Basis PCS

[Anonymous]

How can this possibly be good for young children?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if it's not taking other kids this long to do work? He's smart, advanced on all his SOL tests, but jeez o pete! They all give him work to do and there is no time to do anything here at home. We really have no choice but to stick it out since there really are no other good options for him to go where we live. He gets home around 5 and we eat dinner and we start work at 6. We don't get finished up till 8:30 or 9. I sit with him so he doesn't get overwhelmed and I keep him focused. I asked him about his AE hour and I don't think he's using his time wisely in that class. He said he will do his math in AE from now on, so that was a good suggestion, I appreciate it.

I just really don't know what the school can do about us complaining that it's too much. Haven't kids had this load at this school before for a few years now? They won't change the amount of homework because "HE" is taking so long to do it, I am sure,

He missed a couple days his first week because he was sick and he was so far behind. It was so stressful to catch up and get all the notes he needed so he wouldn't do poorly on the tests so he had to stay in student hours after school plus do is pile of homework. I just hope this lets up a bit.

You can not be sick at Basis for more than a day or two. Whenever my DC has been really sick, his grades suffer for that grading period.

I find all of this really worrisome. I was holding out hope that Basis could work for my child, but the school just seems so extreme. My son does well in all school subjects and is particularly good at math. He loves learning and always asks for extra work because he thinks it's fun. I worry that Basis will suck the life and the love of learning right out of him. 3 hours of homework every night at age 10? That is sheer craziness, and any reasonable person knows it. Of course I want him to stay ahead in math, but I absolutely do not want him taking AP Calculus as an 8th grader. Why would I want him to take a college-readiness course when he's 13? There's plenty of time for that in high school. I want him to excel in math & science while also having excellent courses in history, literature, and the arts, and time to write for the school newspaper, play sports (even travel sports!), play in the band/orchestra, etc.

Can't we have a middle school--aside from Deal, which isn't accessible to most of us--that offers some acceleration for kids in certain subjects AND other excellent classes and extra-curriculars that allow them to develop as people, while not expecting them to jump on this insane roller coaster of AP classes for 12- and 13-year-olds? Why is everything all or nothing in this town?

[Anonymous]

I find all of this really worrisome. I was holding out hope that Basis could work for my child, but the school just seems so extreme. My son does well in all school subjects and is particularly good at math. He loves learning and always asks for extra work because he thinks it's fun. I worry that Basis will suck the life and the love of learning right out of him. 3 hours of homework every night at age 10? That is sheer craziness, and any reasonable person knows it. Of course I want him to stay ahead in math, but I absolutely do not want him taking AP Calculus as an 8th grader. Why would I want him to take a college-readiness course when he's 13? There's plenty of time for that in high school. I want him to excel in math & science while also having excellent courses in history, literature, and the arts, and time to write for the school newspaper, play sports (even travel sports!), play in the band/orchestra, etc.

Can't we have a middle school--aside from Deal, which isn't accessible to most of us--that offers some acceleration for kids in certain subjects AND other excellent classes and extra-curriculars that allow them to develop as people, while not expecting them to jump on this insane roller coaster of AP classes for 12- and 13-year-olds? Why is everything all or nothing in this town?


This is my DC's third year at Basis. Attending Basis was not my idea, as he was in a great JKLM at the time and got into another gentler HRCS, but he loves it, and the teachers are really fantastic. It would make me miserable to be a student there, and the first few weeks while he was adjusting I was about to move him back into his JKLM, but he wants to be there and loves it. I don't know if he will be there past 9th grade, as we are in Wilson boundaries and may move, and I am in NO hurry to have him start APs in 8th or 9th grade, but he is happy for now. I really recommend however, that anyone thinking about sending their child there start them in 5th. It is not for everyone, no matter how smart or organized one is, and it is important you leave yourself options in case your child doesn't want to stay. It is a great school, though, a small size as compared to most middle schools in DC, and has a lot to offer if it is the right fit for your child.

[Anonymous]

I really don't think most kids at BASIS are spending 3 hours of homework a night. I posted above (a week or so ago). My 11 yo 6th grader is spending about 45 minutes a night on homework at this point. He is also playing on his little league baseball team, doing one school club, hanging with friends from our neighborhood and has time for more Minecraft than I approve of.

