Basis fills a gap that shouldn’t exist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is ridiculous to blame a single school for the city’s failure.

It's easier to blame the school than the people you voted for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But PPs who are Basis parents compare it to their regular public school growing up. It can’t be so very difficult that no kid coming in via the lottery could handle it. It’s too bad no one even gets the chance.

Really, it's the math. Basis 7th graders take Algebra. Basis 9th graders take pre-calc, etc. If a kid is trying to enter in 7th, and they were already on a track to take Algebra in 7th, they would be fine at Basis. A lot of kids in DC are on that track and would be fine. A lot aren't, and entering Basis would entail completely skipping pre-algebra and then likely failing Algebra because they weren't ready. Almost all of the kids who are academic wash-outs from Basis either entered in 5th with extremely shaky math foundations, or needed a slower pace of math instruction and were not going to be ready for Algebra in 7th anywhere.

Not only is basis prohibited from using any admissions tests in the upper grades, but also they're not allowed to admit or not based on transcripts from previous schools. So they can't even set "passing pre-algebra in a previous school" as a criterion for 7th grade entry. Since Basis can't do anything at all to ensure that the kid would have a reasonable shot of succeeding at Basis, they don't admit in the higher grades. Take it up with DC politicians if you disagree with the laws governing charter schools.

No one should have to roll the dice like this. If you get into BASIS in 5th, the school should have to teach to your level. Which means if a kid needs a slower pace of math, the school should offer it. Think how damaging that could be to a perfectly bright kid who enters BASIS with the right foundations but simply cannot keep up with the pace, is then told that rather than just moving to a slower paced math track, they must repeat the same higher paced math, and that the math acceleration will never let up while they are at the school so it's sink or swim.

To say "oh well that 10/11 year old couldn't hack it, tough luck kid" is an unserious attitude that does not belong in public education. We're not even talking about a kid with a learning disorder or other disability (though BASIS wants nothing to do with those kids unless they can medicate the issues away so they don't impact the BASIS approach to education in any way). We're talking about a kid who may be perfectly intelligent, on grade level in math coming into BASIS, but simply not able to keep up with the accelerated pathway. And we are acting like it's fine for the school to chew up that kid and spit them back out (no consideration to the impact that could have on that child's confidence academically moving forward, a child who isn't even in 6th grade yet).

That's messed up. BASIS is not an applications school but they act like they are, and that's the problem. If you want an application school, get DC to change the rules to permit a charter to be application only. But the current situation serves a tiny number of students *at the expense* of other students. That is not in keeping with the goals of the system.

Excellent post. Love it. Exactly right. Messed up is too tame a descriptor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But PPs who are Basis parents compare it to their regular public school growing up. It can’t be so very difficult that no kid coming in via the lottery could handle it. It’s too bad no one even gets the chance.

Really, it's the math. Basis 7th graders take Algebra. Basis 9th graders take pre-calc, etc. If a kid is trying to enter in 7th, and they were already on a track to take Algebra in 7th, they would be fine at Basis. A lot of kids in DC are on that track and would be fine. A lot aren't, and entering Basis would entail completely skipping pre-algebra and then likely failing Algebra because they weren't ready. Almost all of the kids who are academic wash-outs from Basis either entered in 5th with extremely shaky math foundations, or needed a slower pace of math instruction and were not going to be ready for Algebra in 7th anywhere.

Not only is basis prohibited from using any admissions tests in the upper grades, but also they're not allowed to admit or not based on transcripts from previous schools. So they can't even set "passing pre-algebra in a previous school" as a criterion for 7th grade entry. Since Basis can't do anything at all to ensure that the kid would have a reasonable shot of succeeding at Basis, they don't admit in the higher grades. Take it up with DC politicians if you disagree with the laws governing charter schools.

No one should have to roll the dice like this. If you get into BASIS in 5th, the school should have to teach to your level. Which means if a kid needs a slower pace of math, the school should offer it. Think how damaging that could be to a perfectly bright kid who enters BASIS with the right foundations but simply cannot keep up with the pace, is then told that rather than just moving to a slower paced math track, they must repeat the same higher paced math, and that the math acceleration will never let up while they are at the school so it's sink or swim.

