Does anyone know the status of the Proposed BASIS Expansion

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BASIS has a K-12 learning model. Currently DC is an outlier in providing only the second half of the model. Based on this thread, some parents think students come in “better balanced” from a “normal” ES or “better understood” by their as being a good candidate for academic rigor when they are entering 5th grade. But the current school is just simply not following the complete model of the curriculum.

Contrary to the sentiments on this thread, BASIS is not opening an ES to “screw over” Capitol Hill families, nor is it starting at K (instead of preK) to “prevent” lower SES or at risk students from entering. There is no such conspiracy taking place. It’s simply a learning model that they are trying to implement in its entirety as they do everywhere else.

Maybe DC should or must be different from other BASIS schools for other reasons. But it’s not unreasonable for the school to want to try to improve student outcomes and attrition by having students start at the beginning rather than entering at half time.

+1. It makes sense for BASIS DC to want to use their entire model, like every other BASIS school does.

As for the elementary school meaning that there would be less of a chance to get into middle school, people just need to deal with that, the way they deal with all the other randomness in this city. Maybe they can beg Latin to open a third campus, since that's where everyone wants to be anyway.

[Anonymous]

The question to me isn't "What would make BASIS middle and high school even better?" Or "What would be easiest for BASIS (cookie cutter schools I guess)?" The question is what does DC most need, for our limited supply of school buildings and our limited number of kids to attend those schools. And I would say DC has pretty decent elementary schools in the areas BASIS is willing to locate, to the point where another elementary school is not a pressing need. If BASIS were willing to make a firm commitment to opening in a Ward 7 or 8 location that would be different. Or if BASIS were looking for a building to expand the enrollment of their existing program, that would be different, because we certainly do need more quality middle and high school seats. The idea of an elementary school to rescue those poor children who are currently attending.. Ross and Brent and Maury... just doesn't move me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at BASIS now, and another one at a Montessori elementary school. I cannot imagine having an elementary school experience that is as rigid as BASIS. I think that would suck all the joy out of learning far too early.

Do your research.

They don’t run their ES like they do MS and HS.

Who is "they" - BASIS corporate? Because I am familiar with how the DC BASIS administration runs its MS/HS. There's nothing wrong with the BASIS model. There are, however, distinct downsides to how the BASIS model is implemented in DC (weak admin, inexperienced teachers, crappy building, etc.). There are some very real consequences to those weaknesses, like poor quality teaching (at times), lack of extracurriculars, arbitrary decision-making and an overly harsh atmosphere.

It is because I have seen how BASIS DC runs its MS/HS that I would not send an elementary school kid to BASIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at BASIS now, and another one at a Montessori elementary school. I cannot imagine having an elementary school experience that is as rigid as BASIS. I think that would suck all the joy out of learning far too early.

Do your research.

They don’t run their ES like they do MS and HS.

Who is "they" - BASIS corporate? Because I am familiar with how the DC BASIS administration runs its MS/HS. There's nothing wrong with the BASIS model. There are, however, distinct downsides to how the BASIS model is implemented in DC (weak admin, inexperienced teachers, crappy building, etc.). There are some very real consequences to those weaknesses, like poor quality teaching (at times), lack of extracurriculars, arbitrary decision-making and an overly harsh atmosphere.

It is because I have seen how BASIS DC runs its MS/HS that I would not send an elementary school kid to BASIS.

You are “familiar” with the Basis model? How so?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at BASIS now, and another one at a Montessori elementary school. I cannot imagine having an elementary school experience that is as rigid as BASIS. I think that would suck all the joy out of learning far too early.

Do your research.

They don’t run their ES like they do MS and HS.

Who is "they" - BASIS corporate? Because I am familiar with how the DC BASIS administration runs its MS/HS. There's nothing wrong with the BASIS model. There are, however, distinct downsides to how the BASIS model is implemented in DC (weak admin, inexperienced teachers, crappy building, etc.). There are some very real consequences to those weaknesses, like poor quality teaching (at times), lack of extracurriculars, arbitrary decision-making and an overly harsh atmosphere.

It is because I have seen how BASIS DC runs its MS/HS that I would not send an elementary school kid to BASIS.

You are “familiar” with the Basis model? How so?

By having multiple children attending their school over a period of years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at BASIS now, and another one at a Montessori elementary school. I cannot imagine having an elementary school experience that is as rigid as BASIS. I think that would suck all the joy out of learning far too early.

Do your research.

They don’t run their ES like they do MS and HS.

Who is "they" - BASIS corporate? Because I am familiar with how the DC BASIS administration runs its MS/HS. There's nothing wrong with the BASIS model. There are, however, distinct downsides to how the BASIS model is implemented in DC (weak admin, inexperienced teachers, crappy building, etc.). There are some very real consequences to those weaknesses, like poor quality teaching (at times), lack of extracurriculars, arbitrary decision-making and an overly harsh atmosphere.

It is because I have seen how BASIS DC runs its MS/HS that I would not send an elementary school kid to BASIS.

You are “familiar” with the Basis model? How so?

By having multiple children attending their school over a period of years.

You have had multiple children attend a Basis elementary school over a period of years?

You understand that teaching at an elementary school is different than middle school and high school, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at BASIS now, and another one at a Montessori elementary school. I cannot imagine having an elementary school experience that is as rigid as BASIS. I think that would suck all the joy out of learning far too early.

Do your research.

They don’t run their ES like they do MS and HS.

