BASIS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid went to an Ivy from Walls just last year and didn't find the environment highly competitive. Didn't take algebra (at another charter) until 8th grade. Took no APs until 10th. Took just 6 APs in all. Good point about lackluster AP Physics at BASIS. We passed on BASIS because of their weak ECs, language instruction, facilities and reports of bullying leadership from friends at the high school. Think twice about BASIS for an academic star if you have a viable alternative.

Well, our alternative is Cardozo, and I have a kid for whom very accelerated math and science will be exciting and engaging, and the focus on executive functioning and independence and planning and no screens is all very appealing to me. so we are going to try it for middle school. Definitely open toswitching for high school, if we have options. But it doesn't seem like a bad place to spend the dreaded middle school years

Generally true, but not always. Some academic high fliers become miserable in the BASIS middle school.

I'm sure. Since matching, I've been in (real life) contact with a bunch of current 5th-8th families and have heard enough happy stories to think that this is really a matter of fit, and there are indeed real human high achieving kids who like it. I've met them! So that helped temper the forum feedback. That said, I'm sure it's an absolutely terrible fit for some students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can any current basis families share more thoughts on the middle school science curriculum? I have a kiddo for whom advanced science is the main draw.

I'm incoming, but the middle school science curriculum includes Biology, Chemistry and Physics, and I believe they go over all three subjects every year (in greater and greater depth?). They also seem to have the highest science PARCC scores in the city for middle school. That was also a plus for our family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UPenn, Columbia and a great deal of fun at school en route.

Things have changed since you were in college. Most ivy admits of a generation ago would struggle to get in today. Nevertheless, for a graduating class of around 60, it's an impressive list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid went to an Ivy from Walls just last year and didn't find the environment highly competitive. Didn't take algebra (at another charter) until 8th grade. Took no APs until 10th. Took just 6 APs in all. Good point about lackluster AP Physics at BASIS. We passed on BASIS because of their weak ECs, language instruction, facilities and reports of bullying leadership from friends at the high school. Think twice about BASIS for an academic star if you have a viable alternative.

Only 6 APs? I wonder how their weighted GPA was competitive with so few AP classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can any current basis families share more thoughts on the middle school science curriculum? I have a kiddo for whom advanced science is the main draw.

My kid attended BASIS MS but didn’t stay for HS, and they would do it again in a heart beat. If your kid is lucky, they will get awesome STEM teachers at BASIS and learn tons about the various sciences, how to study, and how to be organized. Kids work through packets, get weekly HW and tests, learn in a very systematic way. At least, that was my kid’s experience. There are few mediocre science teachers at BASIS, but they are still better than the average science teacher out there. BASIS was able to retain some outstanding teachers, and they alone make it worthwhile. The insane focus on APs and meager ECs in HS is another story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can any current basis families share more thoughts on the middle school science curriculum? I have a kiddo for whom advanced science is the main draw.

My kid attended BASIS MS but didn’t stay for HS, and they would do it again in a heart beat. If your kid is lucky, they will get awesome STEM teachers at BASIS and learn tons about the various sciences, how to study, and how to be organized. Kids work through packets, get weekly HW and tests, learn in a very systematic way. At least, that was my kid’s experience. There are few mediocre science teachers at BASIS, but they are still better than the average science teacher out there. BASIS was able to retain some outstanding teachers, and they alone make it worthwhile. The insane focus on APs and meager ECs in HS is another story.

Where did you end up for high school? And if you don't mind sharing, did kid want to stay at BASIS for high school but willing to switch or did kid want to leave or didn't care and was willing to follow parent advice or some other situation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid went to an Ivy from Walls just last year and didn't find the environment highly competitive. Didn't take algebra (at another charter) until 8th grade. Took no APs until 10th. Took just 6 APs in all. Good point about lackluster AP Physics at BASIS. We passed on BASIS because of their weak ECs, language instruction, facilities and reports of bullying leadership from friends at the high school. Think twice about BASIS for an academic star if you have a viable alternative.

Only 6 APs? I wonder how their weighted GPA was competitive with so few AP classes.

I was wondering the same. Perhaps kid had really amazing ECs/teacher recs/essays/legacy/some other hook as doesn't seem like course load would have shown rigor that was available at Walls especially if took algebra in 8th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK but I didn't come under crazy academic pressure like BASIS students do, taking algebra in 6th or 7th grades and multiple AP exams from 9th grade.

Come to think of it, neither did my eldest (Walls grad).

We went to Ivies anyway.

Walls only sends a handful to Ivies every year, and the number will likely decrease starting next year as classes graduate that were accepted under the current relaxed admissions standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can any current basis families share more thoughts on the middle school science curriculum? I have a kiddo for whom advanced science is the main draw.

