Basis DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kids don't really "start taking physics, chemistry and biology in 6th grade." BASIS just claims they do. What they take is the regular middle school science kids get at good suburban middle schools around the country on a campus without the facilities for hands-on science learning, like a greenhouse or space to fly kites, test DIY rockets or drones or a real robotics lab. They also take what amounts to the same science over and over for years until they're bored silly with it. The curriculum is narrow primarily because electives are so weak, largely a function of the hopeless facilities, and because BASIS won't let kids study languages before 8th grade (much too little, too late here in the 21st century). A lot of these posts aren't in fact sour grapes. They're simply brutally factual. You don't really know what you're in for at BASIS, because you don't know what kind of admins or teachers your kids will get, or what sort of element (middle school cohorts) they'll land in either. There are decent admins and awful ones, there are well-behaved cohorts and rowdy ones. There are woefully inexperienced and overwhelmed teachers who quit mid-year and experienced teachers who don't.

Okay, this made me laugh out loud, because I graduated from one of our highly-rated suburban high schools in FCPS and we also were not blessed with greenhouses or kites or a robotics lab. We theoretically had a chem lab, but I took AP chem there and we used those tables to write on, not to do bench chemistry. I expect that I'll pay through the nose for my kid to be a college student somewhere with these facilities, but I have more modest expectations for publicly-funded middle schools. Meanwhile, we fly drones and model rockets (although not in DC airspace, sigh) and do our own gardening and chemistry experiments.

My rising fifth-grader is looking forward to BASIS because he's brilliant at math. He would rather scrub bathrooms than perform on stage or play football, and he hates the language learning he's done already. He rises to clearly-defined expectations and wants to know all the science things. Is there probably a more perfect school for him somewhere in this country? Sure. Is BASIS the best choice for us, given what we know right now? Yes. Any school experience anywhere can be changed by bad administrators or a particularly difficult cohort of students, so that's not really a deciding factor. We would rather have a better building. We'll see how the homework and comps shake out. It's a school, not a prison, and we're open to changing course as needed.

Maybe we could all take a deep breath? BASIS isn't the best school since Harvard, and it's not child abuse. It's just a school.

You haven't even had a child attend the school yet, and you're dishing out advice. Classic DCUM. Talk to us when your kid is two years in, is frustrated and bored in science and math and is complaining because the teachers can't control their classroom due to inexperience.

Oh, please, get off your pedestal. Do you even have a kid at BASIS? If you do, you should have done your research first and sent him or her someplace else. Sounds like BASIS wasn't a good fit for your kid, and you sent your kid to BASIS for the wrong reasons. Stop blaming the curriculum and teachers for your own kid's lack of interest and/or ability.

My kids have been at BASIS for years and haven't been frustrated and bored in science or math or had teachers lose control of classrooms due to inexperience. The science and math courses have been extremely interesting and challenging and the teachers (for the most part) good. I have no doubt whatsoever that the kids would have been worse off in any other public school in DC.

This is just a flagrant lie. Teachers struggling to control the classroom is probably the most discussed subject among BASIS parents.

DP. Not in my parent group. Do you even have kids at the school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You want to gather good info, listen to parents of top performers who left BASIS 3, 4 or 5 years in. All ears? Be open to moving to NoVa if you can't afford private school.

Doesn't this mean that it's the best public option in DC?

Not necessarily. We switched from BASIS to SH after 5th. Kid is on his way to Walls in the fall, while his elementary school pals at BASIS who tried for Walls weren't offered spots. We supplemented in various ways at SH, especially for science and social studies, but that worked better for us than BASIS, which we disliked.

This is a word to the wise who are iffy on BASIS for hs. No question that DCPS favors its own in Walls admission.

I think admissions ‘favors’ DCPS in the sense that DCPS grades are incredibly inflated so lots of kids have high GPAs without needing to prove a level of understanding the way Basis does. I don’t think it’s favored in any other way. But that is a big one.

This. A B+ at Basis removes you from the Walls competition.
Thanks, {Basis science teacher who loves giving 89s}!
This did not happen to our friends' kids who applied from DCPS.

No kids at either school but if Basis is working for your kid, stay at Basis.

Walls is going downhill without test in and so is the performance of the kids. A significant percentage of kids are not even in grade level in math.

I keep hearing this message about Walls going downhill but the junior class (who did not take an entrance exam) is full of smart, lovely students. I am just not sure why you think so negatively of the kids at the school.

Look at the PARCC scores. Also heard kids need remedial math classes now.

Yes but but is still a good school.

