How's basis going so far?
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Anonymous
Hope is not a strategy but if the failed comp(s) can be re-taken after summer school and if they pass they can stay, that seems compassionate. I think it's interesting to note that the homework in Basis Algebra counts for only 5% of the class grade whereas at Latin it was more like 50% of the grade. To me Basis' method makes more sense. Let the student decide if they need the practice in order to master the material; shouldn't be mandatory busy-work. Again, more weight is put on the test scores to assess mastery of the material. It may not be a politically correct opinion these days, but test scores are an appropriate way to test mastery. |
Anonymous
The more I read, the more troubling the equation becomes. Ideally, graduates emerge as the staunchest advocates of an education brand. Listen to the Stanford guy/gal. It sounds like Basis is much too slick, greedy and pigheaded to take responsibility for losing students, no the onus of failure is all on the kids, even the bright and hard-working students who are turfed out. The rub is that kids don't need to master algebra by 7th grade to crack 5-star colleges. ^^Oh they can stay can they, to what end? I'm a Harvard grad who took 9 AP classes and tests, and algebra in the 8th grade in public school. Parents and taxpayers shoudn't tolerate Basis' nonsense. |
Anonymous
Honestly, I would not put much stock in one person's opinion. If you go to greatschools.com site you can find plenty of reviews of Basis which are mostly positive. With any school, one can find detractors and supporters of said school as well as everything in between. Children do not fit into cookie cutters and thank goodness there are choices like Basis and a plethora of others here in DC. I see no problem with Basis and my child is thriving there, even in Algebra 1 before 7th grade!! |
Anonymous
Harvard grad who took 9 APs and Algebra in 8th? Not from DCPS... I call total B.S. on that one. And it's DCPS whose nonsense parents and taxpayers shouldn't tolerate, because you currently can't even remotely get there from DCPS schools. |
Anonymous
I don't think it is quite 50% of the grade. I don't have the syllabus, but looking over my DC's algebra work, I would estimate 20%. But, I respecfully disagree with you about the importance of homework especially in math. Homework reinforces what one learns. Also, in life, very little of what you need to know is based on the recall of information that you learned the night before. Having a solid base and knowing where to go for information is much more important. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
| Gifted children deserve an appropriate free education too! |
Anonymous
What part of Basis' curriculum is 'not billing themselves as such? Basis is loud and clear: there will be advanced math, plenty of science, and hard work. If one's child struggles in math you could even still take a chance on Basis because the school has a system and great teachers that might just turn those struggles into success. That's already happening with some kids I know about at Basis. It is so mystifying that people resent Basis for 'taking taxpayer dollars'. I thank our lucky stars that Basis came along, turning a smart but unmotivated kid into an achiever because he just NEEDED A SYSTEM. It is not for everybody. Some kids won't respond to the nerd culture. Some kids want more sports. Some folks prefer a family atmosphere. BUT WHY would you want to deny the kids that have been rescued by Basis the chance to be rescued? I'm speaking from firsthand experience with my child and I pay taxes too. And to assert that Basis is enriching themselves, I don't get it. They chose a backbreakingly difficult way to make money. Taxpayer dollars are paying a fraction of the cost of a school that is BETTER than many private schools in the area (again, I speak from experience). They could have gone the private route and asked for 30K each. They instead had the dream of making this great education available to those who couldn't afford it, leveraged by private donations from people who want to make a great education available to rich and poor alike. Maybe they turn a profit. Maybe they give investors a way to promote privatization of education. The simple antidote is for public schools to IMPROVE. Public schools have been improving too, and the availability of good middle school options brings parents to DC or convinces them to stay. Public schools are free to unashamedly copy the Basis system or any other successful model, and hire or promote gifted teachers and administrators. Why don't we get back to How's Basis Going So Far. There's a lot to discuss there. |
Anonymous
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I think the question is, even if they can do the work and are gifted, is this much work and this type of work this soon really necessary or do the children make a large sacrifice for this. I think the reason Basis gets compared to the Chinese model of education in particular is that they are known for testing and academic drill as low as preschool/early grades and the competition is so fierce that Basis would seem tame in comparison. Of course, if your child can have a more balanced approach to school and still succeed as well as those from outside the US (China, India, Europe), is Basis necessary? That seems to be the argument from the Harvard grad who took Algebra in 8th grade but still made the cut to get into Harvard (are you in a STEM field or something else?). There appear to be many parents at Basis who are familiar with the academic model that they have there and so are comfortable with this curriculum for their children. I would guess that other immigrants who are familiar with this model did their best to steer far from Basis but they do not visit these discussions. It may be that the fear is that regular schools, even excluding the problems of the DC school district, are not enough and only Basis offers what some parents think is right for their child. So, if you don't like it, don't apply or pull your child out if you tried it but found it lacking. Sounds like that is also part of the Basis model, too, and after 10+ years, it has not gone through much change.