To say "oh well that 10/11 year old couldn't hack it, tough luck kid" is an unserious attitude that does not belong in public education. We're not even talking about a kid with a learning disorder or other disability (though BASIS wants nothing to do with those kids unless they can medicate the issues away so they don't impact the BASIS approach to education in any way). We're talking about a kid who may be perfectly intelligent, on grade level in math coming into BASIS, but simply not able to keep up with the accelerated pathway. And we are acting like it's fine for the school to chew up that kid and spit them back out (no consideration to the impact that could have on that child's confidence academically moving forward, a child who isn't even in 6th grade yet).

That's messed up. BASIS is not an applications school but they act like they are, and that's the problem. If you want an application school, get DC to change the rules to permit a charter to be application only. But the current situation serves a tiny number of students *at the expense* of other students. That is not in keeping with the goals of the system.

Excellent post. Love it. Exactly right. Messed up is too tame a descriptor.

Once again - this is not a Basis problem, it’s a dearth of other options problem. The Basis model works for a critical mass of students and doesn’t need to change to compensate for broader, system-level deficits that existed wholly independent of Basis. But yes, the system is more than messed up…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As another current Basis parent (new poster), I am mystified by the posters who freely admit that they have no children at Basis but loudly claim that Basis does little to support its students.

In my experience, Basis provides a lot of academic and non-academic support to students. Basis has a dedicated team to support students who are struggling academically and falling behind, and to support students with IEPs and 504 plans. When a student's academic average dips below a certain percentage for any reason, Basis automatically and proactively puts together a team to support that student academically and monitors progress. In my children's classes, there has also often been a second teacher in the classroom who is dedicated to supporting students who are falling behind in math and ELA.

Basis provides additional, free academic support to every student who wants it. Every teacher in every subject has weekly student hours, and there are daily math student hours. (In addition to each math teacher's weekly student hours, there is another math teacher on duty each day who can support students in any math class.) Students also have weekly "math lab" math support during lunch. There is peer-to-peer tutoring of younger students by high school students who are excelling academically, and Georgetown students provide additional weekly tutoring in all subject areas. In the House system, older students also mentor younger students within their House.

Every two weeks, every student gets a detailed report on every test result they have received in every class. Therefore, students, parents, and the school have an accurate, up-to-date sense of how each student is doing academically and can catch academic issues early.

Basis has a psychologist and a social worker who meet with students individually to provide non-academic support. They also do presentations for students and parents on a variety of subjects geared towards supporting students' mental health.

In addition, every grade has a dedicated dean who is the triage person when a student is struggling, whether academically or non-academically, and connects the student and parents with the appropriate support. And if a student misses more than three days of school, the dean contacts all of the student's teachers and puts together a catch-up plan for the student. In my experience, teachers and administrators have been exceptionally kind and flexible in helping my kids catch up.

Furthermore, every Basis teacher has weekly virtual parent hours, and all deans and administrators are available to meet virtually with parents weekly and by appointment. Basis has a scheduling system that allows parents to set up all of these appointments online. It's been so much easier for us to quickly meet with teachers, deans, and administrators at Basis than at any other school we've attended.

It's also important to keep in mind that an extremely small percentage of Basis students are told that they will need to repeat the academic year -- maybe 1-3%? A very small percentage of students fail the Comp (the comprehensive exam that students take at the end of the year), and then every student who fails the Comp is given the opportunity to study over the summer and retake it and pass. The Comp is designed to test the most central principles in each class -- the ones that teachers have emphasized over and over -- so in my children's experience, they have been easier than the usual assessments and have actually brought their GPA up.

Based on my experience as a Basis parent, if a student is willing to put in the time and effort, Basis tries hard to help the student succeed. If you are considering Basis for your child, don't rely on the uninformed opinions on this forum of people who don't have children at Basis. Instead, please talk to the school, talk to current parents, ask detailed and tough questions about the support system that Basis offers, and try to determine whether Basis would be a good fit for your family.

