BASIS School DC

[Anonymous]

Dear All:

I'm considering this school for my DS who will attend 5th grade next year.

Can you share any experiences you had with the school?

Current parents - any feedback or info would be very appreciated.

Thank you.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

My son is an 8th grader at Basis. Started in their first year as 6th grader. Basis is a great fit for him -- he was a bright kid ready for more of a challenge. Middle schoolers carry a heavy academic load, particularly in the sciences. With a few exceptions the teachers have been good and they put a great deal of emphasis on the kids taking responsibility for their own work. He has done debate and chess as extra-curriculars and enjoys both. It's a new school implementing a curriculum that has been proven to be effective in Arizona. Still a work in progress but for us trending in the right direction. We will be sending our younger son (now in 5th at another charter) there next fall.

[Anonymous]

Our kid has been there for past 2 school years and current year and we started in 5th grade. We are happy with the school. My kid likes the school. It is challenging and expect a little adjustment period when your child first starts. I also recommend doing a shadow day at school and going to any info sessions.

To make transition easier for your child, I recommend making sure they master addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, math facts, fractions, decimals, percents,ratio/proportions. Also, ancient history and mythology is covered in classics so I recommend Crash Course World History on youtube to help get up to speed and any fun age appropriate Greek and Roman history and mythology books as well as fun world history books to get get a jump start. The school also offers a summer program that is helpful as well.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the feedback.

I feel that my son is not challenged enough at his present school (private).

We are in DC since 2 years (relocated from Europe) and the Maths and Science Program is quite weak if we compare with the Austrian one.

I will be attending an info session.

Again tahnk you so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the feedback.

I feel that my son is not challenged enough at his present school (private).

We are in DC since 2 years (relocated from Europe) and the Maths and Science Program is quite weak if we compare with the Austrian one.

I will be attending an info session.

Again tahnk you so much.

In regards to science the 5th grade students take intro to science everyday which covers introductions biology, chemistry, and physics and geography daily which covers earth science and geography daily. 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students take 3 hours each of chemistry, physics, and biology each week. Students can take AP science as early as 9th grade. They can also take Algebra 1 in 5th grade depending on their diagnostic tests which could lead to AP Calculus AB in 8th grade. We are very happy with the offerings.

[Anonymous]

Sounds very very interesting. Mainly because my son is showing a strong interest in sciences, but I feel the present school is not able to encourage this interest.

Seems like the Curriculum is very similar to the Austria one for the 5th grade.

I noticed the founder of the school is from the Czech Republic so maybe there is some influence there.

[Anonymous]

And I managed to schedule a shadow day. Thank you so much for the tip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Lol! My first thought when I saw this was, "Here we go again."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Lol! My first thought when I saw this was, "Here we go again."

OP Here.

Why? Is this a polemic subject? I don't want to open the Pandora Box

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Lol! My first thought when I saw this was, "Here we go again."

OP Here.

Why? Is this a polemic subject? I don't want to open the Pandora Box

BASIS schools in general, and BASIS DC in particular, are controversial subjects on DCUM.

There is a chance that your thread will turn into an extension of the years-old debate between BASIS bashers and BASIS boosters. (Believe it or not, the debate on DCUM started a year before BASIS DC opened it's doors.)

If you are interested in the issues, search for "BASIS" on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Pass the popcorn!

[Anonymous]

Parent of a Basis student, we have been happy with the school. They definitely push and challenge students, there is a lot of work involved. They expect a lot in terms of student responsibility and organization, all work is managed and tracked via a journal (the CJ) where they write down assignments and other information. I have been impressed with the level of math and science, they accelerate on math and have 9 hours of science a week. There's also been good focus on history, classics, Latin and other areas. DC also enjoys the clubs and activities. As DC progresses on to the upper grades, there will also be a lot of opportunities for AP coursework, starting in 8th grade, which we are looking forward to.

[Anonymous]

What are the classes like? Is it project-oriented and group work or lecture and book reading with fact-based testing. etc.?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the classes like? Is it project-oriented and group work or lecture and book reading with fact-based testing. etc.?

There are few projects and little group work. It's mostly lectures with frequent fact-based testing.