Good is subjective. For being the best selective DCPS high school in the city, it’s not really good compared to other similar schools in DMV. It’s just like an average school.

Compared to other DCPS high schools in the city where over 75% kids are below grade level, it’s good.

It depends on what standards you are using in comparison. It’s obvious you are using the low standards and expectations of DCPS

Yes, anonymous DCUM poster lurking in the suburbs, it depends on what standards you are using in comparison. It's obvious that you are just expressing your own subjective opinion.

A more objective assessment found that Walls was the #2 public high school in the DMV, after only TJ. It ranked above the Ws, Langley, Poolesville, McLean, etc. That ranking--unlike yours--actually uses consistent standards and relevant data.

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/district-of-columbia/rankings/washington-dc-47900

Not the poster you’re responding to, but the rankings take “diversity” into account in weird ways, which bumps schools up or down wildly.

Lol.

You don’t think that TJ is #1? Just a preference for equity and diversity?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kids don't really "start taking physics, chemistry and biology in 6th grade." BASIS just claims they do. What they take is the regular middle school science kids get at good suburban middle schools around the country on a campus without the facilities for hands-on science learning, like a greenhouse or space to fly kites, test DIY rockets or drones or a real robotics lab. They also take what amounts to the same science over and over for years until they're bored silly with it. The curriculum is narrow primarily because electives are so weak, largely a function of the hopeless facilities, and because BASIS won't let kids study languages before 8th grade (much too little, too late here in the 21st century). A lot of these posts aren't in fact sour grapes. They're simply brutally factual. You don't really know what you're in for at BASIS, because you don't know what kind of admins or teachers your kids will get, or what sort of element (middle school cohorts) they'll land in either. There are decent admins and awful ones, there are well-behaved cohorts and rowdy ones. There are woefully inexperienced and overwhelmed teachers who quit mid-year and experienced teachers who don't.

Okay, this made me laugh out loud, because I graduated from one of our highly-rated suburban high schools in FCPS and we also were not blessed with greenhouses or kites or a robotics lab. We theoretically had a chem lab, but I took AP chem there and we used those tables to write on, not to do bench chemistry. I expect that I'll pay through the nose for my kid to be a college student somewhere with these facilities, but I have more modest expectations for publicly-funded middle schools. Meanwhile, we fly drones and model rockets (although not in DC airspace, sigh) and do our own gardening and chemistry experiments.

My rising fifth-grader is looking forward to BASIS because he's brilliant at math. He would rather scrub bathrooms than perform on stage or play football, and he hates the language learning he's done already. He rises to clearly-defined expectations and wants to know all the science things. Is there probably a more perfect school for him somewhere in this country? Sure. Is BASIS the best choice for us, given what we know right now? Yes. Any school experience anywhere can be changed by bad administrators or a particularly difficult cohort of students, so that's not really a deciding factor. We would rather have a better building. We'll see how the homework and comps shake out. It's a school, not a prison, and we're open to changing course as needed.

Maybe we could all take a deep breath? BASIS isn't the best school since Harvard, and it's not child abuse. It's just a school.

You haven't even had a child attend the school yet, and you're dishing out advice. Classic DCUM. Talk to us when your kid is two years in, is frustrated and bored in science and math and is complaining because the teachers can't control their classroom due to inexperience.

Oh, please, get off your pedestal. Do you even have a kid at BASIS? If you do, you should have done your research first and sent him or her someplace else. Sounds like BASIS wasn't a good fit for your kid, and you sent your kid to BASIS for the wrong reasons. Stop blaming the curriculum and teachers for your own kid's lack of interest and/or ability.

My kids have been at BASIS for years and haven't been frustrated and bored in science or math or had teachers lose control of classrooms due to inexperience. The science and math courses have been extremely interesting and challenging and the teachers (for the most part) good. I have no doubt whatsoever that the kids would have been worse off in any other public school in DC.

Plenty of the teachers could not keep control of the classroom. We left after 8th for private. And there was no issue of being able to "cut it" DD was consistently on the Distinguished Honor Roll. And yes, chemistry was boring because he cohort kept losing teacher (DD is currently in 9th - any other parent in their year would agree) Bio was challenging enough as the curriculum varied. Physics 6 and 7 were identical for DD - literally the same pre comp and comp study guide (granted this was also the class that had 6th grade as distance learning) and 8th grade physics was fine.

But the behavior and discipline of the kids constantly causing trouble was awful

Teachers leave sometimes. It happens.