This post is helpful in that it lists some of the ways that Basis tries to support students who are struggling academically. It's simply not true that Basis just says, "oh well, that 10/11 year old couldn't hack it, tough luck, kid" (as another poster just wrote). People with actual, current experience at Basis would know this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As another current Basis parent (new poster), I am mystified by the posters who freely admit that they have no children at Basis but loudly claim that Basis does little to support its students.

In my experience, Basis provides a lot of academic and non-academic support to students. Basis has a dedicated team to support students who are struggling academically and falling behind, and to support students with IEPs and 504 plans. When a student's academic average dips below a certain percentage for any reason, Basis automatically and proactively puts together a team to support that student academically and monitors progress. In my children's classes, there has also often been a second teacher in the classroom who is dedicated to supporting students who are falling behind in math and ELA.

Basis provides additional, free academic support to every student who wants it. Every teacher in every subject has weekly student hours, and there are daily math student hours. (In addition to each math teacher's weekly student hours, there is another math teacher on duty each day who can support students in any math class.) Students also have weekly "math lab" math support during lunch. There is peer-to-peer tutoring of younger students by high school students who are excelling academically, and Georgetown students provide additional weekly tutoring in all subject areas. In the House system, older students also mentor younger students within their House.

Every two weeks, every student gets a detailed report on every test result they have received in every class. Therefore, students, parents, and the school have an accurate, up-to-date sense of how each student is doing academically and can catch academic issues early.

Basis has a psychologist and a social worker who meet with students individually to provide non-academic support. They also do presentations for students and parents on a variety of subjects geared towards supporting students' mental health.

In addition, every grade has a dedicated dean who is the triage person when a student is struggling, whether academically or non-academically, and connects the student and parents with the appropriate support. And if a student misses more than three days of school, the dean contacts all of the student's teachers and puts together a catch-up plan for the student. In my experience, teachers and administrators have been exceptionally kind and flexible in helping my kids catch up.

Furthermore, every Basis teacher has weekly virtual parent hours, and all deans and administrators are available to meet virtually with parents weekly and by appointment. Basis has a scheduling system that allows parents to set up all of these appointments online. It's been so much easier for us to quickly meet with teachers, deans, and administrators at Basis than at any other school we've attended.

It's also important to keep in mind that an extremely small percentage of Basis students are told that they will need to repeat the academic year -- maybe 1-3%? A very small percentage of students fail the Comp (the comprehensive exam that students take at the end of the year), and then every student who fails the Comp is given the opportunity to study over the summer and retake it and pass. The Comp is designed to test the most central principles in each class -- the ones that teachers have emphasized over and over -- so in my children's experience, they have been easier than the usual assessments and have actually brought their GPA up.

Based on my experience as a Basis parent, if a student is willing to put in the time and effort, Basis tries hard to help the student succeed. If you are considering Basis for your child, don't rely on the uninformed opinions on this forum of people who don't have children at Basis. Instead, please talk to the school, talk to current parents, ask detailed and tough questions about the support system that Basis offers, and try to determine whether Basis would be a good fit for your family.

This post is helpful in that it lists some of the ways that Basis tries to support students who are struggling academically. It's simply not true that Basis just says, "oh well, that 10/11 year old couldn't hack it, tough luck, kid" (as another poster just wrote). People with actual, current experience at Basis would know this.

I want to co-sign this post not only because it’s grounded in actual BASIS experience, but because it underscores something that seems lost in some of the louder critiques: BASIS does provide support—but it doesn’t rewrite its curriculum to avoid discomfort. And that’s a feature, not a flaw.

Helping students meet a standard is one thing; redesigning the standard to meet students where they are—especially when that means creating a parallel, slower track—is another. If BASIS went down that road, it would fundamentally change its character. Most kids would end up in the slower track, and over time that would become the institutional focus. The model would collapse into something more conventional.

BASIS’s strength lies in the fact that everyone is offered the same ambitious academic path. No tracking. No gatekeeping. Just rigor—and support to meet it. That’s what we signed up for, and that’s what’s working for our child.

[Anonymous]

BASIS kicks undesirable students out and gives them to DCPS, when will some of you stop lying to yourselves?