Our current 5th grader at BASIS (6th grader next year) loves both math and science…and they’ve done so much more science (hands on and theory) than any middle schooler I know of! I tend to find that the kids that don’t like the environment are not as excited by either math or science. This is not an issue for our child who is definitely STEAM focused as they also love reading, music, playing sports, etc. And there have been lots of afterschool options for kids interested in various topics. I definitely think that the environment wouldn’t be good for every kid, but our child has really thrived in it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Middle school science is much more serious at BASIS than in any other DC public school all the way from 5th to 8th grades. That said, some of what you get at BASIS is luck of the draw. There are weak middle school science teachers, generally right out of grad school, who only last a year or two (if that, MS sci teachers have been known to leave mid year after crying in front of classes). There are also rowdy kids in middle school science classes who can't handle the curriculum who can be disruptive - you need some luck on the element your kid lands in. You also need luck in having the kid adapt well to a building without outdoor space or enough natural light or recess time. Some kids don't thrive in the bad building, no matter what BASIS is trying to teach them.

Make sure your kid tours the building on Apr 27 if they haven’t already. If they are really bothered by the building, best to know now.

My kid toured both BASIS and Latin 2nd Street, and still chose BASIS as his number one choice, so clearly the bad building doesn’t bother everyone.

[Anonymous]

Ridiculous. Try 8 years in the building and get back to us. Believe me, no human can avoid being bothered by the building over time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can any current basis families share more thoughts on the middle school science curriculum? I have a kiddo for whom advanced science is the main draw.

Our current 5th grader at BASIS (6th grader next year) loves both math and science…and they’ve done so much more science (hands on and theory) than any middle schooler I know of! I tend to find that the kids that don’t like the environment are not as excited by either math or science. This is not an issue for our child who is definitely STEAM focused as they also love reading, music, playing sports, etc. And there have been lots of afterschool options for kids interested in various topics. I definitely think that the environment wouldn’t be good for every kid, but our child has really thrived in it!

Goodness, it's all rainbows and kittens at BASIS not just in 5th grade but all the way up!

From what I've observed as a BASIS parent, if you have the dough to leave or are willing to move to the burbs, you leave at some stage. If you don't have the dough for privates, and aren't willing to relocate to the burbs, you stay and make do (possibly claiming that your entire family loves BASIS, loudly). Not more.

[Anonymous]

My guess is many current BASIS families are less able/less willing to leave BASIS for a different high school in the near future. There’s a combo of circumstances that makes me think this:
(1) families are reluctant to sell their homes with likely very low interest rates to move to the burbs and pay a much higher interest rate based on current rates
(2) families also may be more reluctant to move to the burbs since there seems to be lots of complaining about changes for the worse when it comes to school academic rigor/admissions into magnets (just look at those VA and MD school forums)
(3) students may more easily get shut out of the application high schools in DC (just look at a bunch of the recent discussions on this forum)
(4) private high schools - like the colleges many BASIS families seek for their students to attend after them - are ever more expensive, making that option increasingly cost prohibitive, particularly for families with multiple kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can any current basis families share more thoughts on the middle school science curriculum? I have a kiddo for whom advanced science is the main draw.

Our current 5th grader at BASIS (6th grader next year) loves both math and science…and they’ve done so much more science (hands on and theory) than any middle schooler I know of! I tend to find that the kids that don’t like the environment are not as excited by either math or science. This is not an issue for our child who is definitely STEAM focused as they also love reading, music, playing sports, etc. And there have been lots of afterschool options for kids interested in various topics. I definitely think that the environment wouldn’t be good for every kid, but our child has really thrived in it!

Goodness, it's all rainbows and kittens at BASIS not just in 5th grade but all the way up!

From what I've observed as a BASIS parent, if you have the dough to leave or are willing to move to the burbs, you leave at some stage. If you don't have the dough for privates, and aren't willing to relocate to the burbs, you stay and make do (possibly claiming that your entire family loves BASIS, loudly). Not more.

So why is your family still at BASIS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My guess is many current BASIS families are less able/less willing to leave BASIS for a different high school in the near future. There’s a combo of circumstances that makes me think this:
(1) families are reluctant to sell their homes with likely very low interest rates to move to the burbs and pay a much higher interest rate based on current rates
(2) families also may be more reluctant to move to the burbs since there seems to be lots of complaining about changes for the worse when it comes to school academic rigor/admissions into magnets (just look at those VA and MD school forums)
(3) students may more easily get shut out of the application high schools in DC (just look at a bunch of the recent discussions on this forum)
(4) private high schools - like the colleges many BASIS families seek for their students to attend after them - are ever more expensive, making that option increasingly cost prohibitive, particularly for families with multiple kids

All good and accurate observations, thanks. Also true that the reluctance to leave doesn't make the BASIS HS wonderful.