BASIS Lottery ONLY for 5th grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not the poster you're responding to, but the fact remains that a school can only wrest so much excellence out of one-size-fits-all solutions piled on top of one-size-fits-all solutions

Other than the two MIT admits last year, I haven't been wowed by BASIS college admissions.

Their boot camp style formula for college success only gets them so far.

And the one that got in early to Yale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP who left Basis due to its language curriculum policies has posted the same comments repeatedly in this and prior threads.

For someone who has no “rage,” she sure feels the need to vent a lot.

I’m sorry Basis didn’t work out for her family. That said Basis is incredibly transparent about its requirements. There should have been no surprise.

NP - I agree. The schedules are quite a juggling act for the administration and they are already pretty open to having high school students take as many APs as they do or don't want, take beyond-AP Calculus classes, and outside electives.

I would not expect my DC to lottery in to an immersion school past the beginning years and be brought up to speed in Mandarin or Spanish. If your student is already bilingual, can't you just supplement? We supplement in instrumental music and dance instruction not offered at the school.

NP who disagrees. BASIS is lame to lack ambition on language instruction vs. other academic subjects. BS that it's just the one poster, a single current or former parent who feels this way.

Major world languages aren't specialized subjects, like dance or instrumental music, in today's world. BASIS won't leave families alone who don't want beginning language instruction vs. advanced language instruction. They won't let kids take a language block as a study hall or computer software learning session to build advanced skills.

What it boils down to is that BASIS is regimented to a nutty degree.

It's just regimented in a way you don't like.

I can't imagine why you would ever send your kid there if continuing a language is that important to you.

Yes, because it's regimented in a stifling way for the most advanced students outside the STEM realm. It's a STEM program without the tech/labs/research or engineering component. DC public's jewel in the crown for stem could do much better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not the poster you're responding to, but the fact remains that a school can only wrest so much excellence out of one-size-fits-all solutions piled on top of one-size-fits-all solutions

Other than the two MIT admits last year, I haven't been wowed by BASIS college admissions.

Their boot camp style formula for college success only gets them so far.

And the one that got in early to Yale.

Wasn't this one a legacy admit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not the poster you're responding to, but the fact remains that a school can only wrest so much excellence out of one-size-fits-all solutions piled on top of one-size-fits-all solutions

Other than the two MIT admits last year, I haven't been wowed by BASIS college admissions.

Their boot camp style formula for college success only gets them so far.

And the one that got in early to Yale.

Wasn't this one a legacy admit?

not the one I know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not the poster you're responding to, but the fact remains that a school can only wrest so much excellence out of one-size-fits-all solutions piled on top of one-size-fits-all solutions

Other than the two MIT admits last year, I haven't been wowed by BASIS college admissions.

Their boot camp style formula for college success only gets them so far.

And the one that got in early to Yale.

Wasn't this one a legacy admit?

not the one I know.

2020 class - 2 at Yale, 1 at Harvard, one at MIT, one at Stanford, one at Dartmouth, to start. . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

BASIS just isn't great at innovating, as a franchise or a DC campus. BASIS is hardly the only program in which middle school kids can cover chem, bio and physics. Mine currently take on-line science courses through Johns Hopkins CTY and Stanford's on-line middle school program covering roughly the same science content.

Ok, but why should they spend extra resources to bring new kids up to speed - what you propose is setting them up to fail. And they can't select based on what classes a kid has taken before ore not.

They seem comfortable with their set up, so it is what it is.

This is it. They cannot administer an entrance exam, for example. They are transparent about this. To the PPP if you think it's wrongheaded, raise your concerns with the PCSB.

BASIS DC must operate differently than the BASIS charters in other states. They can and do give entrance exams for both math and English for kids entering after 5th. If you don't pass the exam, they'll offer admission for a lower grade instead. My DD joined BASIS in 7th in another state. While she has missed some content in the science courses, she's doing fine so far.

I don't know how it works in other places, but in DC, charter schools are forbidden to have entrance requirements. It wouldn't be equitable for students who have access to supplemental or accelerated curricula to have an increased chance to access a public school (and charter schools are public).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not the poster you're responding to, but the fact remains that a school can only wrest so much excellence out of one-size-fits-all solutions piled on top of one-size-fits-all solutions

Other than the two MIT admits last year, I haven't been wowed by BASIS college admissions.

