October waitlist data is up

[Anonymous]

Agreed. Folks need to consider that BASIS starts at 5th because they need an “onboarding” year, knowing that students come into the school with different levels of readiness and need time to get more on the same page before the true middle school years. What would be nice is if rigor could start as early as 3rd grade in elementary schools (that’s when VA offers the AAP option) so that kids would have a much better shot at being prepared for a rigorous middle school. The upper elementary school program is lacking across the board in DC and students might need to make up for that when they first get to BASIS. The instruction between our prior elementary and 5th grade at BASIS is night and day. I can only imagine how many better PARCC scores the city could have if a program like BASIS started earlier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BASIS is extremely honest about the rigor there. There is no hiding the ball. Parents should know what they are getting their kids into. I can see how parents might think that even if their kid is not the best student going in that they might rise to the occasion with the right supports and peer group. Unfortunately the lack of good middle school options in DC, however, means some parents send kids to BASIS who don’t stand much of a chance at doing well there.

But they're not honest about the quality of instruction. No secret that families of means tend to leave because too many of the teachers aren't great. The best teachers tend to leave after just 2-3 years in search of better pay and working conditions. Rigor without inspired teaching across the board is only so rigorous. My straight-A kid was often bored at BASIS, not for lack of challenge but for lack of excellent teaching. He's much better off at a private with more dynamic, hands-on and personalized instruction. In our experience, BASIS hides the ball on teacher training, support and turnover issues. Just don't look a gift horse in the mouth if you're not prepared to move and can't pay for a private.

Lots to unpack here. I will start by observing that arguing that your private school is better than BASIS is not the hit you think it is. Kind of falls under the category of "no sh*t Sherlock." The fact that your kid was bored at the most rigorous public MS in DC is not an indictment of BASIS. The fact that private school is "more dynamic, hands-on and personalized" also not a shock. If it wasn't you should demand your money back!

Sounds like your kid is advanced. Good for you. How would your nonspecific "inspired teaching" change that? Are you looking for Robin Williams and Oh Captain My Captain moments? Seems like what you wanted was more advanced material.

BASIS is not perfect. The physical infrastructure is cr*ppy and I think the HoS can be tone deaf to his and BASIS's detriment. But you contribute very little to the discussion by arguing that BASIS isn't as good as your kid's private school.

NP. I'm going to argue that BASIS isn't as good as my PUBLIC school, Boston Latin. You can throw out barbs about silly parents seeking Oh Captain My Captain moments and more advanced material. Alternatively, you can address the problem of how the faculty, particularly in the middle school, is, overall, poorly trained, poorly compensated and, in too many cases, poorly motivated. BL wasn't like that.

The BASIS franchise itself probably isn't the primary culprit, because BASIS can't afford to pay competitive salaries in competing with the better-resourced public school systems in this metro area. The crappy aspects of BASIS go far beyond a tone deaf HoS (immature guy a few years out of grad school).

We had the experience of trying to organize low cost after-school Spanish classes at BASIS for ms immersion grads, with like-minded parents. The project seemed harmless enough. Unfortunately, admins wouldn't talk to us, wouldn't let us or the kids meet on the premises, or advertise through school channels. We were shut down before we started. Our family moved on, to a different PUBLIC school.

[Anonymous]

Boston Latin poster is the new Heritage Mom.

[Anonymous]

Boston Latin mom isn't wrong.

The fact that most parents are satisfied with the administrators and teachers at BASIS DC doesn't impress this heritage mom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BASIS is extremely honest about the rigor there. There is no hiding the ball. Parents should know what they are getting their kids into. I can see how parents might think that even if their kid is not the best student going in that they might rise to the occasion with the right supports and peer group. Unfortunately the lack of good middle school options in DC, however, means some parents send kids to BASIS who don’t stand much of a chance at doing well there.