What school is your kid at now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kids don't really "start taking physics, chemistry and biology in 6th grade." BASIS just claims they do. What they take is the regular middle school science kids get at good suburban middle schools around the country on a campus without the facilities for hands-on science learning, like a greenhouse or space to fly kites, test DIY rockets or drones or a real robotics lab. They also take what amounts to the same science over and over for years until they're bored silly with it. The curriculum is narrow primarily because electives are so weak, largely a function of the hopeless facilities, and because BASIS won't let kids study languages before 8th grade (much too little, too late here in the 21st century). A lot of these posts aren't in fact sour grapes. They're simply brutally factual. You don't really know what you're in for at BASIS, because you don't know what kind of admins or teachers your kids will get, or what sort of element (middle school cohorts) they'll land in either. There are decent admins and awful ones, there are well-behaved cohorts and rowdy ones. There are woefully inexperienced and overwhelmed teachers who quit mid-year and experienced teachers who don't.

Okay, this made me laugh out loud, because I graduated from one of our highly-rated suburban high schools in FCPS and we also were not blessed with greenhouses or kites or a robotics lab. We theoretically had a chem lab, but I took AP chem there and we used those tables to write on, not to do bench chemistry. I expect that I'll pay through the nose for my kid to be a college student somewhere with these facilities, but I have more modest expectations for publicly-funded middle schools. Meanwhile, we fly drones and model rockets (although not in DC airspace, sigh) and do our own gardening and chemistry experiments.

My rising fifth-grader is looking forward to BASIS because he's brilliant at math. He would rather scrub bathrooms than perform on stage or play football, and he hates the language learning he's done already. He rises to clearly-defined expectations and wants to know all the science things. Is there probably a more perfect school for him somewhere in this country? Sure. Is BASIS the best choice for us, given what we know right now? Yes. Any school experience anywhere can be changed by bad administrators or a particularly difficult cohort of students, so that's not really a deciding factor. We would rather have a better building. We'll see how the homework and comps shake out. It's a school, not a prison, and we're open to changing course as needed.

Maybe we could all take a deep breath? BASIS isn't the best school since Harvard, and it's not child abuse. It's just a school.

You haven't even had a child attend the school yet, and you're dishing out advice. Classic DCUM. Talk to us when your kid is two years in, is frustrated and bored in science and math and is complaining because the teachers can't control their classroom due to inexperience.

Oh, please, get off your pedestal. Do you even have a kid at BASIS? If you do, you should have done your research first and sent him or her someplace else. Sounds like BASIS wasn't a good fit for your kid, and you sent your kid to BASIS for the wrong reasons. Stop blaming the curriculum and teachers for your own kid's lack of interest and/or ability.

My kids have been at BASIS for years and haven't been frustrated and bored in science or math or had teachers lose control of classrooms due to inexperience. The science and math courses have been extremely interesting and challenging and the teachers (for the most part) good. I have no doubt whatsoever that the kids would have been worse off in any other public school in DC.

Plenty of the teachers could not keep control of the classroom. We left after 8th for private. And there was no issue of being able to "cut it" DD was consistently on the Distinguished Honor Roll. And yes, chemistry was boring because he cohort kept losing teacher (DD is currently in 9th - any other parent in their year would agree) Bio was challenging enough as the curriculum varied. Physics 6 and 7 were identical for DD - literally the same pre comp and comp study guide (granted this was also the class that had 6th grade as distance learning) and 8th grade physics was fine.

But the behavior and discipline of the kids constantly causing trouble was awful

I have a kid on 9th grade at Basis.

Totally disagree with your assessment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kids don't really "start taking physics, chemistry and biology in 6th grade." BASIS just claims they do. What they take is the regular middle school science kids get at good suburban middle schools around the country on a campus without the facilities for hands-on science learning, like a greenhouse or space to fly kites, test DIY rockets or drones or a real robotics lab. They also take what amounts to the same science over and over for years until they're bored silly with it. The curriculum is narrow primarily because electives are so weak, largely a function of the hopeless facilities, and because BASIS won't let kids study languages before 8th grade (much too little, too late here in the 21st century). A lot of these posts aren't in fact sour grapes. They're simply brutally factual. You don't really know what you're in for at BASIS, because you don't know what kind of admins or teachers your kids will get, or what sort of element (middle school cohorts) they'll land in either. There are decent admins and awful ones, there are well-behaved cohorts and rowdy ones. There are woefully inexperienced and overwhelmed teachers who quit mid-year and experienced teachers who don't.

