Basis PCS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:


What a stupid thing to say. Every student gets them

There might be some foundation to the claim, PP. There's a lot of gaming of the system that goes on at BASIS. The obvious example is "Mastery Defense," where you can re-take questions on math tests repeatedly until you finally get them right. That's the easiest way to get an A in math. There are also plenty of opportunities to re-take quizzes in other classes during student hours, and our DC reported receiving advance notice of test questions by attending student hours. I even heard that a few kids were been promoted after failing their comps by completing packets over the summer.

BASIS is not as even handed as some would have you believe.


You raised MY case! All the things you list are made available to ALL students. It is up to them to take advantage of them or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


What a stupid thing to say. Every student gets them

There might be some foundation to the claim, PP. There's a lot of gaming of the system that goes on at BASIS. The obvious example is "Mastery Defense," where you can re-take questions on math tests repeatedly until you finally get them right. That's the easiest way to get an A in math. There are also plenty of opportunities to re-take quizzes in other classes during student hours, and our DC reported receiving advance notice of test questions by attending student hours. I even heard that a few kids were been promoted after failing their comps by completing packets over the summer.

BASIS is not as even handed as some would have you believe.

You raised MY case! All the things you list are made available to ALL students. It is up to them to take advantage of them or not.


Some are available to all students -- at least those with unlimited time to spend at school attending mastery defense and student hours. Unfortunately, some students have other commitments, and their grades suffer for it.

As for advance notice of test questions during student hours, my impression from DC is that only a very small group of students benefited. It probably also depended on WHO happened to be there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


What a stupid thing to say. Every student gets them

There might be some foundation to the claim, PP. There's a lot of gaming of the system that goes on at BASIS. The obvious example is "Mastery Defense," where you can re-take questions on math tests repeatedly until you finally get them right. That's the easiest way to get an A in math. There are also plenty of opportunities to re-take quizzes in other classes during student hours, and our DC reported receiving advance notice of test questions by attending student hours. I even heard that a few kids were been promoted after failing their comps by completing packets over the summer.

BASIS is not as even handed as some would have you believe.

You raised MY case! All the things you list are made available to ALL students. It is up to them to take advantage of them or not.

Some are available to all students -- at least those with unlimited time to spend at school attending mastery defense and student hours. Unfortunately, some students have other commitments, and their grades suffer for it.

As for advance notice of test questions during student hours, my impression from DC is that only a very small group of students benefited. It probably also depended on WHO happened to be there.

I would like to know what commitment is more important than school for middle/high schooler.

Most do not have jobs, and if they have jobs, most do not have jobs to support their family, so that is not more important than school. Sports and music are not more important than school. I would argue that God will understand, so religious activities are not more important than school. AND many teachers have morning office hours or will come in for morning office hours if asked, and I would like to know what morning commitments teenagers have.

Stop making excuses, pp. If this is what you consider bad treatment in order to get your student to leave, so be it. Find a better, softer, fit.

[Anonymous]

Agree with pp-while there are many things one may find unsatisfactory about Basis DC, you are way off base here. My kid,for example, has an hour busride each way on a twice-hourly bus, and he goes to M's and student hours. Additionally, they have m's and some student hours before school-Idoubt that, aside from sleep, your average middle schooler's calendar is full up at 7:45am. Finally, some teachers are willing to meet during AE. Finally, BDC has tests and quizzes that directly test material you are told to study in class, so whether you pay attention in student hours or class, you are told the questions and answers to a degree. finally, comps are created by Basis HQ (70%), so it's standardized, and not even the teacher knows what is on it question-wise before it is administered. Again, complain about the things there to complain about, but kids have tons of opportunities to master and make up work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry Latin requires Algebra I in 7th AND 8th grade

Math is learning things in depth, not a race of covering the book by skipping lessons to get to the last lesson in the book.

If students are advanced they can take Algebra and Geometry together, and learn each concept in depth.

yes but you mean Algebra II and Geometry together in 9th grade. Trig seems to be dead except in PreCalculus

My kid loved Algebra I in 5th and is loving Algebra II in 6th.
Please tell me how she does not have a deep understanding of each concept

or better yet, go away
you do not belong on this thread

feel lucky you are at Latin
for many of us that was our first choice even if we have STEM kids because we can supplement if we are STEM parents
but as the waitlist of over 1,000 5th graders demonstrates, you lucked out. So stop crowing.