But they're not honest about the quality of instruction. No secret that families of means tend to leave because too many of the teachers aren't great. The best teachers tend to leave after just 2-3 years in search of better pay and working conditions. Rigor without inspired teaching across the board is only so rigorous. My straight-A kid was often bored at BASIS, not for lack of challenge but for lack of excellent teaching. He's much better off at a private with more dynamic, hands-on and personalized instruction. In our experience, BASIS hides the ball on teacher training, support and turnover issues. Just don't look a gift horse in the mouth if you're not prepared to move and can't pay for a private.

Lots to unpack here. I will start by observing that arguing that your private school is better than BASIS is not the hit you think it is. Kind of falls under the category of "no sh*t Sherlock." The fact that your kid was bored at the most rigorous public MS in DC is not an indictment of BASIS. The fact that private school is "more dynamic, hands-on and personalized" also not a shock. If it wasn't you should demand your money back!

Sounds like your kid is advanced. Good for you. How would your nonspecific "inspired teaching" change that? Are you looking for Robin Williams and Oh Captain My Captain moments? Seems like what you wanted was more advanced material.

BASIS is not perfect. The physical infrastructure is cr*ppy and I think the HoS can be tone deaf to his and BASIS's detriment. But you contribute very little to the discussion by arguing that BASIS isn't as good as your kid's private school.

NP. I'm going to argue that BASIS isn't as good as my PUBLIC school, Boston Latin. You can throw out barbs about silly parents seeking Oh Captain My Captain moments and more advanced material. Alternatively, you can address the problem of how the faculty, particularly in the middle school, is, overall, poorly trained, poorly compensated and, in too many cases, poorly motivated. BL wasn't like that.

The BASIS franchise itself probably isn't the primary culprit, because BASIS can't afford to pay competitive salaries in competing with the better-resourced public school systems in this metro area. The crappy aspects of BASIS go far beyond a tone deaf HoS (immature guy a few years out of grad school).

We had the experience of trying to organize low cost after-school Spanish classes at BASIS for ms immersion grads, with like-minded parents. The project seemed harmless enough. Unfortunately, admins wouldn't talk to us, wouldn't let us or the kids meet on the premises, or advertise through school channels. We were shut down before we started. Our family moved on, to a different PUBLIC school.

I wondered what happened to the after school Spanish. It was a good idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BASIS is extremely honest about the rigor there. There is no hiding the ball. Parents should know what they are getting their kids into. I can see how parents might think that even if their kid is not the best student going in that they might rise to the occasion with the right supports and peer group. Unfortunately the lack of good middle school options in DC, however, means some parents send kids to BASIS who don’t stand much of a chance at doing well there.

But they're not honest about the quality of instruction. No secret that families of means tend to leave because too many of the teachers aren't great. The best teachers tend to leave after just 2-3 years in search of better pay and working conditions. Rigor without inspired teaching across the board is only so rigorous. My straight-A kid was often bored at BASIS, not for lack of challenge but for lack of excellent teaching. He's much better off at a private with more dynamic, hands-on and personalized instruction. In our experience, BASIS hides the ball on teacher training, support and turnover issues. Just don't look a gift horse in the mouth if you're not prepared to move and can't pay for a private.

Lots to unpack here. I will start by observing that arguing that your private school is better than BASIS is not the hit you think it is. Kind of falls under the category of "no sh*t Sherlock." The fact that your kid was bored at the most rigorous public MS in DC is not an indictment of BASIS. The fact that private school is "more dynamic, hands-on and personalized" also not a shock. If it wasn't you should demand your money back!

Sounds like your kid is advanced. Good for you. How would your nonspecific "inspired teaching" change that? Are you looking for Robin Williams and Oh Captain My Captain moments? Seems like what you wanted was more advanced material.

BASIS is not perfect. The physical infrastructure is cr*ppy and I think the HoS can be tone deaf to his and BASIS's detriment. But you contribute very little to the discussion by arguing that BASIS isn't as good as your kid's private school.

