BASIS attrition after middle school- why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There were a bunch of lawsuits brought by BASIS parents with Sped students in the first five years or so, which mostly settled out of court. It was a big mess that died down eventually. BASIS bumped up support for Sped students over time but emerged from the litigation disinclined to expand in DC by opening a second 5th-12th grade campus.

BASIS opened in year 1 with no special education teachers, no school psychologist or social worker and a special Ed coordinator with experience in ELL but not special Ed. They have seriously adjusted over time and now have appropriate levels of staffing and support for special education, but those early year lawsuits were definitely warranted. The curriculum, testing focus, higher % less experienced teachers and building still make BASIS a good fit for only certain students but they are now meeting their legal requirements to try to support the students there.

[Anonymous]

True, but the building is not a good fit for any human.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are: attrition -- I did some research and learned that lots of attrition is common to all BASIS charter school -- the graduating classes is a third to a quarter the size of the incoming class. I think it's expected and part of how they make this model work (a charter that is open to all but where the content is very accelerated and probably appropriate for only a subset.)

Still digesting...

I have a very academically inclined 4th grader and am SO conflicted about where to put this school on the list. In theory he would love it -- learning all that material --but is there something wrong with the execution?

Have you visited the school yourself? Talked to families in-person about their experiences at BASIS? You'll get more info doing that than coming to DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Also make a point of talking to families who left BASIS somewhere along the way, or stuck it out and regretted it. You'll get the most info doing that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are: attrition -- I did some research and learned that lots of attrition is common to all BASIS charter school -- the graduating classes is a third to a quarter the size of the incoming class. I think it's expected and part of how they make this model work (a charter that is open to all but where the content is very accelerated and probably appropriate for only a subset.)

Still digesting...

I have a very academically inclined 4th grader and am SO conflicted about where to put this school on the list. In theory he would love it -- learning all that material --but is there something wrong with the execution?

Have you visited the school yourself? Talked to families in-person about their experiences at BASIS? You'll get more info doing that than coming to DCUM.

Visited the school twice, talked to several families who left (one with a horror story) and one who stayed and regretted it. I haven't met someone in person who is glad they stayed and has a grad, but I would love to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are: attrition -- I did some research and learned that lots of attrition is common to all BASIS charter school -- the graduating classes is a third to a quarter the size of the incoming class. I think it's expected and part of how they make this model work (a charter that is open to all but where the content is very accelerated and probably appropriate for only a subset.)

Still digesting...

I have a very academically inclined 4th grader and am SO conflicted about where to put this school on the list. In theory he would love it -- learning all that material --but is there something wrong with the execution?

Have you visited the school yourself? Talked to families in-person about their experiences at BASIS? You'll get more info doing that than coming to DCUM.

Visited the school twice, talked to several families who left (one with a horror story) and one who stayed and regretted it. I haven't met someone in person who is glad they stayed and has a grad, but I would love to.

Plenty of happy families.

Maybe you should have tried harder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:True, but the building is not a good fit for any human.

+1. I have always felt this but never heard anyone else say it. It surprises me that anyone wants to send their 11 year old here. I don’t care if the teachers are the best I’m the world, it’s not appropriate for kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:True, but the building is not a good fit for any human.

+1. I have always felt this but never heard anyone else say it. It surprises me that anyone wants to send their 11 year old here. I don’t care if the teachers are the best I’m the world, it’s not appropriate for kids.

I know families who turned down a spot at Basis because of the physical plant. All of those families had other good options for middle school though.

[Anonymous]

I have found that, on average, parents care so much more about the building issues than the kids do. Parents have ideas in their head about the schools they went to but kids don’t know anything other than what you show them. The students make some great friends and they don’t dwell on the building. Sure everyone would prefer a better building (no question!!) but it’s not the dealbreaker for many kids the way it is for their parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are: attrition -- I did some research and learned that lots of attrition is common to all BASIS charter school -- the graduating classes is a third to a quarter the size of the incoming class. I think it's expected and part of how they make this model work (a charter that is open to all but where the content is very accelerated and probably appropriate for only a subset.)

