BASIS DC to open in 2012-2013
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Anonymous
| I really feel for PCS leaders -impossible to please everybody. And that's the point I guess. They may and do take parental feedback into consideration but there are so many different viewpoints. I've seen KIPP maligned on the same thread where other posters praise it (and from what I have seen, it sounds like it is deserving of all the praise). Charters are about offering choice to families. Families can learn about a school, its philosophy, attend an info session and get a good idea if the school works for them. It sounds like BASIS is exactly what some families are looking for (or are hoping for, nothing is certain until it begins and schools still take time to evolve). It sounds like for some people BASIS is not the right fit. What I don't get is posters being so critical of a school for not being the right fit - in their definition. If we expect our schools to do everything, and it sounds like some people do, we are setting them up for failure. Not only do we want rigorous basic academics, we want multiple foreign languages, a host of extracurriculars, sports teams, etc. etc. I've seen in previous posts mention of how many students are needed to support X number of AP courses or foreign language courses. Certain schools due to size or inclination may not offer what you as a parent believe is most important. Parents need to prioritize their criteria and go from there. Hopefully they will find (and get into) a school that meets most of their criteria. But I think it is unrealistic to expect a school to fulfill all of the criteria. A school is made up of hundreds of families, many of them with differing criteria. It is almost impossible to meet everybody's criteria. Take foreign language. If you surveyed the parents, you may receive requests for French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Arabic, Latin, etc. The school is probably not in the position to be able to provide that - is there enough demand to sustain a teacher, even part-time, in all of the languages. BASIS seems to have come up with a different approach - offering them before and after school. Some could commend them for coming up with an alternative solution. Some would criticize them for not being able to incorporate it into the regular schedule. Some will criticize the cost. All the critiques are valid but there is no perfect solution. I wish BASIS all the best. More choice is better for all in DC, even if there is no direct affiliation to BASIS. I commend the "boosterism" of BASIS supporters. A new school needs that and I don't understand why there are so many posters seemingly rooted for it to fail, constantly pointing out that DC is not Tucson, etc. Do you think BASIS took the decision to start in DC lightly. They are making a big investment in the building and the DC Executive Head has a long history in the DC charters. Will there be some bumps in the road? I'm sure, as seems to be the case with all first-year charters. As the parent of two children in charters, I'm so impressed by what the admin and teachers have done - creating amazing schools from scratch! Will BASIS be amazing? I hope so but of course time will tell. I do know that I have been impressed by their program and I wish them all the best. I wish more of the negative posters would do the same. |
Anonymous
| Will BASIS accept Special Ed students? |
Anonymous
I believe they will have some incomingspecial needs students (as are other charters), but it might well beg the question of why special needs students are being driven away by DCPS (particularly when public schools get the extra funding and resources to support special needs students) that they would be seeking out charters? |
Anonymous
| All charter schools have to accept and meet the needs of special ed students. Charters get additional funds, depending on the level of services. |
Anonymous
But some charters specialize in serving special ed-- I think St. Colleta's does. And just because a child is needing special ed in some respects doesn't mean that they can't handle an advanced curriculum too. I'm thinking BASIS may be able to serve some Asbergers's/ Autistic kids better than the DCPS neighborhood schools. I think it's great that all children get a choice. |
Anonymous
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I think that St. Colleta's is a unique charter, that had a charter granted under the School Board (the alternate chartering authority, that stopped giving charters, in favor of PCSB only). A St C parent once explained to me that another charter like that would not exist.
Schools like Bridges, that have a self-contained and an inclusion classroom, rely on recruiting to generate sufficient interest in the lottery. Not a separate process for special needs kids. |
Anonymous
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Not all special needs kids are created equally. Some are mentally capable and have no problem with academics, but instead have physical problems which make the more mundane day-to-day things a challenge, and they need help there. Some have a spectrum of mental issues, however even there there are divergences, high-functioning kids, like those with Aspergers can excel academically including going on to college and graduate school given the right environment - whereas others might never be able to perform academically beyond an elementary-school level even in the best possible environment.
Basis says right up front what their expectations are - that students advance by passing comprehensive exams, that students are expected to take AP courses (and pass them to continue advancing). I think there are some special needs students (those who may have some issues but who are academically capable) who would do just fine at a school like Basis, and others where it clearly would not be a good fit. And that's the choice left to parents, just as the choice exists to send students to St. Coletta if that's a good fit for their special needs student. |
Anonymous
| I will be watching very carefully the numbers at Basis. It will be important to see how many start, and then how many are "counseled out." |
Anonymous
Mike: Good morning, Roz, my succulent little garden snail. And who will we be scaring today? Roz: Wazowski! You didn't file your paperwork last night. Mike: Oh, that darn paperwork! Wouldn't it be easier if it all just blew away? Roz: Don't let it happen again. Mike: Yes, well, I'll try to be more careful next time. Roz: I'm watching you, Wazowski. Always watching. Always. Mike: Ooh, she's nuts. |
Anonymous
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If you had a perfectly healthy child, would you be sending him to St. Coletta? No. Doesn't make sense, not a good fit. You could do it, but just because you can, is it the right thing to do? NO.
If you had a white child who was interested in western european history and culture, would you send him to Roots? No. Doesn't make sense, not a good fit. You could do it, but just because you can, is it the right thing to do? NO. If you have a child who is not academically inclined, who is not college bound, would you send him to a college prep school? No. Doesn't make sense, not a good fit. You could do it, but just because you can, is it the right thing to do? NO. Time to engage your BRAINS, people. |
Anonymous
| I'm sending an Aspie to BASIS next year. Anyone else? |
Anonymous
| Lots of Aspies should do well at a school like Basis. |
Anonymous
| I think there will be alot of quirky kids going to BASIS next year. That is why I am sending my smart quirky child there. |
Anonymous
| We’re sending our Aspersers’ son to BASIS next year too. |
Anonymous
| We're sending our smart and social kid with dyslexia to BASIS next year. He did the STARS program this spring and did just fine. He'll likely use audiobooks for a lot of the books he will need to read. He'll never be a champion speller and he'll probably need some accommodations in terms of extra time for exams and some writing assistance. But overall, he's a smart kid and a hard worker and we are both confident that he's going to do great at BASIS. |