NP. I'm going to argue that BASIS isn't as good as my PUBLIC school, Boston Latin. You can throw out barbs about silly parents seeking Oh Captain My Captain moments and more advanced material. Alternatively, you can address the problem of how the faculty, particularly in the middle school, is, overall, poorly trained, poorly compensated and, in too many cases, poorly motivated. BL wasn't like that.

The BASIS franchise itself probably isn't the primary culprit, because BASIS can't afford to pay competitive salaries in competing with the better-resourced public school systems in this metro area. The crappy aspects of BASIS go far beyond a tone deaf HoS (immature guy a few years out of grad school).

We had the experience of trying to organize low cost after-school Spanish classes at BASIS for ms immersion grads, with like-minded parents. The project seemed harmless enough. Unfortunately, admins wouldn't talk to us, wouldn't let us or the kids meet on the premises, or advertise through school channels. We were shut down before we started. Our family moved on, to a different PUBLIC school.

I just looked and I can't find Boston Latin on the My School DC site. How do I put that on my list for next year? Oh, wait...it is in Boston.

Your post is silly. I reacted to someone who thought it was revelatory that a private school in DC would be better than a public or charter school in DC. Your response is to tell us about a school not in DC? Based on your experience from 2 decades ago. Were you under the impression that this forum was a broad discussion about the state of public schools in the US and that people are using it to decide where to move? Or discussing how things were when we were in ES and MS?

You seem to have your panties in a bunch because the HoS told you "no". Entitled people often get upset when they don't get what they want. Sometimes they even resort to ad hominem attacks based on misinformation (e,g,. that a man in his mid 30's with 2 grad degrees plus a law degree is unqualified).

I guess they must not have taught reading comprehension at Boston Latin. BASIS is strong in some areas and weak in others. Foreign language is not something they do early or excel at. How did you not know that? If it doesn't offer what you want, don't attend. If you think foreign language is more important than rigorous math and science, don't attend. We have choice here in DC. Sadly Boston Latin is not an option for you since it is in Boston. You'll have to get by wearing your BL sweatshirt around the house and telling your kids about how it was the best time of your life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Boston Latin mom isn't wrong.

The fact that most parents are satisfied with the administrators and teachers at BASIS DC doesn't impress this heritage mom.

I just bet you married the guy who still tells stories about his high school baseball career. I would also bet a million bucks you have your HS on your CV.

Adults in their 30s+ who name their HS to humble brag are generally the biggest d-bags I know.

Signed,
Graduate of one of the most elite boarding schools on earth, which she does not name and about which she never speaks because she's not a tool

[Anonymous]

BASIS parents tend to want to believe that the program is the cream of the crop, on a par with the best public middle schools in other big US cities. It isn't, never mind that BASIS no longer comes close to clearing its 5th grade WL. Hearing this makes some of them defensive, really defensive. It's an old story. Move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BASIS parents tend to want to believe that the program is the cream of the crop, on a par with the best public middle schools in other big US cities. It isn't, never mind that BASIS no longer comes close to clearing its 5th grade WL. Hearing this makes some of them defensive, really defensive. It's an old story. Move on.

This BASIS parent believes BASIS is the strongest academic option for middle school in the city, if you’re not going to pay for private. Pretty sure I’m not wrong about that.

Ask yourself why you care so much what I think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BASIS is extremely honest about the rigor there. There is no hiding the ball. Parents should know what they are getting their kids into. I can see how parents might think that even if their kid is not the best student going in that they might rise to the occasion with the right supports and peer group. Unfortunately the lack of good middle school options in DC, however, means some parents send kids to BASIS who don’t stand much of a chance at doing well there.

But they're not honest about the quality of instruction. No secret that families of means tend to leave because too many of the teachers aren't great. The best teachers tend to leave after just 2-3 years in search of better pay and working conditions. Rigor without inspired teaching across the board is only so rigorous. My straight-A kid was often bored at BASIS, not for lack of challenge but for lack of excellent teaching. He's much better off at a private with more dynamic, hands-on and personalized instruction. In our experience, BASIS hides the ball on teacher training, support and turnover issues. Just don't look a gift horse in the mouth if you're not prepared to move and can't pay for a private.