Okay, this made me laugh out loud, because I graduated from one of our highly-rated suburban high schools in FCPS and we also were not blessed with greenhouses or kites or a robotics lab. We theoretically had a chem lab, but I took AP chem there and we used those tables to write on, not to do bench chemistry. I expect that I'll pay through the nose for my kid to be a college student somewhere with these facilities, but I have more modest expectations for publicly-funded middle schools. Meanwhile, we fly drones and model rockets (although not in DC airspace, sigh) and do our own gardening and chemistry experiments.

My rising fifth-grader is looking forward to BASIS because he's brilliant at math. He would rather scrub bathrooms than perform on stage or play football, and he hates the language learning he's done already. He rises to clearly-defined expectations and wants to know all the science things. Is there probably a more perfect school for him somewhere in this country? Sure. Is BASIS the best choice for us, given what we know right now? Yes. Any school experience anywhere can be changed by bad administrators or a particularly difficult cohort of students, so that's not really a deciding factor. We would rather have a better building. We'll see how the homework and comps shake out. It's a school, not a prison, and we're open to changing course as needed.

Maybe we could all take a deep breath? BASIS isn't the best school since Harvard, and it's not child abuse. It's just a school.

You haven't even had a child attend the school yet, and you're dishing out advice. Classic DCUM. Talk to us when your kid is two years in, is frustrated and bored in science and math and is complaining because the teachers can't control their classroom due to inexperience.

Oh, please, get off your pedestal. Do you even have a kid at BASIS? If you do, you should have done your research first and sent him or her someplace else. Sounds like BASIS wasn't a good fit for your kid, and you sent your kid to BASIS for the wrong reasons. Stop blaming the curriculum and teachers for your own kid's lack of interest and/or ability.

My kids have been at BASIS for years and haven't been frustrated and bored in science or math or had teachers lose control of classrooms due to inexperience. The science and math courses have been extremely interesting and challenging and the teachers (for the most part) good. I have no doubt whatsoever that the kids would have been worse off in any other public school in DC.

This is just a flagrant lie. Teachers struggling to control the classroom is probably the most discussed subject among BASIS parents.

DP. Not in my parent group. Do you even have kids at the school?

+1. Maybe a 5th grade parent?

Do people know the school is 5th through 12th with lots of teachers and classes?

People tend to universalize their own limited, subjective experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kids don't really "start taking physics, chemistry and biology in 6th grade." BASIS just claims they do. What they take is the regular middle school science kids get at good suburban middle schools around the country on a campus without the facilities for hands-on science learning, like a greenhouse or space to fly kites, test DIY rockets or drones or a real robotics lab. They also take what amounts to the same science over and over for years until they're bored silly with it. The curriculum is narrow primarily because electives are so weak, largely a function of the hopeless facilities, and because BASIS won't let kids study languages before 8th grade (much too little, too late here in the 21st century). A lot of these posts aren't in fact sour grapes. They're simply brutally factual. You don't really know what you're in for at BASIS, because you don't know what kind of admins or teachers your kids will get, or what sort of element (middle school cohorts) they'll land in either. There are decent admins and awful ones, there are well-behaved cohorts and rowdy ones. There are woefully inexperienced and overwhelmed teachers who quit mid-year and experienced teachers who don't.

Okay, this made me laugh out loud, because I graduated from one of our highly-rated suburban high schools in FCPS and we also were not blessed with greenhouses or kites or a robotics lab. We theoretically had a chem lab, but I took AP chem there and we used those tables to write on, not to do bench chemistry. I expect that I'll pay through the nose for my kid to be a college student somewhere with these facilities, but I have more modest expectations for publicly-funded middle schools. Meanwhile, we fly drones and model rockets (although not in DC airspace, sigh) and do our own gardening and chemistry experiments.

My rising fifth-grader is looking forward to BASIS because he's brilliant at math. He would rather scrub bathrooms than perform on stage or play football, and he hates the language learning he's done already. He rises to clearly-defined expectations and wants to know all the science things. Is there probably a more perfect school for him somewhere in this country? Sure. Is BASIS the best choice for us, given what we know right now? Yes. Any school experience anywhere can be changed by bad administrators or a particularly difficult cohort of students, so that's not really a deciding factor. We would rather have a better building. We'll see how the homework and comps shake out. It's a school, not a prison, and we're open to changing course as needed.

Maybe we could all take a deep breath? BASIS isn't the best school since Harvard, and it's not child abuse. It's just a school.

You haven't even had a child attend the school yet, and you're dishing out advice. Classic DCUM. Talk to us when your kid is two years in, is frustrated and bored in science and math and is complaining because the teachers can't control their classroom due to inexperience.