Who is "they" - BASIS corporate? Because I am familiar with how the DC BASIS administration runs its MS/HS. There's nothing wrong with the BASIS model. There are, however, distinct downsides to how the BASIS model is implemented in DC (weak admin, inexperienced teachers, crappy building, etc.). There are some very real consequences to those weaknesses, like poor quality teaching (at times), lack of extracurriculars, arbitrary decision-making and an overly harsh atmosphere.

It is because I have seen how BASIS DC runs its MS/HS that I would not send an elementary school kid to BASIS.

You are “familiar” with the Basis model? How so?

By having multiple children attending their school over a period of years.

You have had multiple children attend a Basis elementary school over a period of years?

You understand that teaching at an elementary school is different than middle school and high school, right?

You are clearly either stupid or have no kids at BASIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The question to me isn't "What would make BASIS middle and high school even better?" Or "What would be easiest for BASIS (cookie cutter schools I guess)?" The question is what does DC most need, for our limited supply of school buildings and our limited number of kids to attend those schools. And I would say DC has pretty decent elementary schools in the areas BASIS is willing to locate, to the point where another elementary school is not a pressing need. If BASIS were willing to make a firm commitment to opening in a Ward 7 or 8 location that would be different. Or if BASIS were looking for a building to expand the enrollment of their existing program, that would be different, because we certainly do need more quality middle and high school seats. The idea of an elementary school to rescue those poor children who are currently attending.. Ross and Brent and Maury... just doesn't move me.

This. Good post summing up this state of affairs up. There's no sound logic here, no smart planning with a bird's eye view of what DC most needs. Everybody who criticizes the bad idea of a BASIS elementary school not far from the original building isn't in fact a parent without children at BASIS DC, or a sock puppet either. No, these are people following a logic that holds up under scrutiny, unlike our ed powers that be or BASIS higher-ups in Arizona with self-serving expansionist dreams.

[Anonymous]

Yes, there are for example a lot of families unfamiliar with the 5th grade charter school entry year with children who might be interested in 6th grade seats at Basis. Basis now wants to further leverage self-selection to lock many of its students in even earlier than 5th.

[Anonymous]

If I were dcpcsb I would have required them to offer prek. They could contract it out to appletree like rocketship, harmony, etc do, but allowing kids to do the full range of grades available in DC will allow the school to attract a wider group of families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at BASIS now, and another one at a Montessori elementary school. I cannot imagine having an elementary school experience that is as rigid as BASIS. I think that would suck all the joy out of learning far too early.

Do your research.

They don’t run their ES like they do MS and HS.

Who is "they" - BASIS corporate? Because I am familiar with how the DC BASIS administration runs its MS/HS. There's nothing wrong with the BASIS model. There are, however, distinct downsides to how the BASIS model is implemented in DC (weak admin, inexperienced teachers, crappy building, etc.). There are some very real consequences to those weaknesses, like poor quality teaching (at times), lack of extracurriculars, arbitrary decision-making and an overly harsh atmosphere.

It is because I have seen how BASIS DC runs its MS/HS that I would not send an elementary school kid to BASIS.

You are “familiar” with the Basis model? How so?

By having multiple children attending their school over a period of years.

You have had multiple children attend a Basis elementary school over a period of years?

You understand that teaching at an elementary school is different than middle school and high school, right?

You are clearly either stupid or have no kids at BASIS.

Like we suspected: you are full of sh*t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The question to me isn't "What would make BASIS middle and high school even better?" Or "What would be easiest for BASIS (cookie cutter schools I guess)?" The question is what does DC most need, for our limited supply of school buildings and our limited number of kids to attend those schools. And I would say DC has pretty decent elementary schools in the areas BASIS is willing to locate, to the point where another elementary school is not a pressing need. If BASIS were willing to make a firm commitment to opening in a Ward 7 or 8 location that would be different. Or if BASIS were looking for a building to expand the enrollment of their existing program, that would be different, because we certainly do need more quality middle and high school seats. The idea of an elementary school to rescue those poor children who are currently attending.. Ross and Brent and Maury... just doesn't move me.

This. Good post summing up this state of affairs up. There's no sound logic here, no smart planning with a bird's eye view of what DC most needs. Everybody who criticizes the bad idea of a BASIS elementary school not far from the original building isn't in fact a parent without children at BASIS DC, or a sock puppet either. No, these are people following a logic that holds up under scrutiny, unlike our ed powers that be or BASIS higher-ups in Arizona with self-serving expansionist dreams.

There are 135 charter schools already in DC. Chose one.

Don’t pin this on BASIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I were dcpcsb I would have required them to offer prek. They could contract it out to appletree like rocketship, harmony, etc do, but allowing kids to do the full range of grades available in DC will allow the school to attract a wider group of families.

I don’t get why this would attract a wider group of families. Isn’t it pretty common for kids to move schools after preK?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I were dcpcsb I would have required them to offer prek. They could contract it out to appletree like rocketship, harmony, etc do, but allowing kids to do the full range of grades available in DC will allow the school to attract a wider group of families.

I don’t get why this would attract a wider group of families. Isn’t it pretty common for kids to move schools after preK?

It is common, but it also helps because people like their PKs to be at the same school as their older siblings. On the other hand it means needing a larger building and preschool-compliant space (ground floor, bathrooms). So it makes the search for a building more difficult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I were dcpcsb I would have required them to offer prek. They could contract it out to appletree like rocketship, harmony, etc do, but allowing kids to do the full range of grades available in DC will allow the school to attract a wider group of families.

I don’t get why this would attract a wider group of families. Isn’t it pretty common for kids to move schools after preK?

It's more common in the parts of DC that don't offer pk3 or don't have enough space to admit all inbound kids. It's also more common for only children or smaller families. But if your kids are going into pk3, k, and 2 you are probably going to want them together and close to home.