Lots to unpack here. I will start by observing that arguing that your private school is better than BASIS is not the hit you think it is. Kind of falls under the category of "no sh*t Sherlock." The fact that your kid was bored at the most rigorous public MS in DC is not an indictment of BASIS. The fact that private school is "more dynamic, hands-on and personalized" also not a shock. If it wasn't you should demand your money back!

Sounds like your kid is advanced. Good for you. How would your nonspecific "inspired teaching" change that? Are you looking for Robin Williams and Oh Captain My Captain moments? Seems like what you wanted was more advanced material.

BASIS is not perfect. The physical infrastructure is cr*ppy and I think the HoS can be tone deaf to his and BASIS's detriment. But you contribute very little to the discussion by arguing that BASIS isn't as good as your kid's private school.

NP. I'm going to argue that BASIS isn't as good as my PUBLIC school, Boston Latin. You can throw out barbs about silly parents seeking Oh Captain My Captain moments and more advanced material. Alternatively, you can address the problem of how the faculty, particularly in the middle school, is, overall, poorly trained, poorly compensated and, in too many cases, poorly motivated. BL wasn't like that.

The BASIS franchise itself probably isn't the primary culprit, because BASIS can't afford to pay competitive salaries in competing with the better-resourced public school systems in this metro area. The crappy aspects of BASIS go far beyond a tone deaf HoS (immature guy a few years out of grad school).

We had the experience of trying to organize low cost after-school Spanish classes at BASIS for ms immersion grads, with like-minded parents. The project seemed harmless enough. Unfortunately, admins wouldn't talk to us, wouldn't let us or the kids meet on the premises, or advertise through school channels. We were shut down before we started. Our family moved on, to a different PUBLIC school.

I just looked and I can't find Boston Latin on the My School DC site. How do I put that on my list for next year? Oh, wait...it is in Boston.

Your post is silly. I reacted to someone who thought it was revelatory that a private school in DC would be better than a public or charter school in DC. Your response is to tell us about a school not in DC? Based on your experience from 2 decades ago. Were you under the impression that this forum was a broad discussion about the state of public schools in the US and that people are using it to decide where to move? Or discussing how things were when we were in ES and MS?

You seem to have your panties in a bunch because the HoS told you "no". Entitled people often get upset when they don't get what they want. Sometimes they even resort to ad hominem attacks based on misinformation (e,g,. that a man in his mid 30's with 2 grad degrees plus a law degree is unqualified).

I guess they must not have taught reading comprehension at Boston Latin. BASIS is strong in some areas and weak in others. Foreign language is not something they do early or excel at. How did you not know that? If it doesn't offer what you want, don't attend. If you think foreign language is more important than rigorous math and science, don't attend. We have choice here in DC. Sadly Boston Latin is not an option for you since it is in Boston. You'll have to get by wearing your BL sweatshirt around the house and telling your kids about how it was the best time of your life.

Who has the time for this kind of long, resentment drenched post? Good for the city of Boston, for running world-class magnet middle schools, and every other metropolis that bothers to.

Where's the misinformation about weak AP language instruction? Many BASIS parents complain about that. Talk about ad hominem attacks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BASIS parents tend to want to believe that the program is the cream of the crop, on a par with the best public middle schools in other big US cities. It isn't, never mind that BASIS no longer comes close to clearing its 5th grade WL. Hearing this makes some of them defensive, really defensive. It's an old story. Move on.

This BASIS parent believes BASIS is the strongest academic option for middle school in the city, if you’re not going to pay for private. Pretty sure I’m not wrong about that.

Ask yourself why you care so much what I think.