Oh, please, get off your pedestal. Do you even have a kid at BASIS? If you do, you should have done your research first and sent him or her someplace else. Sounds like BASIS wasn't a good fit for your kid, and you sent your kid to BASIS for the wrong reasons. Stop blaming the curriculum and teachers for your own kid's lack of interest and/or ability.

My kids have been at BASIS for years and haven't been frustrated and bored in science or math or had teachers lose control of classrooms due to inexperience. The science and math courses have been extremely interesting and challenging and the teachers (for the most part) good. I have no doubt whatsoever that the kids would have been worse off in any other public school in DC.

Plenty of the teachers could not keep control of the classroom. We left after 8th for private. And there was no issue of being able to "cut it" DD was consistently on the Distinguished Honor Roll. And yes, chemistry was boring because he cohort kept losing teacher (DD is currently in 9th - any other parent in their year would agree) Bio was challenging enough as the curriculum varied. Physics 6 and 7 were identical for DD - literally the same pre comp and comp study guide (granted this was also the class that had 6th grade as distance learning) and 8th grade physics was fine.

But the behavior and discipline of the kids constantly causing trouble was awful

I have a kid on 9th grade at Basis.

Totally disagree with your assessment.

+100. Behavior and discipline? Spend a week at Deal, Hardy, or JR.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kids don't really "start taking physics, chemistry and biology in 6th grade." BASIS just claims they do. What they take is the regular middle school science kids get at good suburban middle schools around the country on a campus without the facilities for hands-on science learning, like a greenhouse or space to fly kites, test DIY rockets or drones or a real robotics lab. They also take what amounts to the same science over and over for years until they're bored silly with it. The curriculum is narrow primarily because electives are so weak, largely a function of the hopeless facilities, and because BASIS won't let kids study languages before 8th grade (much too little, too late here in the 21st century). A lot of these posts aren't in fact sour grapes. They're simply brutally factual. You don't really know what you're in for at BASIS, because you don't know what kind of admins or teachers your kids will get, or what sort of element (middle school cohorts) they'll land in either. There are decent admins and awful ones, there are well-behaved cohorts and rowdy ones. There are woefully inexperienced and overwhelmed teachers who quit mid-year and experienced teachers who don't.

Okay, this made me laugh out loud, because I graduated from one of our highly-rated suburban high schools in FCPS and we also were not blessed with greenhouses or kites or a robotics lab. We theoretically had a chem lab, but I took AP chem there and we used those tables to write on, not to do bench chemistry. I expect that I'll pay through the nose for my kid to be a college student somewhere with these facilities, but I have more modest expectations for publicly-funded middle schools. Meanwhile, we fly drones and model rockets (although not in DC airspace, sigh) and do our own gardening and chemistry experiments.

My rising fifth-grader is looking forward to BASIS because he's brilliant at math. He would rather scrub bathrooms than perform on stage or play football, and he hates the language learning he's done already. He rises to clearly-defined expectations and wants to know all the science things. Is there probably a more perfect school for him somewhere in this country? Sure. Is BASIS the best choice for us, given what we know right now? Yes. Any school experience anywhere can be changed by bad administrators or a particularly difficult cohort of students, so that's not really a deciding factor. We would rather have a better building. We'll see how the homework and comps shake out. It's a school, not a prison, and we're open to changing course as needed.

Maybe we could all take a deep breath? BASIS isn't the best school since Harvard, and it's not child abuse. It's just a school.

You haven't even had a child attend the school yet, and you're dishing out advice. Classic DCUM. Talk to us when your kid is two years in, is frustrated and bored in science and math and is complaining because the teachers can't control their classroom due to inexperience.

Oh, please, get off your pedestal. Do you even have a kid at BASIS? If you do, you should have done your research first and sent him or her someplace else. Sounds like BASIS wasn't a good fit for your kid, and you sent your kid to BASIS for the wrong reasons. Stop blaming the curriculum and teachers for your own kid's lack of interest and/or ability.

My kids have been at BASIS for years and haven't been frustrated and bored in science or math or had teachers lose control of classrooms due to inexperience. The science and math courses have been extremely interesting and challenging and the teachers (for the most part) good. I have no doubt whatsoever that the kids would have been worse off in any other public school in DC.

This is just a flagrant lie. Teachers struggling to control the classroom is probably the most discussed subject among BASIS parents.

DP. Not in my parent group. Do you even have kids at the school?

+1. Maybe a 5th grade parent?

Do people know the school is 5th through 12th with lots of teachers and classes?

People tend to universalize their own limited, subjective experience.

