BASIS--opinions please

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd wait and see who they announce as the new HOS.

They will almost certainly announce it before the May 1 deadline.

I'm sure the choice will be discussed here at length, no matter who is picked.

The HOS is barely a figurehead and hardly a leader, regardless of who it is. The changes have not made a lick of difference to my child in the last 4 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question is why are they going so far through the waitlist? Why are people saying no? What do they know that I don't?

We have a low waitlist number and will probably say no if offered a spot. We are at a Deal feeder, my kid really enjoyed playing on the school's basketball team this year and hopes to play next year (5th grade.) Our DCPS has amazing extracurriculars and enrichment programs so I don't think we will take a chance with Basis and the possibility that it doesn't work out for our kid.

So why did you enter? Truly curious.

We wanted to consider a more rigorous academic environment, but the basketball has made a huge difference (self esteem, collaboration, etc etc.) and we didn't realize that before entering lottery. I would consider moving to Basis a big risk coming from a DCPS with decent academic offerings and what seems like unlimited extras (I know they are limited but I am truly impressed by what our school offers to supplement 9-3.) My kid has high scores and seeks out opportunities to learn but I've never considered that he is gifted. He loves to learn and enjoys school, my gut is that moving him out of that environment to one considerably more rigorous without the extracurriculars he likes is a big gamble.

BASIS has a basketball team. I am not sure colleges care whether a student played ball in 5-8th grade, besides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question is why are they going so far through the waitlist? Why are people saying no? What do they know that I don't?

We have a low waitlist number and will probably say no if offered a spot. We are at a Deal feeder, my kid really enjoyed playing on the school's basketball team this year and hopes to play next year (5th grade.) Our DCPS has amazing extracurriculars and enrichment programs so I don't think we will take a chance with Basis and the possibility that it doesn't work out for our kid.

So why did you enter? Truly curious.

We wanted to consider a more rigorous academic environment, but the basketball has made a huge difference (self esteem, collaboration, etc etc.) and we didn't realize that before entering lottery. I would consider moving to Basis a big risk coming from a DCPS with decent academic offerings and what seems like unlimited extras (I know they are limited but I am truly impressed by what our school offers to supplement 9-3.) My kid has high scores and seeks out opportunities to learn but I've never considered that he is gifted. He loves to learn and enjoys school, my gut is that moving him out of that environment to one considerably more rigorous without the extracurriculars he likes is a big gamble.

BASIS has a basketball team. I am not sure colleges care whether a student played ball in 5-8th grade, besides.

I have no expectation that my kid will play basketball in college. I want my kid to be a happy, learning, well adjusted, comfortable kid in an environment where they are stable. Keeping my 4th grader in that environment rather than making a big change seems like the best thing for our kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Exactly. We were panning to homeschool for MS. We entered the lottery and got into a school we heard good things about. We will now investigate the school to see if it looks like a good fit for DC. If it looks promising, we will enroll and try it out in the fall, with homeschooling as our backup plan.

Really?! Wow - you are a stronger woman than I am, PP. Good luck to you.

[Anonymous]

What is mastery defense?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question is why are they going so far through the waitlist? Why are people saying no? What do they know that I don't?

Go to a tour. It is intense - much of the middle school content is 9th and 10th grade material at most schools. And the building is not great. A kid that doesn't handle tests well will struggle. But if your kid is ready for and interested in advanced math and science it can be great.

+1

[Anonymous]

This has been our experience with out 5th grader. He won't be returning for 6th. The school has killed his self-confidence and his love of learning. Sooooo many worksheets. We were wait listed for all of the lottery schools and are seriously considering homeschooling as well.

Anonymous wrote:My take is that if you have a kid that's organized or easy to get organized, he/she will do well at Basis. As a PP said, it is intense and I'm still amazed at the level of materials they cover in 6th grade. I don't remember doing balancing of chemical equations in 6th grade. However, if your child is super disorganized, it will be a struggle as it has been for us since 5th grade. There is also a huge amount of home work which takes up most of my child's evening with no room for other extracurricular activities. We're seriously considering another school for 7th grade for my kid's and my peace of mind. I have to stay up most nights to make sure every homework is completed and it becomes tiring after a while. The school expects a high level of independence from the students. There are no parent teacher conferences though there are parent hours which are scheduled through the front office. You can email the teachers but some of them are not good at responding. I've had to send several before getting one response. But, it hasn't been all bad. My kid has become better organized, learnt a lot and in spite of all the challenges, loves the school. Good luck deciding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is mastery defense?

It's the process that BASIS' math department uses to allow students to demonstrate mastery of questions/standards they miss on a test. It enables them to show that they have mastered the content, be tested on new questions on that topic, and if they get it right the second time, earn credit back.

A student that is diligent about attending the after or before school sessions can ultimately earn back nearly all the points they miss on a unit test. There is no mastery defense available for the mid-year pre-comprehensive exams or the end of year comprehensive exams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This has been our experience with out 5th grader. He won't be returning for 6th. The school has killed his self-confidence and his love of learning. Sooooo many worksheets. We were wait listed for all of the lottery schools and are seriously considering homeschooling as well.

Anonymous wrote:My take is that if you have a kid that's organized or easy to get organized, he/she will do well at Basis. As a PP said, it is intense and I'm still amazed at the level of materials they cover in 6th grade. I don't remember doing balancing of chemical equations in 6th grade. However, if your child is super disorganized, it will be a struggle as it has been for us since 5th grade. There is also a huge amount of home work which takes up most of my child's evening with no room for other extracurricular activities. We're seriously considering another school for 7th grade for my kid's and my peace of mind. I have to stay up most nights to make sure every homework is completed and it becomes tiring after a while. The school expects a high level of independence from the students. There are no parent teacher conferences though there are parent hours which are scheduled through the front office. You can email the teachers but some of them are not good at responding. I've had to send several before getting one response. But, it hasn't been all bad. My kid has become better organized, learnt a lot and in spite of all the challenges, loves the school. Good luck deciding.

Worksheets? This does not sound like BASIS.

[Anonymous]

Yes, worksheets. Yes, BASIS.

[Anonymous]

???? Worksheets? Combined 6 years of Basis btw my kids, I don't see many worksheets. Hmmm

[Anonymous]

I've heard this comment before on this board which puzzles me. My DC is a 5th grader at BASIS and I too do not see many worksheets. Some worksheets but not a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've heard this comment before on this board which puzzles me. My DC is a 5th grader at BASIS and I too do not see many worksheets. Some worksheets but not a lot.

Two BDC kids. There of paper unit packets, especially in 6-8 science in lieu of textbooks (because there aren't physics texts written for a 7th grader). Some are guided notes pages, with pages of at-home or in-class work to do. Are those worksheets? Depends on your definition.

Math is old school - always a textbook. But there are in class activities, labs and other stuff too.

To me the challenge of middle at Basis is the sheer volume of different classes and teachers (~8). Juggling it all requires learning time management and prioritization.

[Anonymous]

tons of worksheets and packets in 8th

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:???? Worksheets? Combined 6 years of Basis btw my kids, I don't see many worksheets. Hmmm

Hmmm. Did your kids attend the same school as mine? I have binders and binders full of worksheets in numerous classes.