Another BASIS parent here - no idea if it is the strongest public middle school option in DC (since I haven't had a kid attend any other middle school) but I do agree it is a super solid school. My 8th grader is on their third year of taking Chemistry, Physics, and Biology - and they are legit learning these subjects - I look at the materials and it is stuff I didn't learn until high school. Also taking Econ - I didn't take that until college. (Sure the econ is not the same level as a college course, but it is also legit/true exposure to the concepts). Child's art teacher is fantastic; child is killing it in algebra II; getting a solid base in Spanish . . . English is pretty good, though I wish the kids would do more writing. Yeah, too bad the building is sub-par and no athletic fields - but color me super impressed by this free middle school education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BASIS parents tend to want to believe that the program is the cream of the crop, on a par with the best public middle schools in other big US cities. It isn't, never mind that BASIS no longer comes close to clearing its 5th grade WL. Hearing this makes some of them defensive, really defensive. It's an old story. Move on.

This BASIS parent believes BASIS is the strongest academic option for middle school in the city, if you’re not going to pay for private. Pretty sure I’m not wrong about that.

Ask yourself why you care so much what I think.

Not the PP you're responding to but I agree, strongest option in DC public for MS if you're OK with paying/hustling to supplement for outside enrichment. Not necessarily the strongest option for HS though.

We left BASIS for Walls for our eldest for better facilities and teaching (now at GW for some classes). We're hoping that our younger child will follow.

We don't care for the HoS, lack of community and narrow selection of AP subjects at BASIS. The waitlist gets longer but the experience doesn't really improve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BASIS parents tend to want to believe that the program is the cream of the crop, on a par with the best public middle schools in other big US cities. It isn't, never mind that BASIS no longer comes close to clearing its 5th grade WL. Hearing this makes some of them defensive, really defensive. It's an old story. Move on.

This BASIS parent believes BASIS is the strongest academic option for middle school in the city, if you’re not going to pay for private. Pretty sure I’m not wrong about that.

Ask yourself why you care so much what I think.

Another BASIS parent here - no idea if it is the strongest public middle school option in DC (since I haven't had a kid attend any other middle school) but I do agree it is a super solid school. My 8th grader is on their third year of taking Chemistry, Physics, and Biology - and they are legit learning these subjects - I look at the materials and it is stuff I didn't learn until high school. Also taking Econ - I didn't take that until college. (Sure the econ is not the same level as a college course, but it is also legit/true exposure to the concepts). Child's art teacher is fantastic; child is killing it in algebra II; getting a solid base in Spanish . . . English is pretty good, though I wish the kids would do more writing. Yeah, too bad the building is sub-par and no athletic fields - but color me super impressed by this free middle school education.

I'll buy the rest, but not the solid base in Spanish. There's no ambition for the instruction and no encouragement for families to seek out immersion experiences. Most of my kids' friends wound up taking the Spanish AP twice from BASIS. They got 3s the first time around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BASIS parents tend to want to believe that the program is the cream of the crop, on a par with the best public middle schools in other big US cities. It isn't, never mind that BASIS no longer comes close to clearing its 5th grade WL. Hearing this makes some of them defensive, really defensive. It's an old story. Move on.

This BASIS parent believes BASIS is the strongest academic option for middle school in the city, if you’re not going to pay for private. Pretty sure I’m not wrong about that.

Ask yourself why you care so much what I think.

Not the PP you're responding to but I agree, strongest option in DC public for MS if you're OK with paying/hustling to supplement for outside enrichment. Not necessarily the strongest option for HS though.

We left BASIS for Walls for our eldest for better facilities and teaching (now at GW for some classes). We're hoping that our younger child will follow.

We don't care for the HoS, lack of community and narrow selection of AP subjects at BASIS. The waitlist gets longer but the experience doesn't really improve.

It doesn’t improve, correct, not under this controlling HoS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BASIS parents tend to want to believe that the program is the cream of the crop, on a par with the best public middle schools in other big US cities. It isn't, never mind that BASIS no longer comes close to clearing its 5th grade WL. Hearing this makes some of them defensive, really defensive. It's an old story. Move on.

BASIS parents don't compare the school to ones in other cities. That line universally comes from people with an axe to grind and the best they have is to take issue with BASIS not being as good as private or schools in other cities. Look at this thread. That's precisely what happened here as it always does.