NP. The current 7th grade class has experienced multiple teachers leaving mid-year, disruptive classrooms (and many silent lunches as punishment) over their short tenure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kids don't really "start taking physics, chemistry and biology in 6th grade." BASIS just claims they do. What they take is the regular middle school science kids get at good suburban middle schools around the country on a campus without the facilities for hands-on science learning, like a greenhouse or space to fly kites, test DIY rockets or drones or a real robotics lab. They also take what amounts to the same science over and over for years until they're bored silly with it. The curriculum is narrow primarily because electives are so weak, largely a function of the hopeless facilities, and because BASIS won't let kids study languages before 8th grade (much too little, too late here in the 21st century). A lot of these posts aren't in fact sour grapes. They're simply brutally factual. You don't really know what you're in for at BASIS, because you don't know what kind of admins or teachers your kids will get, or what sort of element (middle school cohorts) they'll land in either. There are decent admins and awful ones, there are well-behaved cohorts and rowdy ones. There are woefully inexperienced and overwhelmed teachers who quit mid-year and experienced teachers who don't.

Okay, this made me laugh out loud, because I graduated from one of our highly-rated suburban high schools in FCPS and we also were not blessed with greenhouses or kites or a robotics lab. We theoretically had a chem lab, but I took AP chem there and we used those tables to write on, not to do bench chemistry. I expect that I'll pay through the nose for my kid to be a college student somewhere with these facilities, but I have more modest expectations for publicly-funded middle schools. Meanwhile, we fly drones and model rockets (although not in DC airspace, sigh) and do our own gardening and chemistry experiments.

My rising fifth-grader is looking forward to BASIS because he's brilliant at math. He would rather scrub bathrooms than perform on stage or play football, and he hates the language learning he's done already. He rises to clearly-defined expectations and wants to know all the science things. Is there probably a more perfect school for him somewhere in this country? Sure. Is BASIS the best choice for us, given what we know right now? Yes. Any school experience anywhere can be changed by bad administrators or a particularly difficult cohort of students, so that's not really a deciding factor. We would rather have a better building. We'll see how the homework and comps shake out. It's a school, not a prison, and we're open to changing course as needed.

Maybe we could all take a deep breath? BASIS isn't the best school since Harvard, and it's not child abuse. It's just a school.

You haven't even had a child attend the school yet, and you're dishing out advice. Classic DCUM. Talk to us when your kid is two years in, is frustrated and bored in science and math and is complaining because the teachers can't control their classroom due to inexperience.

Oh, please, get off your pedestal. Do you even have a kid at BASIS? If you do, you should have done your research first and sent him or her someplace else. Sounds like BASIS wasn't a good fit for your kid, and you sent your kid to BASIS for the wrong reasons. Stop blaming the curriculum and teachers for your own kid's lack of interest and/or ability.

My kids have been at BASIS for years and haven't been frustrated and bored in science or math or had teachers lose control of classrooms due to inexperience. The science and math courses have been extremely interesting and challenging and the teachers (for the most part) good. I have no doubt whatsoever that the kids would have been worse off in any other public school in DC.

Plenty of the teachers could not keep control of the classroom. We left after 8th for private. And there was no issue of being able to "cut it" DD was consistently on the Distinguished Honor Roll. And yes, chemistry was boring because he cohort kept losing teacher (DD is currently in 9th - any other parent in their year would agree) Bio was challenging enough as the curriculum varied. Physics 6 and 7 were identical for DD - literally the same pre comp and comp study guide (granted this was also the class that had 6th grade as distance learning) and 8th grade physics was fine.

But the behavior and discipline of the kids constantly causing trouble was awful

Teachers leave sometimes. It happens.

What school is your kid at now?

NCS and thriving

[Anonymous]

I'm entering BASIS with cautious enthusiasm, but I would agree that there seems to be a teacher classroom management issue. I got info from one of the more experienced teachers, who had worked his way up from middle school to upper high school/AP level, and he said there is an issue with the newest teachers being inexperienced with classroom management (because they hired based on their subject matter knowledge -- people with degrees in the subject rather than in teaching).

BASIS seems to promote teachers up through the grades, so the youngest students have the most inexperienced teachers, unfortunately, and there is a similar "people at the bottom flame out" model in teaching (as there is with students)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kids don't really "start taking physics, chemistry and biology in 6th grade." BASIS just claims they do. What they take is the regular middle school science kids get at good suburban middle schools around the country on a campus without the facilities for hands-on science learning, like a greenhouse or space to fly kites, test DIY rockets or drones or a real robotics lab. They also take what amounts to the same science over and over for years until they're bored silly with it. The curriculum is narrow primarily because electives are so weak, largely a function of the hopeless facilities, and because BASIS won't let kids study languages before 8th grade (much too little, too late here in the 21st century). A lot of these posts aren't in fact sour grapes. They're simply brutally factual. You don't really know what you're in for at BASIS, because you don't know what kind of admins or teachers your kids will get, or what sort of element (middle school cohorts) they'll land in either. There are decent admins and awful ones, there are well-behaved cohorts and rowdy ones. There are woefully inexperienced and overwhelmed teachers who quit mid-year and experienced teachers who don't.