Their boot camp style formula for college success only gets them so far.

And the one that got in early to Yale.

Wasn't this one a legacy admit?

not the one I know.

2020 class - 2 at Yale, 1 at Harvard, one at MIT, one at Stanford, one at Dartmouth, to start. . .

No kids at Basis but that’s impressive for their small class size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

BASIS just isn't great at innovating, as a franchise or a DC campus. BASIS is hardly the only program in which middle school kids can cover chem, bio and physics. Mine currently take on-line science courses through Johns Hopkins CTY and Stanford's on-line middle school program covering roughly the same science content.

Ok, but why should they spend extra resources to bring new kids up to speed - what you propose is setting them up to fail. And they can't select based on what classes a kid has taken before ore not.

They seem comfortable with their set up, so it is what it is.

This is it. They cannot administer an entrance exam, for example. They are transparent about this. To the PPP if you think it's wrongheaded, raise your concerns with the PCSB.

BASIS DC must operate differently than the BASIS charters in other states. They can and do give entrance exams for both math and English for kids entering after 5th. If you don't pass the exam, they'll offer admission for a lower grade instead. My DD joined BASIS in 7th in another state. While she has missed some content in the science courses, she's doing fine so far.

I don't know how it works in other places, but in DC, charter schools are forbidden to have entrance requirements. It wouldn't be equitable for students who have access to supplemental or accelerated curricula to have an increased chance to access a public school (and charter schools are public).

How does Walls, Banneker, McKinley Tech get around this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

BASIS just isn't great at innovating, as a franchise or a DC campus. BASIS is hardly the only program in which middle school kids can cover chem, bio and physics. Mine currently take on-line science courses through Johns Hopkins CTY and Stanford's on-line middle school program covering roughly the same science content.

Ok, but why should they spend extra resources to bring new kids up to speed - what you propose is setting them up to fail. And they can't select based on what classes a kid has taken before ore not.

They seem comfortable with their set up, so it is what it is.

This is it. They cannot administer an entrance exam, for example. They are transparent about this. To the PPP if you think it's wrongheaded, raise your concerns with the PCSB.

BASIS DC must operate differently than the BASIS charters in other states. They can and do give entrance exams for both math and English for kids entering after 5th. If you don't pass the exam, they'll offer admission for a lower grade instead. My DD joined BASIS in 7th in another state. While she has missed some content in the science courses, she's doing fine so far.

I don't know how it works in other places, but in DC, charter schools are forbidden to have entrance requirements. It wouldn't be equitable for students who have access to supplemental or accelerated curricula to have an increased chance to access a public school (and charter schools are public).

How does Walls, Banneker, McKinley Tech get around this?

They are dcps, not charter. I believe the logic is that dcps still offers all students a spot, even if not in one of those schools. Most charters, on the other hand, only have one school or one type of school, and so can't specialize in the way that dcps can.

[Anonymous]

My kids go to dcps language programs, and we’re pretty happy. I wish they’d gone to basis for the science and math. And grammar. Do they do spelling well too? Yes, I’ll take that. I would love for them to start a second foreign language too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I don't know how it works in other places, but in DC, charter schools are forbidden to have entrance requirements. It wouldn't be equitable for students who have access to supplemental or accelerated curricula to have an increased chance to access a public school (and charter schools are public).

Elsewhere, they can't have entrance requirements to get into the school as a whole, but they can have them to get into a specific grade. If you get in from the lottery for 7th, but can't pass the algebra I readiness test, they'll let you in for 6th grade but not 7th in my state. I'm fortunate in that my DD was already prepared for 7th grade Algebra and had no problems with passing the BASIS algebra readiness test.

On that note, the DC BASIS policy of only admitting in 5th grade is pretty silly. My DD entered in 7th and has a 96% average through GP1 and GP2. Clearly, smart kids are more than capable of entering and succeeding at BASIS in grades beyond 5th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP who left Basis due to its language curriculum policies has posted the same comments repeatedly in this and prior threads.

For someone who has no “rage,” she sure feels the need to vent a lot.

I’m sorry Basis didn’t work out for her family. That said Basis is incredibly transparent about its requirements. There should have been no surprise.