A very small percentage of 8th graders are taking AP Calculus as 8th graders. Most 8th graders are in Algebra 2. Math placement depends on the child, what they are ready for and what their parents want for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What if it's not taking other kids this long to do work? He's smart, advanced on all his SOL tests, but jeez o pete! They all give him work to do and there is no time to do anything here at home. We really have no choice but to stick it out since there really are no other good options for him to go where we live. He gets home around 5 and we eat dinner and we start work at 6. We don't get finished up till 8:30 or 9. I sit with him so he doesn't get overwhelmed and I keep him focused. I asked him about his AE hour and I don't think he's using his time wisely in that class. He said he will do his math in AE from now on, so that was a good suggestion, I appreciate it.

I just really don't know what the school can do about us complaining that it's too much. Haven't kids had this load at this school before for a few years now? They won't change the amount of homework because "HE" is taking so long to do it, I am sure,

He missed a couple days his first week because he was sick and he was so far behind. It was so stressful to catch up and get all the notes he needed so he wouldn't do poorly on the tests so he had to stay in student hours after school plus do is pile of homework. I just hope this lets up a bit.

He was able to get 23 math questions completed at school today since I told him to utilize AE. Things will get better with little hints like this from other parents. They really help and I appreciate it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if it's not taking other kids this long to do work? He's smart, advanced on all his SOL tests, but jeez o pete! They all give him work to do and there is no time to do anything here at home. We really have no choice but to stick it out since there really are no other good options for him to go where we live. He gets home around 5 and we eat dinner and we start work at 6. We don't get finished up till 8:30 or 9. I sit with him so he doesn't get overwhelmed and I keep him focused. I asked him about his AE hour and I don't think he's using his time wisely in that class. He said he will do his math in AE from now on, so that was a good suggestion, I appreciate it.

I just really don't know what the school can do about us complaining that it's too much. Haven't kids had this load at this school before for a few years now? They won't change the amount of homework because "HE" is taking so long to do it, I am sure,

He missed a couple days his first week because he was sick and he was so far behind. It was so stressful to catch up and get all the notes he needed so he wouldn't do poorly on the tests so he had to stay in student hours after school plus do is pile of homework. I just hope this lets up a bit.

The only reason to talk to the teachers is sometimes - if they are new - they don't realize how long the assignments are taking the kids. The assume something is a 10 minute assignment but it takes most kids 40-45. While the core curriculum is the same each teacher puts his or her own spin on it so it isn't the same.

Getting behind is tough - as you have discovered. But in general the workload is heavy. Most kids get better at juggling it after the first couple months. But it is absolutely a lot.

Of course if your child has any sort of learning disability or ADHD (no clue if that is at plan in your case) the time estimates you hear probably don't apply

This. If he's taking 3 hours to do his homework, has he been checked for ADHD or disabilities?

[Anonymous]

He has to do 30 math questions a night.. due the next day unless assigned on Thursday then they are due on Monday, so that is almost an every night thing. We typically study this type of information during the week: we study for latin and make flashcards for his vocab, we study Classics and study the flashcards he made in class, study geography worksheets and go over the required knowledge for the quizzes. He organizes all the papers he had from all the classes that he put into his expanding folder daily, does classics worksheets, english worksheets, science worksheets, geography worksheets as assigned. Its a lot for ME so that is why I reached out to other parents for advice and wonderfully I received great advice already and also understanding so again, thank you. All we do here at home is we go through his ENTIRE journal for that day and complete the tasks that it says to do. So when it says study, we study, if it says to complete worksheets 50 thru 64 plus 70 to 74 due in two days for his english workbook, we do that. If it says make sure a a table in contents is in front of the science binder to keep the worksheets organized and make sure the worksheets are in order and completed for review checks every friday, we make sure its done. I am not bashing BASIS AT ALL. In fact I think at this age it is very good to keep them focused on homework and learning considering what they COULD be focusing on. We are having a hard time adjusting and I do not say he because I am as well. I don't want the moms out there to get nervous about sending their kids to BASIS, I mean in the long run its only going to help the kids right? I remember 5th grade being a challenge for me as well ,once upon a time. I just needed some advice. I know my son doesn't have a learning disability. He has always gotten good grades and scored high on tests with praise from his teachers. It is the the abundance of after school work and lack of free time we seem to have that is hard for us to acclimate to. Hopefully as time goes by he will get faster at completing the work. My daughter is in a DCPS school as well and I have to say that the amount of work the BASIS teachers and DCPS teachers have put into my kids coming from the beloved fairfax county schools is really actually amazing and much better then fairfax already. Don't shoot me for saying it but it's absolutely true so far.