Okay, this made me laugh out loud, because I graduated from one of our highly-rated suburban high schools in FCPS and we also were not blessed with greenhouses or kites or a robotics lab. We theoretically had a chem lab, but I took AP chem there and we used those tables to write on, not to do bench chemistry. I expect that I'll pay through the nose for my kid to be a college student somewhere with these facilities, but I have more modest expectations for publicly-funded middle schools. Meanwhile, we fly drones and model rockets (although not in DC airspace, sigh) and do our own gardening and chemistry experiments.

My rising fifth-grader is looking forward to BASIS because he's brilliant at math. He would rather scrub bathrooms than perform on stage or play football, and he hates the language learning he's done already. He rises to clearly-defined expectations and wants to know all the science things. Is there probably a more perfect school for him somewhere in this country? Sure. Is BASIS the best choice for us, given what we know right now? Yes. Any school experience anywhere can be changed by bad administrators or a particularly difficult cohort of students, so that's not really a deciding factor. We would rather have a better building. We'll see how the homework and comps shake out. It's a school, not a prison, and we're open to changing course as needed.

Maybe we could all take a deep breath? BASIS isn't the best school since Harvard, and it's not child abuse. It's just a school.

You haven't even had a child attend the school yet, and you're dishing out advice. Classic DCUM. Talk to us when your kid is two years in, is frustrated and bored in science and math and is complaining because the teachers can't control their classroom due to inexperience.

Oh, please, get off your pedestal. Do you even have a kid at BASIS? If you do, you should have done your research first and sent him or her someplace else. Sounds like BASIS wasn't a good fit for your kid, and you sent your kid to BASIS for the wrong reasons. Stop blaming the curriculum and teachers for your own kid's lack of interest and/or ability.

My kids have been at BASIS for years and haven't been frustrated and bored in science or math or had teachers lose control of classrooms due to inexperience. The science and math courses have been extremely interesting and challenging and the teachers (for the most part) good. I have no doubt whatsoever that the kids would have been worse off in any other public school in DC.

This is just a flagrant lie. Teachers struggling to control the classroom is probably the most discussed subject among BASIS parents.

DP. Not in my parent group. Do you even have kids at the school?

+1. Maybe a 5th grade parent?

Do people know the school is 5th through 12th with lots of teachers and classes?

People tend to universalize their own limited, subjective experience.

NP. The current 7th grade class has experienced multiple teachers leaving mid-year, disruptive classrooms (and many silent lunches as punishment) over their short tenure.

Things vary, both by grade and teacher.

I have several kids at Basis who have never mentioned any classroom management issues, but we heard from parents of this year's 7th grade class of significant problems.

And teachers have mostly ranged from good to excellent, but some teachers are mediocre, and our kids complained about a few specific bad teachers; in at least two of those cases, the teachers were fired - one in the middle of the year.

[Anonymous]

I have an 11th grader. There were a few behavioral issues in 5th grade, but far fewer than the school from which we came. I’ve seen almost none since then. It has been many years since I have heard of a disrupted classroom. Kids who misbehave don’t tend to stick there long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are now pursuing therapy after our experience at middle school level here. The testing, pressure, anxiety and focus on grades is too much. Please do your homework and be aware before you accept a spot and make sure it is the right fit for your child.

I also think the issue is compounded because there is not much of a release outlet with arts, music, sports, or extracurriculars. So it’s a never-ending joyless grind.

If that is what your kid is experiencing, get them out asap. Absolutely not the experience we have had over the past 6 years. My kid is joyful and thriving and absolutely loves all her classmates. If you insist on keeping your kid in a school that is a bad fit lit, at least have them join one of the sports teams. The school spirit is incredible!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kids don't really "start taking physics, chemistry and biology in 6th grade." BASIS just claims they do. What they take is the regular middle school science kids get at good suburban middle schools around the country on a campus without the facilities for hands-on science learning, like a greenhouse or space to fly kites, test DIY rockets or drones or a real robotics lab. They also take what amounts to the same science over and over for years until they're bored silly with it. The curriculum is narrow primarily because electives are so weak, largely a function of the hopeless facilities, and because BASIS won't let kids study languages before 8th grade (much too little, too late here in the 21st century). A lot of these posts aren't in fact sour grapes. They're simply brutally factual. You don't really know what you're in for at BASIS, because you don't know what kind of admins or teachers your kids will get, or what sort of element (middle school cohorts) they'll land in either. There are decent admins and awful ones, there are well-behaved cohorts and rowdy ones. There are woefully inexperienced and overwhelmed teachers who quit mid-year and experienced teachers who don't.

