BASIS DC will seek to expand to include K to 4th grade

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If Ludlow-Taylor can produce kids who do well at BASIS, then BASIS elementary should be able to do the same thing with the same demographics, right? So all BASIS has to do is use the at-risk preference to mimic Ludlow-Taylor's setup. Easy peasy!

It is actually easier than that. BASIS will get kids in K+ and be able to teach them how to study and instill executive functioning well before 5th.

And Ludlow-Taylor was recently 17% at-risk and 14% students with disabilities. So BASIS can aim for 17% at-risk, through the preference. That's higher than the 8% at BASIS right now, but if it works for Ludlow-Taylor then why shouldn't it work for BASIS? Amirite?

https://stossepublicdocsprod.blob.core.windows.net/public-docs/dc-school-report-card/2021-22/profiles/001-0271(Ludlow-Taylor%20Elementary%20School).pdf

https://stossepublicdocsprod.blob.core.windows.net/public-docs/dc-school-report-card/2021-22/profiles/168-3068(BASIS%20DC%20PCS).pdf

What are you talking about?

I'm talking about how people are saying (I think) that BASIS middle school won't do well if BASIS operates an elementary school, because the kids moving from BASIS 4th grade to BASIS 5th grade will be demographically different and therefore not as academically advanced. I think that's what they're saying, anyway. But if Ludlow-Taylor can successfully prepare kids for BASIS despite some of them being at-risk, then can't BASIS also prepare kids for BASIS with a similar at-risk percentage?

Would love for BASIS ES to have similar results. It’s great to see LT on an upward trajectory, which I hear is in part contributed to the buy-in of more IB families and support through the PTO. This, along with DCPS funding and resources have helped ensure the proportion of students needing coaching and supports does not exceed available resources at LT. Some of the former HRCS were in similar positions but as the proportion of kids exceeded the available resources, those schools went into the downward spirals. The demographics is not the issue, it’s ensuring that there are adequate supports.

Right, so, the Uniform Per-Student Funding Formula provides extra funding for each student with an IEP.

If you think special needs doesn't correlate with demographics, I don't know what to tell ya.

I’m trying to follow. I’m referring to charters operating on 80% of what DCPS receives, fundraising that goes to more than just teacher bonuses, and a school that appears to collaborate with parents through the PTO.

If you would rather compare to a charter, how about ITDS? It isn't far from the BASIS proposed location. ITDS offers Equitable Access preference, has 17% at-risk and 22% SWD, has respectable test scores, and kids go to BASIS from ITDS sometimes. So BASIS could probably achieve similar results with similar demographics, riiiiiiigh?

Quite frankly 17% is low for at-risk in DC. There's no reason to think that BASIS can't achieve with that level of at-risk. On average, DC schools are about 50% at-risk.

Indeed. Yet people seem to think allowing the different demographics of a BASIS elementary would ruin BASIS middle and high school.

I’m not able to locate links to any of the demographics referenced in this thread. Does anyone know what the demographics at MV and TR ES are? Those are the school scenarios we are trying to avoid.

https://osse.dc.gov/dcschoolreportcard/schoolsnapshot

You can click into a pdf for each school here. You can also learn a lot of this stuff on the OSSE enrollment audit spreadsheets.

But I think the data will show you that it's not really about the demographics-- ITS, MV, and TR are all pretty similar demographically (aside from the high number of ELLs at MV which is to be expected). The difference is in the leadership and classroom management.

Thanks for sharing. I’m optimistic about leadership but I think classroom management may be a toss up. I know BASIS is more strict from a disciplinary standpoint which I am all for, but it’s a slippery slope if they want to avoid another federal investigation into potential racially biased disciplinary practices.

[Anonymous]

Nonsense. BASIS DC grads have gone on to MIT or Caltech every year for four years running. Most years, they also get one or two into Harvard and/or Yale. They have a 5th grade waiting list numbering in the hundreds. Consequently, they pretty much do what they want these days.

[Anonymous]

I agree. Political pressure to punish BASIS for failing to cater to low SES, POV or Sped students isn't going to build in this decade, not with the sort of college acceptances BASIS gets from class of just 50 or 75 students. That ship has sailed. The K-4th grade program that seems to be in the cards will motor along without interference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree. Political pressure to punish BASIS for failing to cater to low SES, POV or Sped students isn't going to build in this decade, not with the sort of college acceptances BASIS gets from class of just 50 or 75 students. That ship has sailed. The K-4th grade program that seems to be in the cards will motor along without interference.

Please explain why they withdrew their application in 2016 and what is different now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree. Political pressure to punish BASIS for failing to cater to low SES, POV or Sped students isn't going to build in this decade, not with the sort of college acceptances BASIS gets from class of just 50 or 75 students. That ship has sailed. The K-4th grade program that seems to be in the cards will motor along without interference.