[Anonymous]

At the end of the day, every school has its pros and cons. I don't like the IB curriculum so I didn't want DCI, and I'm not a fan of "Classical/Latin" education so I didn't want Latin. I do like the BASIS model, even though many hate it, so I lotteried for it and my child got a seat, and has been happy. She is now at the BASIS high school.

The real problem here is that there are not enough seats to guarantee that a person gets the type of education they want. I lucked out. I would have been unhappy if my kid had to go to DCI or Latin. Lucky for me they didn't, but that is why you see so many posts like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At the end of the day, every school has its pros and cons. I don't like the IB curriculum so I didn't want DCI, and I'm not a fan of "Classical/Latin" education so I didn't want Latin. I do like the BASIS model, even though many hate it, so I lotteried for it and my child got a seat, and has been happy. She is now at the BASIS high school.

The real problem here is that there are not enough seats to guarantee that a person gets the type of education they want. I lucked out. I would have been unhappy if my kid had to go to DCI or Latin. Lucky for me they didn't, but that is why you see so many posts like this.

Most kids in the city get locked out of BASIS, Latin, or DCI. Those three schools, plus Deal, J-R, Hardy, Walls, Banneker, McKinley, and Ellington (many of which, like BASIS, only aim to meet the academic needs of a specific population of students) still do not result in a seat for every student in DC who wants one.

THAT is why you see so many posts like this. I get why BASIS parents would get sick of people with their kids at the school complaining. But so few people have kids at the school, it's not surprising. You also have parents in the Eastern feeder pyramid who are frustrated at the slow pace of improvement in their schools, in part due to BASIS, Latin, and DCI patching many high achieving students on the Hill who could otherwise help fill out higher track math and ELA courses or turn Eastern's IB program into something really notable.

People are just frustrated because their options suck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BASIS kicks undesirable students out and gives them to DCPS, when will some of you stop lying to yourselves?

Stop lying to yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the end of the day, every school has its pros and cons. I don't like the IB curriculum so I didn't want DCI, and I'm not a fan of "Classical/Latin" education so I didn't want Latin. I do like the BASIS model, even though many hate it, so I lotteried for it and my child got a seat, and has been happy. She is now at the BASIS high school.

The real problem here is that there are not enough seats to guarantee that a person gets the type of education they want. I lucked out. I would have been unhappy if my kid had to go to DCI or Latin. Lucky for me they didn't, but that is why you see so many posts like this.

Most kids in the city get locked out of BASIS, Latin, or DCI. Those three schools, plus Deal, J-R, Hardy, Walls, Banneker, McKinley, and Ellington (many of which, like BASIS, only aim to meet the academic needs of a specific population of students) still do not result in a seat for every student in DC who wants one.

THAT is why you see so many posts like this. I get why BASIS parents would get sick of people with their kids at the school complaining. But so few people have kids at the school, it's not surprising. You also have parents in the Eastern feeder pyramid who are frustrated at the slow pace of improvement in their schools, in part due to BASIS, Latin, and DCI patching many high achieving students on the Hill who could otherwise help fill out higher track math and ELA courses or turn Eastern's IB program into something really notable.

People are just frustrated because their options suck.

Agree with you that the options suck and people are making do the best that they can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At the end of the day, every school has its pros and cons. I don't like the IB curriculum so I didn't want DCI, and I'm not a fan of "Classical/Latin" education so I didn't want Latin. I do like the BASIS model, even though many hate it, so I lotteried for it and my child got a seat, and has been happy. She is now at the BASIS high school.

The real problem here is that there are not enough seats to guarantee that a person gets the type of education they want. I lucked out. I would have been unhappy if my kid had to go to DCI or Latin. Lucky for me they didn't, but that is why you see so many posts like this.

Basis has seats but refuses to backfill them. If they offer so much support as described above, why can’t they backfill and provide that support to new students? In a system with so few opportunities for bright kids, esp those “far from opportunity,” why doesn’t Basis even try?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the end of the day, every school has its pros and cons. I don't like the IB curriculum so I didn't want DCI, and I'm not a fan of "Classical/Latin" education so I didn't want Latin. I do like the BASIS model, even though many hate it, so I lotteried for it and my child got a seat, and has been happy. She is now at the BASIS high school.

