Homework load in 5th and 6th grades at basis dc?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it does.

We're going with Hobson partly because the principal is fine with letting us home school our child in a very difficult language one of us speaks (not a Romance language). He won't force instruction in another language on us. We appreciate the flexibility and recognition that we've home schooled the child to an advanced level in the language for his age and just want to be left alone to continue. We won't be the first parents in this situation in our fast-changing neighborhood.

I’m rolling my eyes at this. If you want to go to a public school, you should follow the public school curriculum. There might be a new principal by the time your children get there anyway.

Yes, you're rolling you're eyes because you clearly aren't raising fully bilingual children. I'll leave it to you to raise monolingual children who can't score high on International Baccalaureate Diploma Higher Level language exams, or even Standard Level IBD exams and AP exams.

In far more sophisticated school systems, e.g. MoCo and Fairfax, kids who are bilingual aren't forced to study foreign languages. No, they're allowed to opt out of language study altogether in MS and HS if they can pass language proficiency classes on day 1, like at many colleges. The stellar Hobson principal gets it. If he's gone by the time we get there in the fall, and the new head won't work with us, we'll probably move on for 7th grade. No big deal.

[Anonymous]

Please move. You sound insufferable

[Anonymous]

No, you move hon.

Some of us are quietly pushing to raise standards, and outputs, in DCPS, so that all the kids are better served by the public school system, as in the burbs.

Change is hard.

[Anonymous]

+1. I have to agree, PP. My kid is also bilingual and learning a third language. We’re still on the fence about enrolling. I’d intended to just supplement outside of school, but the homework load sounds like a big enough commitment already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All I know is that my child is coming home every single day telling me that she absolutely loves it and is so happy that she switched schools and then goes on an on about everything that they learned that day. Then she tells us when she needs to go in early to make up a test or something, and we are the only ones groaning, not her. From her reports, I think tons of kids would hate it, but I am so happy that she has the opportunity to be there.

Generally the same here for my 5th grader. I'm seeing a lot more engagement and learning than last year, and he's coming home talking about Latin declensions and science and ancient history. With the exception of a couple of weeks when he had multiple assignments during a few days, the homework has not been an issue at all. He is also proud of being a lot more independent. He has a few times worried about grades, which is annoying to me, so we've had the "Don't worry about grades, worry about doing the work and learning" conversation. (His grades are fine - in the middle of the distribution.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, you move hon.

Some of us are quietly pushing to raise standards, and outputs, in DCPS, so that all the kids are better served by the public school system, as in the burbs.

Change is hard.

Have you been to the suburbs? Talked to parents of high-achieving students? Because there are the same arguments there as we have in the city. Fights over resources, achievement gaps, changes in admissions to magnet and programs to accelerated programs (to the point that the US Dept of Ed is investigating MoCo).

[Anonymous]

We've been taking our children to a weekend heritage language program in MoCo for years. We talk to MoCo public school parents all the time. None are required to sign their children up for years worth of Spanish classes in return for using their in-boundary schools, which often happens in DC. None turn to charter schools, where kids are forced to study certain languages to progress to the next grade, to escape failing by-right middle schools.

DCPC and DCPC shoot for mediocrity where language study goes, even at BASIS and DCI. The mediocrity is under-girded by lack of flexibility on curricular choices, unrealistic expectations of students, and poor planning. Things will change, slowly and over a long period of time.

[Anonymous]

it's the strong undercurrent of paternalism in dc public schools, forcefully cascading on families

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've been taking our children to a weekend heritage language program in MoCo for years. We talk to MoCo public school parents all the time. None are required to sign their children up for years worth of Spanish classes in return for using their in-boundary schools, which often happens in DC. None turn to charter schools, where kids are forced to study certain languages to progress to the next grade, to escape failing by-right middle schools.

DCPC and DCPC shoot for mediocrity where language study goes, even at BASIS and DCI. The mediocrity is under-girded by lack of flexibility on curricular choices, unrealistic expectations of students, and poor planning. Things will change, slowly and over a long period of time.

I am far more interested in math and science than I am in language studies.

