BASIS DC will seek to expand to include K to 4th grade

[Anonymous]

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1093698.page

And I didn't write the OP of that thread. Check with Jeff if you like.

[Anonymous]

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/800245.page

Some people have a hard time understanding that the BASIS organization has several different parts. One part has a large investment from Chinese investors. It's unclear how much influence there is over the part of BASIS running the public charters but still, it's weird.

[Anonymous]

Although I will say, that post was about BASIS Independent McLean. What I hear about BASIS DC is from in-person conversations, I'm not sure I can find a post in the archives here.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I'm not the pp you're slamming. I'm a ms parent who can tell you that all the BASIS campuses don't do things the same way despite having the same curriculum. The way the curriculum is implemented varies. We visited a couple AZ campuses last year when considering a move to the Phoenix area. At these campuses, we observed advanced ms classes in session, not just for math, like here in DC, but for humanities subjects and foreign languages. We also observed hs classes that aren't offered in DC.

Have you visited AZ campuses? Let me guess, no, yet you persist in insisting that what happens at our DC campus is what happens at the other campuses.

Interesting. I thought the change to linguistics classes rather than language was BASIS-wide. Are you saying that is a DC thing and other campuses start foreign languages in 5th and continue?

I only know what I was told and shown when I visited AZ campuses. Those BASIS branches, established in the 90s, were clearly offering challenge and enrichment that BASIS DC doesn't, in a variety of ways. One of the campuses supports an after-school language program subsidized by the parent organization catering to advanced students. The other campus offered academic electives at the ms level that we don't have, e.g. detective forensics, instrumental music lessons and collecting oral histories. My impression was that the leadership (board, HoS, parent organization) of these campuses was far dynamic than ours, drawing in grants, raising money, creating hands-on learning opportunities for particularly enthusiastic and able students. Middle schoolers were competing in academic competitions at the city and state levels. On paper, the ms classes might have been the same, but the experience for the kids seemed much richer.

Are the AZ campuses in office buildings like DC? Because that is problem number one.

The AZ campuses I visited looked nothing like the DC building. They had playing fields, nice media centers/libraries, gyms, stages and an abundance of natural light inside.

The other BASIS schools charge tuition, don't they?

No. And for anyone who is still confused on this point NOOOOOOO!!!!

There are two different BASIS school organizations. The BASIS Charter schools are free, lottery schools. Those are in AZ, LA, TX, DC, etc. The BASIS Independent Schools are private, for profit schools that charge tuition. The one in VA is a for-profit.

And because there is a DCUM troll who likes to talk about Chinese influence, the Independent schools took an investment from a Chinese investor. That is unrelated to the Charter schools.

Then why are BASIS DC kids being assigned weird pro-China essay prompts?

This person makes this same post on every BASIS thread. It is weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I'm not the pp you're slamming. I'm a ms parent who can tell you that all the BASIS campuses don't do things the same way despite having the same curriculum. The way the curriculum is implemented varies. We visited a couple AZ campuses last year when considering a move to the Phoenix area. At these campuses, we observed advanced ms classes in session, not just for math, like here in DC, but for humanities subjects and foreign languages. We also observed hs classes that aren't offered in DC.

Have you visited AZ campuses? Let me guess, no, yet you persist in insisting that what happens at our DC campus is what happens at the other campuses.

Interesting. I thought the change to linguistics classes rather than language was BASIS-wide. Are you saying that is a DC thing and other campuses start foreign languages in 5th and continue?

I only know what I was told and shown when I visited AZ campuses. Those BASIS branches, established in the 90s, were clearly offering challenge and enrichment that BASIS DC doesn't, in a variety of ways. One of the campuses supports an after-school language program subsidized by the parent organization catering to advanced students. The other campus offered academic electives at the ms level that we don't have, e.g. detective forensics, instrumental music lessons and collecting oral histories. My impression was that the leadership (board, HoS, parent organization) of these campuses was far dynamic than ours, drawing in grants, raising money, creating hands-on learning opportunities for particularly enthusiastic and able students. Middle schoolers were competing in academic competitions at the city and state levels. On paper, the ms classes might have been the same, but the experience for the kids seemed much richer.

Are the AZ campuses in office buildings like DC? Because that is problem number one.

The AZ campuses I visited looked nothing like the DC building. They had playing fields, nice media centers/libraries, gyms, stages and an abundance of natural light inside.

The other BASIS schools charge tuition, don't they?

No. And for anyone who is still confused on this point NOOOOOOO!!!!

There are two different BASIS school organizations. The BASIS Charter schools are free, lottery schools. Those are in AZ, LA, TX, DC, etc. The BASIS Independent Schools are private, for profit schools that charge tuition. The one in VA is a for-profit.

And because there is a DCUM troll who likes to talk about Chinese influence, the Independent schools took an investment from a Chinese investor. That is unrelated to the Charter schools.

They. Are. Two. Parts. Of. The. BASIS. Organization.

My understanding is that “BASIS Independent” schools aren’t part of the BASIS organization at all. They just bought the BASIS curriculum, but are otherwise totally private and independent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not the pp you're slamming. I'm a ms parent who can tell you that all the BASIS campuses don't do things the same way despite having the same curriculum. The way the curriculum is implemented varies. We visited a couple AZ campuses last year when considering a move to the Phoenix area. At these campuses, we observed advanced ms classes in session, not just for math, like here in DC, but for humanities subjects and foreign languages. We also observed hs classes that aren't offered in DC.

Have you visited AZ campuses? Let me guess, no, yet you persist in insisting that what happens at our DC campus is what happens at the other campuses.

Interesting. I thought the change to linguistics classes rather than language was BASIS-wide. Are you saying that is a DC thing and other campuses start foreign languages in 5th and continue?

