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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

If only we were in Bizarro-land. A neighbor bailed on Stuart Hobson in Oct, sold her house and bought another in Fairfax in the span of two weeks. A friend in NE rents a studio in the Deal District for an in-boundary address - she rents it out on AirBnB on weekends. An Africa immigrant family we know went with the beginning Chinese track at DCI for lack of a better option (they were hoping for French, which they speak at home, but no spots).

Can't say if these are serious people. Can say they are DC residents desperate for a decent public middle school.

[Anonymous]

+1. Walls composes a freshman class that's roughly 40% AA, 40% white and 20% other year in and year out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Walls comment above.

[Anonymous]

OP here. We have worked out an improvement plan with the teachers. DH and I have discussed the home school option ( thanks for that suggestion). In the right now, we are going to lay off of being so tough and enjoy the holidays. This down time will allow us to assess our options with more level, clear heads. Again, thanks to all who have contributed to the thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We have worked out an improvement plan with the teachers. DH and I have discussed the home school option ( thanks for that suggestion). In the right now, we are going to lay off of being so tough and enjoy the holidays. This down time will allow us to assess our options with more level, clear heads. Again, thanks to all who have contributed to the thread.

Sorry to hear that your child is drowning at BASIS but it sounds like you have some options to mull over the holidays. My DC is also a 5th grader at BASIS and to say that this year is a major change in all ways from DC's previous school is an understatement! DC is very distracted and disorganized, not exactly what you would think would be ideal for BASIS, but I look at it as an opportunity to change and grow. Fortunately DC is happy so far at BASIS otherwise I would have to reassess my feelings, but since DC is up to the challenge then so am I. One thing that helps me is to let go of the notion that DC has to make great grades. I think of this year as a major transitional year toward independence. It is not comfortable for either of us, but I think it is more important to learn organizational and life skills at this point and accept that grades may be lower than before in the short term with the goal that the grades will go up after DC fully acclimates to BASIS and to independence. Better to make these adjustments now when your grades are not recorded on your college transcript.

IF your child is not happy at BASIS then overcoming the rigors of the school is probably not worth it and may be counterproductive. Either way, enjoy the break from school and hopefully you will have better clarity soon.

[Anonymous]

public school???

[Anonymous]

Thanks 22:51. We have decided to stop putting too much emphasis on good grades. The hard part is striking a balance in making sure DC still understands that school is to be taken seriously and you should still do your best. After the break we are absolutely letting the reigns up a bit so we arent all so stresses out.

22:54 not out IB public but we are open to a public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks 22:51. We have decided to stop putting too much emphasis on good grades. The hard part is striking a balance in making sure DC still understands that school is to be taken seriously and you should still do your best. After the break we are absolutely letting the reigns up a bit so we arent all so stresses out.

22:54 not out IB public but we are open to a public.

You didn't ask for advice for doing this, but I'll offer a couple suggestions anyway.

If organization is your child's challenge, set a small goal for the week to help build that skill -- e.g. week 1 successfully copy all assignments in the Cj = family celebration w/ice cream on Friday. Week 2 add in bringing home all science worksheets + keep up with the CJ / assignments. And so forth.

And talk about what they are learning -- maybe go to museums that reinforce the art or classics lessons. Show that you care about WHAT they are learning and how hard they are working as much as the grades.

Good luck and have a great holiday.

[Anonymous]

all of us who have 5th graders at basis should get together over the holidays! most of us are coming from very different elementary schools and it's been a huge transition. i read at least 3 basis 5th grade parents in the same position. there must be more of us. let's create an awesome basis support system outside of just school work so our kids feel better about themselves.

yes, they were all number 1 at their elementary schools and now they are learning how to be okay with being number 2 --it's a hard lesson at a young age. let's help them out!

[Anonymous]

Thanks 10:32 we will have to look at ways of incentivizing progress.

20:05 I would like that. Who is going to pull it together from this anonymous thread?!?!

[Anonymous]

10:32 back again.

One more suggestion that has worked for us and isn't BASIS specific.

Designate one weekend day as a no school day. That means no homework, no studying and no mentions or discussion of grades or academic parts of school. It is good for everyone to take a break and your student will be more efficient when they get back to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks 10:32 we will have to look at ways of incentivizing progress.