The real problem here is that there are not enough seats to guarantee that a person gets the type of education they want. I lucked out. I would have been unhappy if my kid had to go to DCI or Latin. Lucky for me they didn't, but that is why you see so many posts like this.

Basis has seats but refuses to backfill them. If they offer so much support as described above, why can’t they backfill and provide that support to new students? In a system with so few opportunities for bright kids, esp those “far from opportunity,” why doesn’t Basis even try?

This is what drives me nuts. You hear two very different narratives about BASIS and they cannot both be true.

On the one hand, there is the argument that BASIS is a needed school for high achieving students who are ready for, and in fact need, accelerated math and high standards. Under this argument, attrition is blamed on kids who can't cut it under the system and the attrition is viewed as a positive -- it weeds out the kids who would hold the students who thrive at BASIS back. And the reason they can't backfill is that BASIS has a system and you have to come up through that system in order to succeed -- backfilling wouldn't be fair to the kids who have been there from the start, nor the new kids coming in who would be set up to fail because they didn't get the accelerated foundations. People who argue this narrative will emphasize that BASIS isn't for everyone but is a godsend for the kids who do well there. There have been many examples of this narrative on this thread.

The other narrative is that, actually, BASIS is just doing what most schools *used* to do, that it's not exclusionary and not just for a specific kind of kid. This narrative will emphasize that BASIS does a lot to help struggling kids via tutoring and summer academy, and combines high standards with lots and lots of support for those who need it so they can keep up. This narrative will also emphasize that BASIS actually has plenty of specials and extra-curriculars, that it's not just laser focused on STEM and that kids get a well rounded education there. In this narrative, the attrition is viewed as just the natural result of kids moving around in the DC system to find a "good fit" and will emphasize that some of that attrition is kids going to other strong public and private high schools after being well prepared by BASIS in middle. This narrative doesn't really address the lack of backfilling, just kind of sidesteps it, likely because it's much harder to justify if BASIS is merely a well-rounded school with high expectations, just with a more math and testing based approach than DCI or Latin. Both DCI and Latin backfill, so the argument gets a bit muddy there.

Both of these cannot be true and it's strange to me to see both arguments on this thread. Which is it? I am not a BASIS parent but I have a 3rd grader at a CH elementary and am looking at middle schools so I'm interested. Which is it? If I send my smart, above-grade-level, very academic kid there, will she potentially struggle with a sink-or-swim approach that could be hard on a kid who is tough on herself and somewhat prone to anxiety? If she struggles will she get help or be pushed out to make room for kids who can succeed there without help? Will she feel like the school is well-rounded as a kid who loves ELA and writing and the arts? And importantly, if we got a spot at BASIS but not Latin or DCI, would it make more sense to take that spot or stick with S-H even though the test scores are lower and it's less academically demanding?

I really don't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the end of the day, every school has its pros and cons. I don't like the IB curriculum so I didn't want DCI, and I'm not a fan of "Classical/Latin" education so I didn't want Latin. I do like the BASIS model, even though many hate it, so I lotteried for it and my child got a seat, and has been happy. She is now at the BASIS high school.

The real problem here is that there are not enough seats to guarantee that a person gets the type of education they want. I lucked out. I would have been unhappy if my kid had to go to DCI or Latin. Lucky for me they didn't, but that is why you see so many posts like this.

Basis has seats but refuses to backfill them. If they offer so much support as described above, why can’t they backfill and provide that support to new students? In a system with so few opportunities for bright kids, esp those “far from opportunity,” why doesn’t Basis even try?

This is what drives me nuts. You hear two very different narratives about BASIS and they cannot both be true.

On the one hand, there is the argument that BASIS is a needed school for high achieving students who are ready for, and in fact need, accelerated math and high standards. Under this argument, attrition is blamed on kids who can't cut it under the system and the attrition is viewed as a positive -- it weeds out the kids who would hold the students who thrive at BASIS back. And the reason they can't backfill is that BASIS has a system and you have to come up through that system in order to succeed -- backfilling wouldn't be fair to the kids who have been there from the start, nor the new kids coming in who would be set up to fail because they didn't get the accelerated foundations. People who argue this narrative will emphasize that BASIS isn't for everyone but is a godsend for the kids who do well there. There have been many examples of this narrative on this thread.