[Anonymous]

OP - it is definitely an adjustment. I would expect that by Thanksgiving he and you will have a better idea of what he needs to do and how to be more efficient with it.

Good luck to you both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He has to do 30 math questions a night.. due the next day unless assigned on Thursday then they are due on Monday, so that is almost an every night thing. We typically study this type of information during the week: we study for latin and make flashcards for his vocab, we study Classics and study the flashcards he made in class, study geography worksheets and go over the required knowledge for the quizzes. He organizes all the papers he had from all the classes that he put into his expanding folder daily, does classics worksheets, english worksheets, science worksheets, geography worksheets as assigned. Its a lot for ME so that is why I reached out to other parents for advice and wonderfully I received great advice already and also understanding so again, thank you. All we do here at home is we go through his ENTIRE journal for that day and complete the tasks that it says to do. So when it says study, we study, if it says to complete worksheets 50 thru 64 plus 70 to 74 due in two days for his english workbook, we do that. If it says make sure a a table in contents is in front of the science binder to keep the worksheets organized and make sure the worksheets are in order and completed for review checks every friday, we make sure its done. I am not bashing BASIS AT ALL. In fact I think at this age it is very good to keep them focused on homework and learning considering what they COULD be focusing on. We are having a hard time adjusting and I do not say he because I am as well. I don't want the moms out there to get nervous about sending their kids to BASIS, I mean in the long run its only going to help the kids right? I remember 5th grade being a challenge for me as well ,once upon a time. I just needed some advice. I know my son doesn't have a learning disability. He has always gotten good grades and scored high on tests with praise from his teachers. It is the the abundance of after school work and lack of free time we seem to have that is hard for us to acclimate to. Hopefully as time goes by he will get faster at completing the work. My daughter is in a DCPS school as well and I have to say that the amount of work the BASIS teachers and DCPS teachers have put into my kids coming from the beloved fairfax county schools is really actually amazing and much better then fairfax already. Don't shoot me for saying it but it's absolutely true so far.

So what you're saying is that it takes a highly-involved educated parent to make BASIS work? All those parents who don't have the time or the education need not apply? Smart money says BASIS is less than 20% FARM this year. Pity the PCSB can't find their frickin' car keys, because any involved governing board would pull the funding on this little enterprise. In the meantime, the Blocks profit. God Bless America!

[Anonymous]

It takes the students learning to trust their teachers and advocate for themselves. Go to student hours. Email. Ask questions. Be honest if you are struggling.

No helicopter parent needed, and in fact it is discouraged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if it's not taking other kids this long to do work? He's smart, advanced on all his SOL tests, but jeez o pete! They all give him work to do and there is no time to do anything here at home. We really have no choice but to stick it out since there really are no other good options for him to go where we live. He gets home around 5 and we eat dinner and we start work at 6. We don't get finished up till 8:30 or 9. I sit with him so he doesn't get overwhelmed and I keep him focused. I asked him about his AE hour and I don't think he's using his time wisely in that class. He said he will do his math in AE from now on, so that was a good suggestion, I appreciate it.

I just really don't know what the school can do about us complaining that it's too much. Haven't kids had this load at this school before for a few years now? They won't change the amount of homework because "HE" is taking so long to do it, I am sure,

He missed a couple days his first week because he was sick and he was so far behind. It was so stressful to catch up and get all the notes he needed so he wouldn't do poorly on the tests so he had to stay in student hours after school plus do is pile of homework. I just hope this lets up a bit.

You can not be sick at Basis for more than a day or two. Whenever my DC has been really sick, his grades suffer for that grading period.

This is simply not true. My kid was sick for about a well with the flu and did just fine. I got the homework buddies and had him do what he could at home. I also emailed all of his teachers and they were helpful as well. Then I had him meet with the teachers upon his return. His grades were not effected in any way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if it's not taking other kids this long to do work? He's smart, advanced on all his SOL tests, but jeez o pete! They all give him work to do and there is no time to do anything here at home. We really have no choice but to stick it out since there really are no other good options for him to go where we live. He gets home around 5 and we eat dinner and we start work at 6. We don't get finished up till 8:30 or 9. I sit with him so he doesn't get overwhelmed and I keep him focused. I asked him about his AE hour and I don't think he's using his time wisely in that class. He said he will do his math in AE from now on, so that was a good suggestion, I appreciate it.

