My child is drowning at Basis. Thoughts on mid year move?

[Anonymous]

BASIS works well for certain families, but, make no mistake, they pick their horses. If your horse isn't one admins want to bet on for whatever reasons, good luck to you. I don't like the system, having gone to a public middle/high school where esprit de corps was the bedrock. Nobody who cleared the admissions bar, turned up for class, and obeyed state law came under pressure to go. The school was Boston Latin and we weren't short on diversity either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BASIS works well for certain families, but, make no mistake, they pick their horses. If your horse isn't one admins want to bet on for whatever reasons, good luck to you. I don't like the system, having gone to a public middle/high school where esprit de corps was the bedrock. Nobody who cleared the admissions bar, turned up for class, and obeyed state law came under pressure to go. The school was Boston Latin and we weren't short on diversity either.

+1
We were at BASIS the first year it opened.
My child did well the first year and seemed to be on his way to having a successful 2nd year until we got the end of year report card with an F for the end of year exam.
We were promised a retake of the exam with several teachers and the school's lawyer present at the meeting.
Long story short, the retake never happened and at the end of the 3rd year my child was told by the principal "you are not BASIS material".

[Anonymous]

I see a lot of general advice with little specifics, or maybe I didn't read it all too carefully. Here is what I would do and have seen others do in fact:
- Contact the principal at your child's elementary feeder (assuming he/she went to an elementary school in DC) and ask if they'd take him/her back. If that school is your IB school, then they have to anyway. This has the undeniable upside of putting your child into a familiar environment, one where there are also familiar faces, teachers and peers. Don't worry about what that might mean "having failed" at something. That's just now how it is looked at by kids. They'll say s/he missed us, our school, and move on. They'll be glad to have him/her back in fact.
- If it's not your previous school, then your IB school is of course an option and might provide a nice break before seriously thinking about middle school again.
- Depending on where you live, there may be schools that have under-enrolled 5th grades, such as mentioned in the case of Maury, Brent, Watkins. There isn't per se an incentive for any of those principals to take your child because there won't be added resources with it, only possibly more work. It's purely at their discretion and they probably won't need to heed any waitlists any longer at this time. What could sway someone looking at your case are test scores, not the recent ones of course but the elementary school grades. If they are in the advanced category. it would give a principal piece to think there won't be too much catching up to do and there may be that extra data point come spring testing season in favor of the school and teacher. So have any such conversation with someone unknown with those scores ready and ideally in hand.

Don't worry too much about "the long-term plan". What counts, especially at this age but also in general, is that the here and now works out. I have kids of all ages and can tell you first hand that's a safe bet and working proposition. Or put differently: While, yes, he/she may well weather it until April, the social-emotional and academic risks associated with that are just not worth any uncertain gains.

[Anonymous]

And that HOS was fired. Thankfully

[Anonymous]

To 13:34 --

OPs kid was in an independent school prior to Basis which they left for financial reasons. Said IB isn't good. So most of the above isn't relevant

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To 13:34 --

OPs kid was in an independent school prior to Basis which they left for financial reasons. Said IB isn't good. So most of the above isn't relevant

OP, there is so much boosterism about charters about being these great schools that lots of people do not even consider their in boundary school.

We did not think our in boundary was appropriate until we enrolled.
it's been great, much better than the 2 HRCS schools we wasted our time for 5 years ...

[Anonymous]

I called Brent a few months ago about a 5th grade spot, since My School DC said they still had space. I was told that it was not accurate and that they had a waitlist. They said they did not plan to take any kids off the waitlist after count day and the only kids who could enter mid-year were those who lived in bounds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And that HOS was fired. Thankfully

Well, from our experience anyone who advocates for the children gets fired at BASIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I called Brent a few months ago about a 5th grade spot, since My School DC said they still had space. I was told that it was not accurate and that they had a waitlist. They said they did not plan to take any kids off the waitlist after count day and the only kids who could enter mid-year were those who lived in bounds.