The other narrative is that, actually, BASIS is just doing what most schools *used* to do, that it's not exclusionary and not just for a specific kind of kid. This narrative will emphasize that BASIS does a lot to help struggling kids via tutoring and summer academy, and combines high standards with lots and lots of support for those who need it so they can keep up. This narrative will also emphasize that BASIS actually has plenty of specials and extra-curriculars, that it's not just laser focused on STEM and that kids get a well rounded education there. In this narrative, the attrition is viewed as just the natural result of kids moving around in the DC system to find a "good fit" and will emphasize that some of that attrition is kids going to other strong public and private high schools after being well prepared by BASIS in middle. This narrative doesn't really address the lack of backfilling, just kind of sidesteps it, likely because it's much harder to justify if BASIS is merely a well-rounded school with high expectations, just with a more math and testing based approach than DCI or Latin. Both DCI and Latin backfill, so the argument gets a bit muddy there.

Both of these cannot be true and it's strange to me to see both arguments on this thread. Which is it? I am not a BASIS parent but I have a 3rd grader at a CH elementary and am looking at middle schools so I'm interested. Which is it? If I send my smart, above-grade-level, very academic kid there, will she potentially struggle with a sink-or-swim approach that could be hard on a kid who is tough on herself and somewhat prone to anxiety? If she struggles will she get help or be pushed out to make room for kids who can succeed there without help? Will she feel like the school is well-rounded as a kid who loves ELA and writing and the arts? And importantly, if we got a spot at BASIS but not Latin or DCI, would it make more sense to take that spot or stick with S-H even though the test scores are lower and it's less academically demanding?

I really don't know.

I say this gently, but I was struck by how quickly you seemed to write off BASIS as a place where your daughter—who you describe as smart, hardworking, above grade level—would surely “fail.” She’s only in third grade! There’s a lot of time between now and middle school. And I say that not to push BASIS as the perfect fit for every child (it isn’t), but because I think it’s worth pausing on why the assumption of failure comes so quickly—even when the descriptors you’ve used for your daughter suggest she has all the qualities to do well with the right preparation and mindset.

If you’re at all interested in keeping the BASIS door open, I’d offer something constructive: consider looking into Beast Academy or even Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) workbooks. These resources are designed to build deep math reasoning—often through puzzles, comics, and fun visual formats. A child who enjoys stories and has an artistic streak might actually find Beast Academy surprisingly engaging. And even if she doesn’t master every concept, just getting early exposure to rigorous problem-solving can make a big difference over the next two years.

In short: even if you ultimately decide BASIS isn’t the best fit, it would be a shame to assume she couldn’t handle it—especially if that assumption is based on a fixed image of what a “BASIS kid” looks like or the idea that strong ELA and strong math somehow can’t go together. They absolutely can.

You’ve got time. And you’ve got a daughter who sounds capable. Why not see what she can do?

[Anonymous]

S-H doesn’t really have “lower” test scores than BASIS. The highest performing kids at both schools have 5s in math and ELA. What’s different is the proportion of the student body scoring 5s. But the top kids at BASIS are not scoring higher than the top kids at S-H.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the end of the day, every school has its pros and cons. I don't like the IB curriculum so I didn't want DCI, and I'm not a fan of "Classical/Latin" education so I didn't want Latin. I do like the BASIS model, even though many hate it, so I lotteried for it and my child got a seat, and has been happy. She is now at the BASIS high school.

The real problem here is that there are not enough seats to guarantee that a person gets the type of education they want. I lucked out. I would have been unhappy if my kid had to go to DCI or Latin. Lucky for me they didn't, but that is why you see so many posts like this.

Basis has seats but refuses to backfill them. If they offer so much support as described above, why can’t they backfill and provide that support to new students? In a system with so few opportunities for bright kids, esp those “far from opportunity,” why doesn’t Basis even try?

You obviously didn’t read this thread.

They aren’t allowed to backfill in DC.

Please educate yourself before posting.