20:05 I would like that. Who is going to pull it together from this anonymous thread?!?!

Just reach out to your element's room parent and ask them to send a message inviting everyone to a parent meet up with all the 5th grade class parents. Draft the invite message for them so it's easy.

[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.

depends which children.
There are children who would be mediocre in any other school but seem to excel at BASIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP.

My child is a 5th grader at Basis and had a blow to the ego. We had a talk after grades came out in GP 1 that if DC can't handle being a C student at BASIS, we simply will put DC back in the IB elementary school (with all As). Well, that did it. DC was bored, miserable, and unhappy at the IB school and begged to stay at Basis. We all realize that 70s at Basis is a 100 anywhere else. When GP 2 came around with more "disappointing" grades, we went out to ice cream to celebrate DC's "perfect" grades. We have two rules: 1) no studying allowed (homework, yes, but no reviewing for tests since family time is more important); and 2) no morning "student hours" (sleep is more important). I think that proved to DC that I simply don't care about grades.

I'm not staying Basis is the "end all and be all". But, we have changed the dynamic in our house so the blow to the ego is taken in perspective now. Our goal is for DC is to pass 5th grade with as low of grades as possible. We always say "low grades & happy kids is better than high grades & unhappy kids." We're managing to have great balance at Basis by choosing not to push for 90 club.

At some schools, when a kid takes a high school level class, the grade is a part of the high school GPs no matter what grade the kid was in when he took the class. Does BASIS do this too?

The BASIS high school courses are placed on the high school transcript and counted towards high school credits but are not included in the GPA.

My understanding was that the AP exam scores are placed on the high school transcript but maybe it is the grade - they are so integrally linked (a 3 gets you an A in the course) that they were telling us that for 4s and 5s we would have to request that the Board release the grades because their standard is beyond 4 years they don't look or release. We got a 4 and 5, but left after 8th, so we are planning to do it through the AP system. We went IB so did not pay attention to the last report card.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What's a HS course at basis in 5th grade? None I know of.

Some 5th grade students take Algebra 1 in 5th and this is a high school course and will go on transcript for credit but does not count towards high school GPA. The other middle school high school courses are Algebra 2, Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus, World History 2, Economics, and any other AP courses that some 8th graders choose to take. The math depends on your child so not all students take all of those course before high school. The normal math sequence in middle school at BASIS is Math 8/7, maybe Pre-Calculus (but math 8/7 is equivalent to a Pre-Calculus course), Algebra 1, and Algebra 2, and Pre-Calculus A or AB. a ful credit of Geometry is given after completing Algebra 1 and 2 as well since it is incorporated.

My child took AP Calculus AB in 8th. Stats on attrition: There were originally 8 kids in different grades in the class. By high school, there were kind of two kids left (one failed AB so had to take it over)

NB Walls and Wilson at least will make a child (even who has taken Precalc in 8th) take Geometry in 9th. The second (great) HOS went to bat for his kids at both schools that fall and lost. Saxon is not accepted. I personally think completing the entire program covers both Geometry and Trig, but the SATs only go up to Algebra II so you may have to review some before the PSATs and SATs. Don't know whether knowledge of Geometry is measured.

Economics does not appear on the HS transcript because it is not an AP class. I would also assume now that they switched the history sequence (it used to be US for 6th, and AP World History in 7th and 8th) that they no longer label it as an AP course and that fewer kids take the World History AP exam because they would have to review their 6th grade history in 8th.

I personally think that taking the AP World History exam in 8th grade (under the old sequence) was a real blessing for my child - he scored higher than what BASIS requires for an A in the class, and had he bombed he either would have gotten a bad grade in 8th which would never be reported (and neither would the AP score) or take the comp over the summer.

Having AP anxiety going into a high school that requires 6 of them (and the subjects are mandatory and include Calculus), or going into another high school knowing that right now, unfortunately, AP courses and scores matter a lot more than they did when I applied to college, a free bite at the apple can either be a confidence builder or a huge wake up call.

Unfortunately, because the high school at BASIS is so much smaller, you have no guarantee that they will offer the other APs you want to take at the right time, or even at all - especially if you are on the 12th grade project route where you take no year long classes. At least for this year, they allowed kids who were still doing AP Calc to go that route - they just couldn't do something that would prevent them from taking the AP.