But how will they service kids with ieps in k-4? The refusal to do this in MS/HS is ridiculous but whatever. These kids/parents are not going to screen themselves out when most of them won’t even realize their kid has a disability. BASIS is going to have to do something for kids with IEPs or they are going to be spending tons of money in due process hearings.

[Anonymous]

I don’t understand these demographic discussions. IME, the students who struggle the most at BASIS are UMC white kids. I don’t think BASIS will start struggling if less of them attend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand these demographic discussions. IME, the students who struggle the most at BASIS are UMC white kids. I don’t think BASIS will start struggling if less of them attend.

That’s an interesting observation, especially since it’s inconsistent with the reported PARCC scores, which show a pretty substantial gap in favor of white kids. If BASIS had to go just on its nonwhite scores, it wouldn’t be ranked nearly so highly. And I’m under the impression that BASIS cares a lot about rankings.

Why do you think there’s such a discrepancy between your observations and the data?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree. Political pressure to punish BASIS for failing to cater to low SES, POV or Sped students isn't going to build in this decade, not with the sort of college acceptances BASIS gets from class of just 50 or 75 students. That ship has sailed. The K-4th grade program that seems to be in the cards will motor along without interference.

But how will they service kids with ieps in k-4? The refusal to do this in MS/HS is ridiculous but whatever. These kids/parents are not going to screen themselves out when most of them won’t even realize their kid has a disability. BASIS is going to have to do something for kids with IEPs or they are going to be spending tons of money in due process hearings.

Come on, they've had elementary school programs in Arizona for 20 years so they've been at it for a long time. They'll figure the lower grades IEPs out. Just not true that they don't respect IEPS at the MS/HS level in DC as a general rule. That's an mean-spirited urban myth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand these demographic discussions. IME, the students who struggle the most at BASIS are UMC white kids. I don’t think BASIS will start struggling if less of them attend.

That’s an interesting observation, especially since it’s inconsistent with the reported PARCC scores, which show a pretty substantial gap in favor of white kids. If BASIS had to go just on its nonwhite scores, it wouldn’t be ranked nearly so highly. And I’m under the impression that BASIS cares a lot about rankings.

Why do you think there’s such a discrepancy between your observations and the data?

Come on, that's true of almost every school with a substantial white cohort in the city. Where does your nitpicking get you? No school has a magic wand to fix the poverty. There are a handful of boot camp DC charters where low SES minority students compete with whites on PARCC scores, that's it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand these demographic discussions. IME, the students who struggle the most at BASIS are UMC white kids. I don’t think BASIS will start struggling if less of them attend.

That’s an interesting observation, especially since it’s inconsistent with the reported PARCC scores, which show a pretty substantial gap in favor of white kids. If BASIS had to go just on its nonwhite scores, it wouldn’t be ranked nearly so highly. And I’m under the impression that BASIS cares a lot about rankings.

Why do you think there’s such a discrepancy between your observations and the data?

Come on, that's true of almost every school with a substantial white cohort in the city. Where does your nitpicking get you? No school has a magic wand to fix the poverty. There are a handful of boot camp DC charters where low SES minority students compete with whites on PARCC scores, that's it.

The PP’s position is that “the students who struggle the most at BASIS are UMC white kids.” I didn’t say they were wrong. I just think it’s an interesting observation, since the tests say the opposite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand these demographic discussions. IME, the students who struggle the most at BASIS are UMC white kids. I don’t think BASIS will start struggling if less of them attend.

That’s an interesting observation, especially since it’s inconsistent with the reported PARCC scores, which show a pretty substantial gap in favor of white kids. If BASIS had to go just on its nonwhite scores, it wouldn’t be ranked nearly so highly. And I’m under the impression that BASIS cares a lot about rankings.

Why do you think there’s such a discrepancy between your observations and the data?

Come on, that's true of almost every school with a substantial white cohort in the city. Where does your nitpicking get you? No school has a magic wand to fix the poverty. There are a handful of boot camp DC charters where low SES minority students compete with whites on PARCC scores, that's it.

The PP’s position is that “the students who struggle the most at BASIS are UMC white kids.” I didn’t say they were wrong. I just think it’s an interesting observation, since the tests say the opposite.

PP is going off vibes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand these demographic discussions. IME, the students who struggle the most at BASIS are UMC white kids. I don’t think BASIS will start struggling if less of them attend.

That’s an interesting observation, especially since it’s inconsistent with the reported PARCC scores, which show a pretty substantial gap in favor of white kids. If BASIS had to go just on its nonwhite scores, it wouldn’t be ranked nearly so highly. And I’m under the impression that BASIS cares a lot about rankings.

Why do you think there’s such a discrepancy between your observations and the data?

Because they are trolling.