I only know what I was told and shown when I visited AZ campuses. Those BASIS branches, established in the 90s, were clearly offering challenge and enrichment that BASIS DC doesn't, in a variety of ways. One of the campuses supports an after-school language program subsidized by the parent organization catering to advanced students. The other campus offered academic electives at the ms level that we don't have, e.g. detective forensics, instrumental music lessons and collecting oral histories. My impression was that the leadership (board, HoS, parent organization) of these campuses was far dynamic than ours, drawing in grants, raising money, creating hands-on learning opportunities for particularly enthusiastic and able students. Middle schoolers were competing in academic competitions at the city and state levels. On paper, the ms classes might have been the same, but the experience for the kids seemed much richer.

Are the AZ campuses in office buildings like DC? Because that is problem number one.

The AZ campuses I visited looked nothing like the DC building. They had playing fields, nice media centers/libraries, gyms, stages and an abundance of natural light inside.

The other BASIS schools charge tuition, don't they?

No. And for anyone who is still confused on this point NOOOOOOO!!!!

There are two different BASIS school organizations. The BASIS Charter schools are free, lottery schools. Those are in AZ, LA, TX, DC, etc. The BASIS Independent Schools are private, for profit schools that charge tuition. The one in VA is a for-profit.

And because there is a DCUM troll who likes to talk about Chinese influence, the Independent schools took an investment from a Chinese investor. That is unrelated to the Charter schools.

They. Are. Two. Parts. Of. The. BASIS. Organization.

My understanding is that “BASIS Independent” schools aren’t part of the BASIS organization at all. They just bought the BASIS curriculum, but are otherwise totally private and independent.

+1. The independent schools aren’t affiliated with BASIS at all. The reason they are called BASIS schools is because they use the same curriculum. Otherwise, they are run by a different organization.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And now this thread has finally come full circle and back on point. The future K-4 building is hopefully a long overdue opportunity to provide much needed amenities to the current middle/high school.

It was pretty clear on the Town Hall tonight that the current middle/high school is not going to get anything out of this.

[Anonymous]

I thought that would be the case.

BASIS DC has a 5th grade waitlist that gets longer with each passing year. Parents EotP desperate for a decent public MS and HS are willing to put up with the crappy building and other problems without complaint. Each year some of the DC seniors crack some of the most highly competitive colleges in the country. Why should the BASIS HQ/Arizona change a thing to help the BASIS DC MS/HS?

[Anonymous]

If the current MS/HS is the same, why would kids who come in the lower grades want to continue to the Basis MS/HS? Like if they start great music/arts programs in the lower level, it would just stop at the upper level?

[Anonymous]

How do the AZ campuses fit in their arts programs? Do they take place after school? I’m wondering because the current schedule seems to only allow for one elective each year, so where is the time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the current MS/HS is the same, why would kids who come in the lower grades want to continue to the Basis MS/HS? Like if they start great music/arts programs in the lower level, it would just stop at the upper level?

Serious question? Many UMC families EotP are not only desperate for a good MS/HS, they're desperate for a good ES because so many in-boundary schools remain iffy or lousy, particularly in the upper grades. Moreover, lottery spots for the most popular charter elementary schools, e.g. Inspired Teaching, YuYing, can be hard to come by. Why would BASIS bother to start a great music/arts program in their K-4th school? In the DCPS universe, PTAs largely finance great music/arts programs. The BASIS franchise doesn't permit PTAs. They permit parent "Booster Clubs" that raise money for admins to hand off to top up teachers' salaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought that would be the case.

BASIS DC has a 5th grade waitlist that gets longer with each passing year. Parents EotP desperate for a decent public MS and HS are willing to put up with the crappy building and other problems without complaint. Each year some of the DC seniors crack some of the most highly competitive colleges in the country. Why should the BASIS HQ/Arizona change a thing to help the BASIS DC MS/HS?

No, it does not. This year's wait-list is shorter than in 2020, for example.

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/aaron2446/viz/MSDCSeatsandWaitlistOfferData_draft/MSDCPublicDisplay

[Anonymous]

2020 was a particularly large 4th grade cohort EotP. At our DCPS ES, it was the first cohort that was entirely IB in K.

The general trend is toward longer BASIS waiting lists, yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do the AZ campuses fit in their arts programs? Do they take place after school? I’m wondering because the current schedule seems to only allow for one elective each year, so where is the time?

Technically, kids can take 2 electives, but they also must opt for a longer school day. Normally, they have 7 periods of classes, and to do a second elective, they would need an 8th period.

At my kids' Basis school, it works like this.
Drama: There's an elective for 6th, 7th, and upper school. The upper school drama program puts on a play. There is an extra play handled as an after school club.
Visual arts: There's an elective for 6th and 7th. There are quite a few electives for upper school.
Music: Band starts in 6th. Orchestra starts in 8th. Chorus starts in 6th. There's really only one level for these, and the level is not high. There are also after school clubs.

None of these programs are comparable to what you would see at a large high school. That isn't necessarily a bad thing for all kids. My drama kid can get parts in plays much more easily at a smaller school with less competition. Since the orchestra program at Basis is wholly inadequate for high level players, it means my kid is exempt from the local youth symphony orchestra rule that you have to participate in your school's orchestra program. So, my kid doesn't have to waste his elective slot on an orchestra that is too basic.

If your kid enjoys the arts, but is much more into STEM, Basis will meet their needs. If your kid is really into arts, Basis cannot compete with the large public schools.

[Anonymous]

All this sounds much better than what we have in DC on the arts programming front, even though the offerings at your AZ school aren't top notch. I'm assuming that your school has an auditorium and stage, or at least an all-purpose room/gym as a performance space (unlike us).

I don't feel like I learned anything at last night's meeting portending change at the DC MS/HS, other than perhaps slightly better college advising.