I just really don't know what the school can do about us complaining that it's too much. Haven't kids had this load at this school before for a few years now? They won't change the amount of homework because "HE" is taking so long to do it, I am sure,

He missed a couple days his first week because he was sick and he was so far behind. It was so stressful to catch up and get all the notes he needed so he wouldn't do poorly on the tests so he had to stay in student hours after school plus do is pile of homework. I just hope this lets up a bit.

You can not be sick at Basis for more than a day or two. Whenever my DC has been really sick, his grades suffer for that grading period.

This is simply not true. My kid was sick for about a well with the flu and did just fine. I got the homework buddies and had him do what he could at home. I also emailed all of his teachers and they were helpful as well. Then I had him meet with the teachers upon his return. His grades were not effected in any way.

Also good advice! Homework buddies did't work for us since they were not yet established so early in the year but he did go to student hours and that worked well. I will keep the idea to email the teachers about homework too if I need to use that as an option. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I was struck by the PP's use of the pronoun "we." It really shouldn't be "we study, we make flash cards, we do the reading." Helicopter parenting on homework is discouraged. If there is a problem and your child feels like he doesn't get something or it's taking too long, he should definitely go in for help.

I ask my kids what homework they have, what longer term assignments are coming up and what's their plan for getting them done, if they have anything in their CJ to sign, and leave it at that. One of my kids does need extra reminders, aka nagging, about working on long term assignments, but it's definitely him and not us that are doing the work.

Do they have a missing homework stamp in their CJ every once in a while? Yup. Not the end of the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was struck by the PP's use of the pronoun "we." It really shouldn't be "we study, we make flash cards, we do the reading." Helicopter parenting on homework is discouraged. If there is a problem and your child feels like he doesn't get something or it's taking too long, he should definitely go in for help.

I ask my kids what homework they have, what longer term assignments are coming up and what's their plan for getting them done, if they have anything in their CJ to sign, and leave it at that. One of my kids does need extra reminders, aka nagging, about working on long term assignments, but it's definitely him and not us that are doing the work.

Do they have a missing homework stamp in their CJ every once in a while? Yup. Not the end of the world.

I am helping him to develop a routine. This type of load requires organization and focus. He had absolutely no homework all of 4th grade except for the cello so it is a big change. Everyday it gets better so I know its working. Going from no homework to tons is not easy. Like I said, with the advice from a previous poster he was able to complete most of his math at school and we were done by 745 so that was a big help. I also was helping my daughter with factors and multiplication so it was not all him trust me. We have a 3 year old running around in the mix too. I like seeing how much he knows by testing him with flashcards and actually the handout advised him to get parents to test him. I do check to make sure he does his work but that is me holding him accountable at home and there is nothing wrong with that. I would rather help him at home then fight DC traffic and drag two kids, try to find a parking spot because he missed his transportation so that is another reason I make sure he doesn't get behind. I wanted to know if other parents felt the same stressors and worries i do and its comforting to know that, hey this is normal for some, maybe not normal for others, and thats ok. I am good with that. Thanks everyone for the input.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I find all of this really worrisome. I was holding out hope that Basis could work for my child, but the school just seems so extreme. My son does well in all school subjects and is particularly good at math. He loves learning and always asks for extra work because he thinks it's fun. I worry that Basis will suck the life and the love of learning right out of him. 3 hours of homework every night at age 10? That is sheer craziness, and any reasonable person knows it. Of course I want him to stay ahead in math, but I absolutely do not want him taking AP Calculus as an 8th grader. Why would I want him to take a college-readiness course when he's 13? There's plenty of time for that in high school. I want him to excel in math & science while also having excellent courses in history, literature, and the arts, and time to write for the school newspaper, play sports (even travel sports!), play in the band/orchestra, etc.

Can't we have a middle school--aside from Deal, which isn't accessible to most of us--that offers some acceleration for kids in certain subjects AND other excellent classes and extra-curriculars that allow them to develop as people, while not expecting them to jump on this insane roller coaster of AP classes for 12- and 13-year-olds? Why is everything all or nothing in this town?

I don't think you should send your kid to basis if you have those reservations. Basis is not for everyone, some people thrive, some do OK, some cannot stand it. If you think it doesn't work for your kid don't send her there. And I'm truly sorry that there aren't that many alternatives but that is surely not basis fault.