NP - I agree. The schedules are quite a juggling act for the administration and they are already pretty open to having high school students take as many APs as they do or don't want, take beyond-AP Calculus classes, and outside electives.

I would not expect my DC to lottery in to an immersion school past the beginning years and be brought up to speed in Mandarin or Spanish. If your student is already bilingual, can't you just supplement? We supplement in instrumental music and dance instruction not offered at the school.

NP who disagrees. BASIS is lame to lack ambition on language instruction vs. other academic subjects. BS that it's just the one poster, a single current or former parent who feels this way.

Major world languages aren't specialized subjects, like dance or instrumental music, in today's world. BASIS won't leave families alone who don't want beginning language instruction vs. advanced language instruction. They won't let kids take a language block as a study hall or computer software learning session to build advanced skills.

What it boils down to is that BASIS is regimented to a nutty degree.

It's just regimented in a way you don't like.

I can't imagine why you would ever send your kid there if continuing a language is that important to you.

Yes, because it's regimented in a stifling way for the most advanced students outside the STEM realm. It's a STEM program without the tech/labs/research or engineering component. DC public's jewel in the crown for STEM could do much better.

This is true. BASIS' small HS size is nice for students. But facilities are weak for STEM work as compared to halfway decent suburban and private schools.

I agree that BASIS shouldn't be throwing up bureaucratic obstacles to studying major world languages at the advanced level, not in 2020. Over the years, small groups of parents have approached admins asking for advanced Spanish and Chinese to be taught at the MS level. They've even asked if they could pool resources to pay tutors/instructors who'd come in at no charge to the franchise. They've been shot down. MS kids who speak languages well routinely get shoved into beginning language classes if the family rejects beginning language instruction in a third language. Total joke.

[Anonymous]

You language immersion folks are insufferable.

Let’s agree that Basis is not good at teaching advanced languages and that doing so — and overseeing the administration of allowing for exceptions — is not their priority.

If that bugs you, go to DCI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not the poster you're responding to, but the fact remains that a school can only wrest so much excellence out of one-size-fits-all solutions piled on top of one-size-fits-all solutions

Other than the two MIT admits last year, I haven't been wowed by BASIS college admissions.

Their boot camp style formula for college success only gets them so far.

And the one that got in early to Yale.

Wasn't this one a legacy admit?

not the one I know.

2020 class - 2 at Yale, 1 at Harvard, one at MIT, one at Stanford, one at Dartmouth, to start. . .

No kids at Basis but that’s impressive for their small class size.

Class of 2019 - 2 are at MIT, 2 at Duke, 1 at Oxford ... (34 graduates).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP who left Basis due to its language curriculum policies has posted the same comments repeatedly in this and prior threads.

For someone who has no “rage,” she sure feels the need to vent a lot.

I’m sorry Basis didn’t work out for her family. That said Basis is incredibly transparent about its requirements. There should have been no surprise.

NP - I agree. The schedules are quite a juggling act for the administration and they are already pretty open to having high school students take as many APs as they do or don't want, take beyond-AP Calculus classes, and outside electives.

I would not expect my DC to lottery in to an immersion school past the beginning years and be brought up to speed in Mandarin or Spanish. If your student is already bilingual, can't you just supplement? We supplement in instrumental music and dance instruction not offered at the school.

NP who disagrees. BASIS is lame to lack ambition on language instruction vs. other academic subjects. BS that it's just the one poster, a single current or former parent who feels this way.

Major world languages aren't specialized subjects, like dance or instrumental music, in today's world. BASIS won't leave families alone who don't want beginning language instruction vs. advanced language instruction. They won't let kids take a language block as a study hall or computer software learning session to build advanced skills.

What it boils down to is that BASIS is regimented to a nutty degree.

It's just regimented in a way you don't like.

I can't imagine why you would ever send your kid there if continuing a language is that important to you.

Yes, because it's regimented in a stifling way for the most advanced students outside the STEM realm. It's a STEM program without the tech/labs/research or engineering component. DC public's jewel in the crown for stem could do much better.

Literally no one has called Basis a jewel — even its most ardent boosters or its staff. We all know what it is and isn’t at this point. Parents should go in with their eyes open and not expect they will be able to change things.

-satisfied parent of Basis graduate