More to the point at Latin there is no pyramid model - Latin is not making its money off the backs of the 5th-8th graders and pushing out anyone after 9th who won't get into a good college. Latin does not push kids out period.
If Basis wants you out, they will make you miserable until you leave. That is the only guarantee at Basis.
Oh, and silent lunches.

I was referring to every kid being vulnerable to being pushed out, even high performing kids. Not about academics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree with pp-while there are many things one may find unsatisfactory about Basis DC, you are way off base here. My kid,for example, has an hour busride each way on a twice-hourly bus, and he goes to M's and student hours. Additionally, they have m's and some student hours before school-Idoubt that, aside from sleep, your average middle schooler's calendar is full up at 7:45am. Finally, some teachers are willing to meet during AE. Finally, BDC has tests and quizzes that directly test material you are told to study in class, so whether you pay attention in student hours or class, you are told the questions and answers to a degree. finally, comps are created by Basis HQ (70%), so it's standardized, and not even the teacher knows what is on it question-wise before it is administered. Again, complain about the things there to complain about, but kids have tons of opportunities to master and make up work.

It is 50% for the comps, and if you want to stand out in high school you have to do extra curriculars, and if you are out for a week and all the teachers say come visit me during office hours it is nearly impossible to catch up. Also this year for the first time at least in 6th grade, the non-BASIS portion of two precomps and comps are going to be essays - but the teachers are very good, otherwise I would be worried about subjectivity there....

Finally, there is no "BASIS time" in the handbook anymore so whatever rules the teachers make about late work are the only rules. Some teachers cut kids slack and some don't, and some teachers don't cut all kids the same slack. But in general I trust their integrity just not their expectations that a kid getting over a week long absence can run around to everyone's once a week office hours - catching up is a horrible process, and some of their rules are draconian. I have two kids and no teacher has ever offered to meet with them during aero, and they get good grades. Mastery defense I completely agree that kids who don't do it cannot complain. It did not exist for my first kid. My younger kid did every single one last year and yes, got an A. And sometimes they do not play fair in the other direction as well - when everyone fails a test except my kid, everyone gets to take it over. But the real chinks in the system come from bad teachers, and my older kid has had more than a couple. If you are teaching an AP class and you are not teaching the material, the kids have to learn it on their own.... THAT is much more scary to me because mostly we are talking high school here... I am not going to call out anyone but they exist, as do the excellent AP teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with pp-while there are many things one may find unsatisfactory about Basis DC, you are way off base here. My kid,for example, has an hour busride each way on a twice-hourly bus, and he goes to M's and student hours. Additionally, they have m's and some student hours before school-Idoubt that, aside from sleep, your average middle schooler's calendar is full up at 7:45am. Finally, some teachers are willing to meet during AE. Finally, BDC has tests and quizzes that directly test material you are told to study in class, so whether you pay attention in student hours or class, you are told the questions and answers to a degree. finally, comps are created by Basis HQ (70%), so it's standardized, and not even the teacher knows what is on it question-wise before it is administered. Again, complain about the things there to complain about, but kids have tons of opportunities to master and make up work.

It is 50% for the comps, and if you want to stand out in high school you have to do extra curriculars, and if you are out for a week and all the teachers say come visit me during office hours it is nearly impossible to catch up. Also this year for the first time at least in 6th grade, the non-BASIS portion of two precomps and comps are going to be essays - but the teachers are very good, otherwise I would be worried about subjectivity there....

Finally, there is no "BASIS time" in the handbook anymore so whatever rules the teachers make about late work are the only rules. Some teachers cut kids slack and some don't, and some teachers don't cut all kids the same slack. But in general I trust their integrity just not their expectations that a kid getting over a week long absence can run around to everyone's once a week office hours - catching up is a horrible process, and some of their rules are draconian. I have two kids and no teacher has ever offered to meet with them during aero, and they get good grades. Mastery defense I completely agree that kids who don't do it cannot complain. It did not exist for my first kid. My younger kid did every single one last year and yes, got an A. And sometimes they do not play fair in the other direction as well - when everyone fails a test except my kid, everyone gets to take it over. But the real chinks in the system come from bad teachers, and my older kid has had more than a couple. If you are teaching an AP class and you are not teaching the material, the kids have to learn it on their own.... THAT is much more scary to me because mostly we are talking high school here... I am not going to call out anyone but they exist, as do the excellent AP teachers.