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Anonymous
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Stanford guy suggested that I add something.... Also graduated from Tucson.
Watch out. Basis doesn't offer a great education for the gifted. The program becomes a chore even for the math gifted eventually, not because the quantitative work is too difficult, but because creativity and eureka moments are seldom celebrated at what is essentially an Asian style cram school. We weren't encouraged to enter national sci competitions for high schoolers. The thinking was that doing so would have distracted us from our true calling, AP AP and more AP. You guys are up on Basis because you are a couple months into the lower school experience. By high school, if you are still rolling, you will be singing a different tune. The school would work better as a bona fide gifted program with separate math/science & humanities tracks. Where screening isn't an option for political reasons, Basis should have the decency to make it clear that around 3/4 of families enrolling won't have children with the smarts, let alone the prep, to enjoy the education in the long-run. You guys can deal with that now, or years from now, without changing that reality. It really bothers some of us grads that Basis has grown imperial without having grown into a great school for gifted kids. |
Anonymous
Harvard grad. Yes, in stem field as a lawyer dealing with engineering patents. Could have taken algebra in 7th grade at my New England public school, unusual as that was at the time, but elected not to. Took two foreign languages instead. The lack of flexibility at Basis is offputting. But the real problem is that we only have Basis, and maybe Deal and Latin (where ability grouping is in short supply), for challenge, layered on top of relatively weak ES prep, not ES GT and test-in MS programs like those the burbs. Basis offering what's "right for a child" isn't what's happening here as much as offering what's right for parents to enjoy urban living while avoiding breaking the bank on privates and, in the case of low-SES families who can't vote with their feet to the burbs, avoid schools that aren't necessarily safe or well run. The general lack of honesty about what's driving families to Basis concerns me. |
Anonymous
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+1. The lack of honesty also concerns me. We are not alone in being a Brent family that was shot down in the Latin and Deal lotteries, can't afford independents, and won't touch other public schools, DCPS and charter, for lack of order, ability grouping and challenge (like almost all the other high-SES 4th grade Brent families). Maury families will join us on the Hill next year, and Tyler Spanish Immersion families the year after.
Our kid is bright and hard-working, but no math standout, so the Basis curriculum worries me. Drawing inspiration from the Tucson grads, I, for one will propose that a humanities track be created at the next meeting with administrators, even if I'm told like the curriculum or lump it (as I expect). It's Basis or the burbs and we don't want to be pushed out of the District for all we pay in taxes. Consider adding a voice to the small chorus rejecting 7th grade algebra as a must. |
Anonymous
| ^^ need to just correct the former Brent parent on one thing: you may have not gotten in to Latin in the original lottery, but they went through the entire waitlist and may still have slots open for 5th grade. Not sure about 6th. Every student who has wanted a slot at Latin for fifth grade has been offered one, at least for the last two years. |
Anonymous
| Hi friend of Stanford Guy. What did you end up doing after high school and what was your reason for staying with Basis since it sounds like you did not really like it. Or, was this something you learned more in retrospect and with more exposure to students from other schools. Thanks. |
Anonymous
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The folks who've posted here who say they are BASIS grads still haven't told us which public or charter school they could have gone to that would have been better - because there wasn't any better option, BASIS was the best they had. There's always going to be one or two people who find something they don't like.
No, BASIS isn't for everyone, it is what it is and doesn't pretend to be a one-size-fits-all, if anything they have been nothing but honest and up-front about what their expectations are and how they operate - and for many hard-working, high achievers who are good at math, it is an excellent option. Would you send your kid to St. Coletta and demand AP Calculus, or to Roots and demand AP European History? Go to Yu Ying and complain about Chinese? You could, but it makes no sense. BASIS is pretty clear and up-front in their mission and goals where it comes to things like math and organizational skills, so why would you sign up to go there if your child hates math and you have no interest in organizational skills? It's not a good fit, and just doesn't make sense. Check GreatSchools and other sites, there are lots who think BASIS is a great school, for whom BASIS is a great fit. Our DS loves BASIS DC, and for him it works - but for others, your mileage may vary, depending on individual preferences and interests. Nobody here is trying to make the other specialized public and charter schools into something they aren't, so stop trying to do it to BASIS. |