for the private equivalent. DC doesn't appreciate it, because we see schools like Sidwell, Georgetown Day, etc, but if I lived anywhere else, I'd knock DC parents on top of their heads for having any complaints about a public option like BASIS. Friends that rubbed in their admissions to Latin now wish they had ended up in BASIS, IB Deal parents tell me that they had considered BASIS, the K-8 charter schools wish they could compete with a school like BASIS. Those who got in should be counting their lucky stars.

The reality for my kid-3 years at Basis and they never went to the library, or anywhere except for the Mall for gym and the Navy/Archives plaza for fire drills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former BASIS parent, promoting teachers to administration without them possessing the requisite qualifications to do the new job or without considering the impact on the impact on the students in the classroom, is SOP at Basis. Promotions there seem to be run like a high school popularity contest.

Another former parent. I knew two former teachers well enough that they confided that their departures were prompted by what they felt was fundamental unfairness with the way the administration treated students.

This concerns me. Please expand. DC and I have visited the campus (niece attends) and we both liked it. I was planning on it being the first choice on the lottery next Spring, as we had only heard good things from niece and SIL.

It would be hard to expand without revealing information given in confidence, I would be concerned about potential repercussions for the former teachers. However, some of the concerns have been raised on DCUM BASIS threads numerous times.

As for your niece and SIL, keep in mind that the re-enrollment rate for the BASIS MS is only 79.6% and for the BASIS HS it's only 85.2%. These rates imply that of 100 kids starting 5th grade at BASIS, only about 40 will make it to the HS, and of those 40, only about 25 will make it to 12th grade. This 75% drop seems high, but not much higher than the 63% and 66% observed at BASIS schools in Arizona:

http://blogforarizona.net/basis-charters-education-model-success-by-attrition/
https://dianeravitch.net/2014/08/28/beware-the-charter-attrition-game/

Compare those rates with the re-enrollment rates at Latin MS and HS, which are 97.8% and 96.4%, respectively. This difference in re-enrollment rates should give you pause, as BASIS and Latin draw from similar applicant pools and the lottery probably decides which applicants get into each school.

In deciding whether to send your child to BASIS, you might want to consider the opinions of former BASIS parents in addition to current BASIS parents. If you read the BASIS threads on DCUM, you will find many posts by former parents describing why BASIS was not a good fit for their child/family.

If you decide to send you child to BASIS, be sure to have a back-up plan. The odds are not in your favor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The reality for my kid-3 years at Basis and they never went to the library, or anywhere except for the Mall for gym and the Navy/Archives plaza for fire drills.

This BS. Every year the 5th grade students do field trips during comps. Also, my kid had a class where they often went to Smithsonian Art Museum for class or to the sculpture garden. There are also after school clubs that take kids to art museums. Of course, there could be more field trips but there definitely has not been none.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You make the best of things at BASIS. What you want are better facilities, trained college counselors, a library and so forth on top of all the good rigor. But you can't have all that without moving to the burbs or paying for a private, so you make the best of things. That's all you do. You came here and boost and rationalize away without changing that.

The BASIS facilities are given an unfair bad rap, particularly considering the location -- blocks away from museums, the mall, everything that DC has to offer. As far as a on campus library, what is a waste of resources when we are a couple blocks from the MLK library. I'd personally rather my DC learn to use a real library that they can use for the rest of their life that has so much more to offer than a limited school library. Trained college counselors? That is the last thing on my "wish list." I would like more sports teams, a leadership class, and a parent google group. Expert college counselors are easy to outsource if you aren't happy with the in-house options.

BASIS is better than many of the burb schools or the privates. Maybe not compared to Sidwell, but that can't be the standard since 99% of Americans cannot afford to send their children to Sidwell. DC should be commended for having a public school like BASIS available, particularly with the rich NoVA burbs paying for the private equivalent. DC doesn't appreciate it, because we see schools like Sidwell, Georgetown Day, etc, but if I lived anywhere else, I'd knock DC parents on top of their heads for having any complaints about a public option like BASIS. Friends that rubbed in their admissions to Latin now wish they had ended up in BASIS, IB Deal parents tell me that they had considered BASIS, the K-8 charter schools wish they could compete with a school like BASIS. Those who got in should be counting their lucky stars.