The 70% refers to the part of the comps that are native, not what it is worth. And I don't know what to tell you about aero with some teachers, but it's true. My child is in 7th, and there are a few teachers that are fine with seeing him at Aero if he needs. It is certainly not every teacher, and this is the first year he has Used aero in this way.

[Anonymous]

Basis mom here of two kids in the school: we've been there for years & I still love it. I love the advanced math, mastery defenses, comps & precomps, parent and student hours, after school activities, AP classes, small classes, etc.

I really love that Basis holds many PE classes and outdoor extracurricular activities right on the Mall!

Silent lunches don't bother me. A little quiet time is good for kids.

Bottom line: Basis is one more choice, especially for kids with advanced math and language skills.

As of now, it may in fact still be the only charter middle/ high school in Ward 4!

Thank you, Basis, for giving me another great option in a central location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Basis mom here of two kids in the school: we've been there for years & I still love it. I love the advanced math, mastery defenses, comps & precomps, parent and student hours, after school activities, AP classes, small classes, etc.

I really love that Basis holds many PE classes and outdoor extracurricular activities right on the Mall!

Silent lunches don't bother me. A little quiet time is good for kids.

Bottom line: Basis is one more choice, especially for kids with advanced math and language skills.

As of now, it may in fact still be the only charter middle/ high school in Ward 4!

Thank you, Basis, for giving me another great option in a central location.

sorry, not Ward 4; Ward 2!

[Anonymous]

pp, BASIS has pushed out students taking advanced math, going to mastery defense, taking AP classes and doing everything right.

I wonder if you would feel the same way if your smart hard working kid, getting mostly "A"s suddenly received a "D" or "F" on the comps, bringing his GPA way down. If you are in middle school, you may not really care. But what if they did this in high school? Wouldn't you go and ask for an explanation? And how would you got totally ignored by administration?

This is not a heresay. It's the truth about BASIS. There are great students but there are also mediocre ones who are getting very good grades by different ways -- especially in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:pp, BASIS has pushed out students taking advanced math, going to mastery defense, taking AP classes and doing everything right.

I wonder if you would feel the same way if your smart hard working kid, getting mostly "A"s suddenly received a "D" or "F" on the comps, bringing his GPA way down. If you are in middle school, you may not really care. But what if they did this in high school? Wouldn't you go and ask for an explanation? And how would you got totally ignored by administration?

This is not a heresay. It's the truth about BASIS. There are great students but there are also mediocre ones who are getting very good grades by different ways -- especially in high school.

This doesn't ring true to me. BASIS high school students don't take comprehensive exams (except if they are taking Alg 2 in high school).

The comps are not easy and count for 50% of your child's final grade for the year. So yes, they can and do affect GPAs both for better and worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:pp, BASIS has pushed out students taking advanced math, going to mastery defense, taking AP classes and doing everything right.

I wonder if you would feel the same way if your smart hard working kid, getting mostly "A"s suddenly received a "D" or "F" on the comps, bringing his GPA way down. If you are in middle school, you may not really care. But what if they did this in high school? Wouldn't you go and ask for an explanation? And how would you got totally ignored by administration?

This is not a heresay. It's the truth about BASIS. There are great students but there are also mediocre ones who are getting very good grades by different ways -- especially in high school.

This doesn't ring true to me. BASIS high school students don't take comprehensive exams (except if they are taking Alg 2 in high school).

The comps are not easy and count for 50% of your child's final grade for the year. So yes, they can and do affect GPAs both for better and worse.

+1 And what are you insinuating by "getting good grades by different ways"? That sounds dirty and pretty inflammatory.

[Anonymous]

Why would they push out students who are getting good grades?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would they push out students who are getting good grades?

They don't, in my experience, although some say otherwise.

What does happen: some kids do well (As and Bs) during the year, and then get a much lower grade on some of the final (comprehensive) exams in middle school. Some families leave after that happens.

I know a family that wanted their child to be exempt from taking a required high school English AP class. School said no. They left.

Are these students pushed out or did they leave. That depends on your perspective.

BASIS is an aggressive organization and an attractive target for charter critics. Call me naive, but I truly believe that if there were truth to any of the allegations above it would have come out in the media by now.

[Anonymous]

The entire Basis' business model is predicated on attrition. It is shocking when you look at the numbers. The first full sized cohort at Basis DC started with more than 175-6th graders, that number has dwindled to less than 60 in the current 9th grade class. 65% of that orginal class is gone.