Whether it's Brent or any other school, they have no incentive to add students this late unless they have no choice. The student comes with zero funding but uses 1/2 year of resources.

Your best option is going over the principal's head. DCPS can place students at its discretion. The principals have discretion on allowing students off wait list but no discretion not when it comes from Central. The chancellor reserves right to place student's anywhere. Talk to them about an appropriate landing spot if IB school is not an option, although you should be prepared to demonstrate why the IB option is a no go. They usually do it for kids who've experienced social/emotional trauma. Easiest placement is a child who's been bullied, which I guess is fitting for the BASIS experience for some.

[Anonymous]

OP, if you're desperate, you could always move in-boundary over winter break, without planning to stay too long. What about renting a modest place in-bounds for a JKLM, Brent or Maury and renting out your own house, or part of it, for a while?

DCPS wants to see specific proof of residency docs when a kid is enrolled, and you should collect more than they ask for upfront as a precaution, in case you're ever investigated for residency fraud. Other than that, nobody at DCPS is going to check where you sleep every night of the year. As DC home owners, you have options, and Craigslist and AirBnB can help. You just need an in-boundary rental that you aren't renting out for the spring. Call a temporary address change a creative but legal solution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I called Brent a few months ago about a 5th grade spot, since My School DC said they still had space. I was told that it was not accurate and that they had a waitlist. They said they did not plan to take any kids off the waitlist after count day and the only kids who could enter mid-year were those who lived in bounds.

Whether it's Brent or any other school, they have no incentive to add students this late unless they have no choice. The student comes with zero funding but uses 1/2 year of resources.

Your best option is going over the principal's head. DCPS can place students at its discretion. The principals have discretion on allowing students off wait list but no discretion not when it comes from Central. The chancellor reserves right to place student's anywhere. Talk to them about an appropriate landing spot if IB school is not an option, although you should be prepared to demonstrate why the IB option is a no go. They usually do it for kids who've experienced social/emotional trauma. Easiest placement is a child who's been bullied, which I guess is fitting for the BASIS experience for some.

Losing papers and being disorganized is hardly bullying or experiencing social or emotional trauma. And OP has never even tried her IB school. DCPS central would send her there first, as they should.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And that HOS was fired. Thankfully

Well, from our experience anyone who advocates for the children gets fired at BASIS.

no the advocates quit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a good idea.

OP, if you aren't willing or able to sell up and go, rent out your place/rent in-boundary for Deal, Hobson or Hardy, pay for private school, or home school, and can't find a public alternative mid year, chances are good you're stuck at BASIS. In fact, chances are good you're also stuck there for 6th grade, in a city in the throes of something of a public MS catastrophe.

You might just want to work with your kid on surviving/not stressing out. What about hiring a homework buddy/academic organizer college student type? What about doing some of the kid's homework assignments with/for him so he can chill? What about getting an on-line subscription to a math tutor in India? This stuff has been done before BASIS parents eager to see kids get enough sleep and fun time.

Am I the only person who thinks this is Bizarro-land?

Seriously? The OP has a problem with middle school and your go to is "if you aren't willing or able to sell up and go, rent out your place..."

As if serious people talk this way?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I called Brent a few months ago about a 5th grade spot, since My School DC said they still had space. I was told that it was not accurate and that they had a waitlist. They said they did not plan to take any kids off the waitlist after count day and the only kids who could enter mid-year were those who lived in bounds.

Count day funding only matters for charters. DCPS get funding based on monthly enrollment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BASIS works well for certain families, but, make no mistake, they pick their horses. If your horse isn't one admins want to bet on for whatever reasons, good luck to you. I don't like the system, having gone to a public middle/high school where esprit de corps was the bedrock. Nobody who cleared the admissions bar, turned up for class, and obeyed state law came under pressure to go. The school was Boston Latin and we weren't short on diversity either.

I also attended a magnet high school and this is the entire problem with the system in Washington DC public education. No actual admissions standards that aren't somehow manipulated. And no official admission standards allowed for charters, other than bad locations or immersion, etc.