The reality for my kid-3 years at Basis and they never went to the library, or anywhere except for the Mall for gym and the Navy/Archives plaza for fire drills.

I concur. All those things are around but they are not used in any meaningful way. Not complaining but don't sell it if its not real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nothing against her, but she's not a college counselor by trade or experience, she's a chemistry teacher. BASIS should hire a bona fide college counselor to mentor her for a year or two.

Anonymous wrote:She's very smart and pleasant but not experienced or trained, no National Association of College Counselors certification in her background. Good luck to her and you.

Maybe none of you realize, but in 2014 BASIS did initially hire a "certified college counselor" who bragged during info sessions that she "trained under the greatest college counselors in the nation." Her sessions with the students were pointless and wastes of time. She was unhelpful, disorganized, and generally not knowledgeable. So much for being "certified".

I'm not sure what prior experience you think is necessary to be a college counselor. The job essentially guiding students through filling out applications and applying for financial aid/scholarships, plus networking with schools. Competency in those areas relies so much more on the qualities of the person than their "background".

And it's not like the current counselor is just going maverick and winging it because she doesn't have this magic certification. She is connected with a national network of college counselors and travels to national college counselor conferences. She's arranged hundreds of college visits to BASIS including numerous prestigious institutions. The previous counselor arranged a grand total of zero visits.

The current counselor is incredibly knowledgeable and knows what she's doing. The seniors have a daily college counseling course with her, and if you saw how organized and methodical all of it is, your discomfort from her "lack of experience" might be alleviated. The students are in good hands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The reality for my kid-3 years at Basis and they never went to the library, or anywhere except for the Mall for gym and the Navy/Archives plaza for fire drills.

This BS. Every year the 5th grade students do field trips during comps. Also, my kid had a class where they often went to Smithsonian Art Museum for class or to the sculpture garden. There are also after school clubs that take kids to art museums. Of course, there could be more field trips but there definitely has not been none.

Kid attended for 6th, 7th & 8th, didn't take art. Statement is 100% true. They never left the building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing against her, but she's not a college counselor by trade or experience, she's a chemistry teacher. BASIS should hire a bona fide college counselor to mentor her for a year or two.

Anonymous wrote:She's very smart and pleasant but not experienced or trained, no National Association of College Counselors certification in her background. Good luck to her and you.

Maybe none of you realize, but in 2014 BASIS did initially hire a "certified college counselor" who bragged during info sessions that she "trained under the greatest college counselors in the nation." Her sessions with the students were pointless and wastes of time. She was unhelpful, disorganized, and generally not knowledgeable. So much for being "certified".

I'm not sure what prior experience you think is necessary to be a college counselor. The job essentially guiding students through filling out applications and applying for financial aid/scholarships, plus networking with schools. Competency in those areas relies so much more on the qualities of the person than their "background".

And it's not like the current counselor is just going maverick and winging it because she doesn't have this magic certification. She is connected with a national network of college counselors and travels to national college counselor conferences. She's arranged hundreds of college visits to BASIS including numerous prestigious institutions. The previous counselor arranged a grand total of zero visits.

The current counselor is incredibly knowledgeable and knows what she's doing. The seniors have a daily college counseling course with her, and if you saw how organized and methodical all of it is, your discomfort from her "lack of experience" might be alleviated. The students are in good hands.

I know all this, and disagree that the competency relies more on personal qualities than on experience, training, or, for that matter, having attended highly competitive colleges and universities oneself.

To my knowledge, the BASIS college counselor, wonderful though she is, has no direct experience shepherding seniors through the admissions process at any college or university. She is in fact advising her first group of seniors, the guinea pig class, without a seasoned practioner advising her. College visits to high-performing high schools aren't difficult to arrange. They aren't also aren't necessarily more useful than flipping through college view books or watching college tour videos on YouTube. What's useful is having your student work with somebody who knows the ropes on how to prepare a college list strategically, how to complete the Common Application and supplemental applications in a way that showcases a student's talents and achievements effectively, how best to prepare for college interviews etc. This background on the part of the counselor is critically important when a student mainly applies to schools admitting in the single digits. The "outsourcing" recommended on this thread can easily cost parents a bomb.