Does anyone know the status of the Proposed BASIS Expansion
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Anonymous
| that is a very solid list. if anyone believes basis or any dc public school is some golden elite college admissions ticket, that is obviously ridiculously incorrect. |
Anonymous
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In 2023, no BASIS seniors were admitted to Ivies. One was admitted to CalTech, one to Johns Hopkins.
When I see the college list above, I think of all the charter immersion language grads in the BASIS ms who aren't permitted to study the languages they learned young until the 8th grade, and then just at the beginning level. These include kids who could have scored 5s on AP language exams as early as 9th grade if they'd had one iota of support for advanced language learning from BASIS. I also think of all the dough parents shelled out for decent extra high school curriculars, and all the running around town they did in the process, because the program's EC's are chronically weak, along with electives. And I remember the grind of students repeating much of what they learn in chem, physics and bio every year for 5 or 6 years. BASIS could do better by its high-achieving students if a critical ingredient weren't missing from the program: respect for individual learning styles and preferences on the road to the sort of academic achievement that leads to excellent college outcomes. Without this respect, most families who are willing to leave, or can afford DMV privates, do. We bailed after 10th grade after receiving a financial windfall, so our eldest could complete HS on a happy note. He landed at a college admitting in the single digits that not on your list. You can sugarcoat the experience at a dreary test prep program all you like, PP, without altering the experience. |
Anonymous
I think the larger point is that no school is, not even the so-called Big 3 DC area private schools. All schools are comprised of different communities, have varying levels of resources, and their own models or cultures. BASIS is not the only way, and it may not be the best way. But if your kid thrives there, "elite" colleges are on the table. For good or ill, the results bear that out. |
Anonymous
| Ech, please no BASIS elementary school. Life is too short. |
Anonymous
| +100. The inconvenient truth is that high school kids don't thrive at BASIS DC. They either gut the experience out on good form or don't. There's no loyalty to the program on the part of the families. The kids don't come back to rave about their college experiences; parents don't support the school once the kids are done. The program is a drag that can work for those without better options. That's it. |
Anonymous
And Amherst and Wesleyan and Middlebury and Georgetown, etc. but that doesn't really support your overall narrative. I get it, your kid was unhappy and you've got your axe to grind. BASIS couldn't cater to your kid's individual needs. I've experienced some of that myself. You may not like it, but BASIS students win. If you think it's dreary or a grind or the administration doesn't respond well enough to individual student needs, I suggest you ask your friends with kids at NCS or Sidwell or Holton what their experiences are like. No school is a panacea. It didn't work for your family but I suspect there will always be others who weigh the pros vs the cons and decide that BASIS is a great option for them. And yes, most families who want to leave do, just like everywhere else. But I think you vastly overestimate how many are beholden to their lack of options. I, for example, am a Big 3 alum and that was never something that I wanted for my kids. We could have moved one or both of our DCs to private for HS but they were happy, performing at an extremely high level, and wanted to stay with their friends. Without seeing any of their tax returns, I suspect many if not all of their peers are in the same boat. You left and were happy with the decision. You should probably just let it go. |
Anonymous
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You're the one who should let it go.
Fact is, most DC BASIS families still leave before the terminal grade. I used to teach at NCS (um, no need to ask friends). Hardly anybody leaves NCS. I overestimate nothing. BASIS did work for my family by your definition, worked well in fact. Kid had nice friends, kid performed at "an extremely high level," kid got a 5 on BC Calc in 10th grade. But he certainly wasn't able to shine as he could have done at a school where students were encouraged to run with their particular interests and strengths, and where the faculty was stable. Thank goodness we had the means to go. You should probably pipe down about how terrific BASIS. Tolerable for somewhere between 40 and 50% of the families to the bitter end, I'll grant you that. Spare us a factory BASIS elementary school. |
Anonymous
This is so funny. I hate that your vitriol makes me feel obligated to defend the school when i have plenty of bad things to say about it, but I am compelled. Of course families don't leave NCS. If you taught there then you are obviously familiar with the overwhelming sense of prestige and superiority that courses through the school. Families wear it like a badge of honor. There are huge societal pressures in some communities in this city to be a part of that world and to be perceived as thriving. My point was that if you think places like NCS are some Xanadu where every child is happy, met on their own terms, and all their needs met I think you're kidding yourself. I suspect you know that though. Plenty of kids there aren't able to "shine" with their particular interests, especially if you are an athlete, for example. I never said BASIS was perfect. It works for many. You seem intent on speaking on behalf of a community you were unhappy with and decided to leave. I'm simply suggesting you are in no position to speak for us now and you should probably keep our names out of your mouth. I think one thing we can agree on though is that thank goodness you had the means to go. Good luck to your kid at his highly selective college! I'm glad you found something that worked for them. |
Anonymous
+1. No school is a golden ticket. The point is simply that it is possible to get into an elite college from BASIS. Why so many haters in this thread want to keep stating the opposite is a mystery. |
Anonymous
Why would you send your kids to BASIS if you worked at NCS? |
Anonymous
There's also the idea that public school students will often base their matriculation decisions on factors other than just the name/ranking of a college. |
Anonymous
+1 There are many BASIS families that might choose the Pitt Honors College, for example, where they can get a top notch education with great resources, over a school like Tufts, which I think is fair to say has greater cachet. Certainly on this board. Both schools are great options but one simply costs twice as much as the other. |
Anonymous
BASIS parent of a number of years reading through this thread and calling out a knee-jerk post. I'm not reading "vitriol" here, or parents claiming to speak for an entire school community. It's undeniable BASIS DC doesn't work well for most of its families through high school, given that the majority leave along the way. The narrow curriculum, miserable building, leaden management and high teacher turnover take their toll over time. Yes, there's rigor across the board, but that's about it. No surprise that families who can leave without major disruptions to their lives generally do at some point. At a good school, public or private, encouraging students to run with their academic strengths and interests is standard. At BASIS, the emphasis is on students marching in step on the road to a portfolio of high AP exam scores, with mixed results. If you believe in the BASIS way, great, sell the program on DCUM, share your joy, vs. knocking parents who make valid points about what ails the program. |
Anonymous
Look at the flier. That's literally all the accelerated program gets. It might be worth a try for some people but I would not count on it being amazing, or it continuing for the next 5 years (since teachers move on). |
Anonymous
+1 College has become incredibly expensive and at this point unattainable for many kids. So while a kid might get into Georgetown from a middle class dc family, they won’t be able to get enough financial aid and will choose UMD or University of Indiana instead. |