Still digesting...

I have a very academically inclined 4th grader and am SO conflicted about where to put this school on the list. In theory he would love it -- learning all that material --but is there something wrong with the execution?

Have you visited the school yourself? Talked to families in-person about their experiences at BASIS? You'll get more info doing that than coming to DCUM.

Visited the school twice, talked to several families who left (one with a horror story) and one who stayed and regretted it. I haven't met someone in person who is glad they stayed and has a grad, but I would love to.

Plenty of happy families.

Maybe you should have tried harder.

Genuinely happy to hear that! We just don't have too many families from our DCPS school community going there. The two that did left after 5th (for Latin and Deal).

[Anonymous]

We have an academically advanced child that participates in extracurriculars at BASIS and does other competitive sports outside of school too. We would agree that the building isn’t an amazing facility but our child is thriving with the learning/academics, and the building doesn’t actually seem to bother them. I also went to school in Europe where schools aren’t the sprawling suburban campuses that it seems many parents in the US expect. I’ve never been concerned that my child doesn’t get enough physical movement between commuting to school on public transit, moving between classes throughout the day and extracurricular activities every day of the week. I don’t think the academic rigor is for everyone, but middle school has been very positive for my child who finally feels challenged in a positive way. Know your kid, but also learn to accept the strengths and shortcomings of public school in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have found that, on average, parents care so much more about the building issues than the kids do. Parents have ideas in their head about the schools they went to but kids don’t know anything other than what you show them. The students make some great friends and they don’t dwell on the building. Sure everyone would prefer a better building (no question!!) but it’s not the dealbreaker for many kids the way it is for their parents.

This. My kid doesn’t think twice about the building. And she came from an elementary school with great facilities and lots of outdoor time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have an academically advanced child that participates in extracurriculars at BASIS and does other competitive sports outside of school too. We would agree that the building isn’t an amazing facility but our child is thriving with the learning/academics, and the building doesn’t actually seem to bother them. I also went to school in Europe where schools aren’t the sprawling suburban campuses that it seems many parents in the US expect. I’ve never been concerned that my child doesn’t get enough physical movement between commuting to school on public transit, moving between classes throughout the day and extracurricular activities every day of the week. I don’t think the academic rigor is for everyone, but middle school has been very positive for my child who finally feels challenged in a positive way. Know your kid, but also learn to accept the strengths and shortcomings of public school in DC.

Same.

People have different priorities it seems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have an academically advanced child that participates in extracurriculars at BASIS and does other competitive sports outside of school too. We would agree that the building isn’t an amazing facility but our child is thriving with the learning/academics, and the building doesn’t actually seem to bother them. I also went to school in Europe where schools aren’t the sprawling suburban campuses that it seems many parents in the US expect. I’ve never been concerned that my child doesn’t get enough physical movement between commuting to school on public transit, moving between classes throughout the day and extracurricular activities every day of the week. I don’t think the academic rigor is for everyone, but middle school has been very positive for my child who finally feels challenged in a positive way. Know your kid, but also learn to accept the strengths and shortcomings of public school in DC.

Same.

People have different priorities it seems.

+1

DCPS has spent millions renovating Ballou, Cardozo, Dunbar, Payne, Roosevelt, and Watkins.

Enjoy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have found that, on average, parents care so much more about the building issues than the kids do. Parents have ideas in their head about the schools they went to but kids don’t know anything other than what you show them. The students make some great friends and they don’t dwell on the building. Sure everyone would prefer a better building (no question!!) but it’s not the dealbreaker for many kids the way it is for their parents.

Such an easy claim to make. I worked at BASIS at one point. The miserable building combined with a dearth of outdoor space/recess has the younger kids, especially 5th and 6th grade boys, bouncing off the walls. Yes, students can survive the building but, no, it's not a reasonable physical plant for a public school in a world-class US city in this century. It's crap but won't be changed. DC families desperate for decent public middle schools will put up with an awful lot. Far too much, really.