You have different priorities. Which is why it is a big country filled with options, public and private. Live and let live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All I know is that my child is coming home every single day telling me that she absolutely loves it and is so happy that she switched schools and then goes on an on about everything that they learned that day. Then she tells us when she needs to go in early to make up a test or something, and we are the only ones groaning, not her. From her reports, I think tons of kids would hate it, but I am so happy that she has the opportunity to be there.

Generally the same here for my 5th grader. I'm seeing a lot more engagement and learning than last year, and he's coming home talking about Latin declensions and science and ancient history. With the exception of a couple of weeks when he had multiple assignments during a few days, the homework has not been an issue at all. He is also proud of being a lot more independent. He has a few times worried about grades, which is annoying to me, so we've had the "Don't worry about grades, worry about doing the work and learning" conversation. (His grades are fine - in the middle of the distribution.)

This is encouraging to hear. We’re probably going to remain at our current school vice taking the spot, but it sounds as if they have been taking in the feedback.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Have you reached out to the school to discuss? Are you staying for 7th?

Ummm... there's no reaching out to Basis to complain about their homework or their testing schedule. That's their M.O. That's their educational model. They believe their approach leads to successful kids (and according to US News ratings, it does). If your kid is unhappy or stressed or you don't like seeing your straight-A, hard-working kid get Cs, then you leave. The environment there also just BREEDS grade competition. We've tried all year to give her a variety of stress coping skills (not to mention some perspective on how much a grade in 6th grade matters) but there's something about the constant, weekly testing that just keeps the kids competing with each other. It's like an academic Olympic try-out. As explained in a number of parent/teacher events, the local franchise of Basis has definitely made changes to the way they run 5th grade here (as opposed to their other locations) because they now understand that there's a really big educational gap between DCPS elementary schools and where Basis wants the kids to be. So 5th grade is their transition year. And, like I said, my kid really enjoyed 5th grade. She liked the challenge and the increased responsibility and the classwork. But now, in 6th, the training wheels are off and Basis has a proven "winning" formula that they believe in. You either get on the bus and go for the ride or you get off.

Yes, if she somehow got into Latin she would definitely leave. But she's been trying since 5th to get in there and it's never happened for us. Other options explored but aren't good fits for other reasons. It's really too bad that there aren't more non-private options that are for hard-working, smart kids who like being challenged in our area. It seems to be that there's got to be a difference between THIS and .... an educational experience that is one step up from babysitting.

Well said.

[Anonymous]

Yes, you're rolling you're eyes because you clearly aren't raising fully bilingual children. I'll leave it to you to raise monolingual children who can't score high on International Baccalaureate Diploma Higher Level language exams, or even Standard Level IBD exams and AP exams.

In far more sophisticated school systems, e.g. MoCo and Fairfax, kids who are bilingual aren't forced to study foreign languages. No, they're allowed to opt out of language study altogether in MS and HS if they can pass language proficiency classes on day 1, like at many colleges. The stellar Hobson principal gets it. If he's gone by the time we get there in the fall, and the new head won't work with us, we'll probably move on for 7th grade. No big deal.

Why don’t you move to Montgomery County or Fairfax now? It sounds like you would fit in better there.

[Anonymous]

Can't stand this sort of post. Want to nudge DCPS public schools into the 21st century as a stakeholder? Give up before you've started, you're persona non grata for thinking in terms of progress beyond the inevitable demographic changes, so leave.

I've seen pesky UMC parents constructively move mountains in both DCPS schools and charters by refusing to taking unusually bone-headed policies sitting down.

I've seen good new policies and practices emerge in schools, and even across schools, after thoughtful parents sought help from the DC Public Schools Chief Student Advocate (a position created by Grosso and Allen in 2015) and Ombudsperson.

[Anonymous]

You certainly have to pick your battles in one of the nation's several lowest-performing urban school systems.

Don't see how we gain when public schools are let off the hook in serving all-comers because many of the best-informed parents, and highest-achieving students, at the elementary level bail by middle school.

OP shouldn't have to worry about the HW load in 5th and 6th grades at BASIS. The load should have been reasonable from the get go.

[Anonymous]

Getting close to the deadline to accept the lottery seat. Hoping a parent of a 6th grader and up will chime in...