Okay, this made me laugh out loud, because I graduated from one of our highly-rated suburban high schools in FCPS and we also were not blessed with greenhouses or kites or a robotics lab. We theoretically had a chem lab, but I took AP chem there and we used those tables to write on, not to do bench chemistry. I expect that I'll pay through the nose for my kid to be a college student somewhere with these facilities, but I have more modest expectations for publicly-funded middle schools. Meanwhile, we fly drones and model rockets (although not in DC airspace, sigh) and do our own gardening and chemistry experiments.

My rising fifth-grader is looking forward to BASIS because he's brilliant at math. He would rather scrub bathrooms than perform on stage or play football, and he hates the language learning he's done already. He rises to clearly-defined expectations and wants to know all the science things. Is there probably a more perfect school for him somewhere in this country? Sure. Is BASIS the best choice for us, given what we know right now? Yes. Any school experience anywhere can be changed by bad administrators or a particularly difficult cohort of students, so that's not really a deciding factor. We would rather have a better building. We'll see how the homework and comps shake out. It's a school, not a prison, and we're open to changing course as needed.

Maybe we could all take a deep breath? BASIS isn't the best school since Harvard, and it's not child abuse. It's just a school.

You haven't even had a child attend the school yet, and you're dishing out advice. Classic DCUM. Talk to us when your kid is two years in, is frustrated and bored in science and math and is complaining because the teachers can't control their classroom due to inexperience.

Oh, please, get off your pedestal. Do you even have a kid at BASIS? If you do, you should have done your research first and sent him or her someplace else. Sounds like BASIS wasn't a good fit for your kid, and you sent your kid to BASIS for the wrong reasons. Stop blaming the curriculum and teachers for your own kid's lack of interest and/or ability.

My kids have been at BASIS for years and haven't been frustrated and bored in science or math or had teachers lose control of classrooms due to inexperience. The science and math courses have been extremely interesting and challenging and the teachers (for the most part) good. I have no doubt whatsoever that the kids would have been worse off in any other public school in DC.

This is just a flagrant lie. Teachers struggling to control the classroom is probably the most discussed subject among BASIS parents.

DP. Not in my parent group. Do you even have kids at the school?

+1. Maybe a 5th grade parent?

Do people know the school is 5th through 12th with lots of teachers and classes?

People tend to universalize their own limited, subjective experience.

NP. The current 7th grade class has experienced multiple teachers leaving mid-year, disruptive classrooms (and many silent lunches as punishment) over their short tenure.

Current 6th grade has had the same experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are now pursuing therapy after our experience at middle school level here. The testing, pressure, anxiety and focus on grades is too much. Please do your homework and be aware before you accept a spot and make sure it is the right fit for your child.

I also think the issue is compounded because there is not much of a release outlet with arts, music, sports, or extracurriculars. So it’s a never-ending joyless grind.

If that is what your kid is experiencing, get them out asap. Absolutely not the experience we have had over the past 6 years. My kid is joyful and thriving and absolutely loves all her classmates. If you insist on keeping your kid in a school that is a bad fit lit, at least have them join one of the sports teams. The school spirit is incredible!

Is that you, Mr. Cobalt?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are now pursuing therapy after our experience at middle school level here. The testing, pressure, anxiety and focus on grades is too much. Please do your homework and be aware before you accept a spot and make sure it is the right fit for your child.

I also think the issue is compounded because there is not much of a release outlet with arts, music, sports, or extracurriculars. So it’s a never-ending joyless grind.

If that is what your kid is experiencing, get them out asap. Absolutely not the experience we have had over the past 6 years. My kid is joyful and thriving and absolutely loves all her classmates. If you insist on keeping your kid in a school that is a bad fit lit, at least have them join one of the sports teams. The school spirit is incredible!

Is that you, Mr. Cobalt?

NP. Why is your lived experience somehow valid and worth sharing, but anyone who has a different experience must be a shill? I have two kids. One is thriving at BASIS. The other one is not at BASIS because we knew it would be a bad fit for her. She is very happy a school better suited to her learning style and temperament.