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

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I wish they would open up a second middle/high school instead because there are plenty of good elementary schools in DC already and a shortage of good middle and high school options.  Also, the BASIS HOS mentioned the second school could potentially share outdoor space and a gym with the current school which would be amazing regardless but more ideal with students similarly aged.

Another thought: With a BASIS elementary school feeding into the middle/high school eventually, it seems eventually less Capitol Hill families would be at BASIS because they have great convenient elementary options already…[/quote]

This. Hill families, your middle school seats are threatened![/quote]

This is a very real issue. Enrollment data shows us that Brent, Maurey and Watkins send a TON of kids to BASIS. There won't be 135 5th grade seats to fill of they are only backfilling from 4th grade BASIS kids. Will those Hill families choose BASIS in K instead of Brent, etc.? If BASIS had a good or great physical space for ES, does that change the answer? I[b]f they don't choose BASIS, what does the demographic of BASIS look like without all those white UMC families? Are there enough kids who can hack it at BASIS to fill those spots if the Hill school populations aren't filling them?[/b] Could this help the Hill MS to improve without the brain drain? Would people think twice about living on the Hill without the BASIS school safety valve?

I am asking these questions, but I would note that BASIS is not responsible for or to the CH schools. The CH families may think BASIS is "theirs" but it isn't.   [/quote]

This, exactly. Is BASIS really that great, or is it a meh school whose "success" is the result of demographics and of their social promotion policy (and don't forget, shirking on taking kids after 5th like other schools do).[/quote]

I think this is a very interesting question. My guess is that most Brent/Maury/LT families will not move their kids to BASIS for K just to lock in 5th. They'll already have been at their local ES for 1-2 years and they'll by-and-large have had good experiences, because those schools are good. The kind of families who stick out the Hill are the kind of families who don't prioritize locking in a middle school (or they'd move to NW/Deal/Hardy). BASIS is close, but not close enough to be neighborhood-y for K-4; kids are very different by 5th. Also UMC Hill parents are by and large super involved in the Hill ESes and I just can't see BASIS allowing that, which I think would frustrate those parents. (I think Watkins could cut a bit differently. Families already have to move from Peabody to Watkins in 1st and as UMC families are increasingly reluctant to do that, I think those families might cut out for BASIS in K instead in higher numbers.)

If Brent/Maury/LT shared a middle school, I actually think this could have a positive effect on the local MS almost immediately... since they don't, it'll be a small trickle. SH could be the most affected the most immediately, since LT & Watkins both feed there and not all Watkins kids will bail, even if in larger numbers. I wonder what percentage of slots they'll hold for MS? At first it's going to be all sibling preference and newbies will be shut out entirely unless that percentage is huge. Middle school entry will get even crazier if this is approved. [/quote]

I'm PP to whom you responded. I think I agree with much of what what you project. One of the things I find amusing is the reflexive responses on DCUM from people who immediately question whether BASIS is appropriate for ES. They have like 40 other schools that already offer K+.[/quote]

Everyone knows BASIS operates lots of elementary schools. But this country is filled with crappy schools. Existing doesn't mean it's actually good.[/quote]

https://enrollbasis.com/about-basis-charter-schools/awards-and-rankings/

Objective data says they thrive. [/quote]

Oh please, let's definitely compare private and selective admissions schools as if they're pure lottery in a high-needs area.[/quote]

What are you talking about? All BASIS schools are free and lottery. The rankings I pointed to are for BASIS schools. Stop typing; you look more foolish evert time you "contribute".[/quote]

You are 100% wrong and look really foolish because of your tone in this post. Even in the DMV, Basis McLean is a private school. Basis Brooklyn is a private school. In almost all BASIS locations, students have to pass a placement test (post-lottery) to be placed in a grade and, if a student doesn't pass, their admission is contingent on being willing to repeat the prior grade. You have ABSOLUTELY no idea what you're talking about.[/quote]

You have conflated the BASIS charter schools with the private for profit BASIS Independent Schools (McLean). The schools on the list I linked to are the charter schools. THEY ARE NOT PRIVATE. Which is why when you misunderstand the difference and accuse someone (incorrectly) of referencing private schools, you look like a fool.

BASIS charter schools take all comers. They absolutely to a test to place kids where they belong. They do not refuse kids based on those results, merely place them appropriately. That is not an "admissions test".  [/quote]

Which BASIS schools have a high proportion of at-risk kids?

[b]Why does BASIS DC perform so much worse than other BASIS schools?[/b][/quote]

That is a fair question, because it does. Ironically, one of the reasons is because it does not have an ES. All of the other campuses start in ES. I think part of the issue is also what you see here on DCUM. We spend a lot of time in DC on performative nonsense and faux equity that the environment isn't focused on academic excellence as much as other garbage. Look at this forum as an example. Anytime anyone points to BASIS's success people chime in to try and focus on the kids is isn't educating. In DC, people score points not for building things or succeeding, but for tearing them down. I think that makes it much harder for schools to succeed. [/quote]

You are wrong.  You obviously don't have a kid at BASIS.

The BASIS network tracks how all the schools compare, and BASIS DC is in the top group.[/quote]

No, it isn't. Alex is open about how BASIS DC was last or almost last in most metrics for years. They have improved in recent years but DC is still near the bottom. I know this because Alex said it as recently the working session held a few Fridays ago to talk about the next strategic plan. Did you not attend?

I am very happy with BASIS. My kids thrive there. That doesn't prevent me from being objective. BASIS DC is objectively near the bottom the BASIS charter school rankings and metrics. [/quote]

I don't know what rankings and metrics you are talking about, or what the comparison group is.  I think that you are misinterpreting Alex's comments.

Of course, BASIS DC was not a top school in its first years, when it was largely unknown to a lot of DC parents.  The school is only about 11 years old, and is forced to use a 100% lottery to draw from a relatively bad school district, where most kids are doing reading and math below grade level.  Obviously, test scores and similar academic metrics are worse in the early years at BASIS DC than some other schools in the network because 1) BASIS DC has no K-4 program (unlike other BASIS schools), and 2) as a result has to bring in kids in 5th grade through the lottery system who have received a subpar education from K-4.  If you look at the testing data for, say, high school, BASIS DC performs very well in the network.  In addition, by its charter, BASIS DC is barred from using placement tests, which means that every year some kids enter in 5th grade who perform poorly, are held back, and typically leave the school.  That is not the situation at other BASIS public charter schools.

Let's use something fairly objective, the USNWR rankings--which BASIS also uses--to compare the schools in the BASIS network.

There are 59 BASIS schools, 43 public charter.

Of the 43 BASIS public charter schools, there are 12 BASIS charter schools ranked by USNWR from #11 (BASIS Chandler) to #274 (BASIS DC).  These are NATIONAL rankings.  So, based on that, BASIS DC ranks 12/43 in the network according to USNW&R, which puts in in the top 28% in the public BASIS charter network.

Given that that BASIS DC opened 11 years ago; it draws 100% of its kids in the lottery from a fairly bad school district; is surrounded by much richer, better established schools in the burbs; and it is currently ranked the #1 public middle school in DC as well as the #1 non-selective public high school in DC, it seems like it is doing just fine--in DC, in the network, and nationally.  And I suspect BASIS DC will improve nationally in the coming years, unlike most other charter schools in DC.[/quote]

Great analysis.

Also, you are citing the national public high school rankings.

So, BASIS Chandler is ranked #11 among public high schools and #2 among public charters nationally.

[b]Similarly, BASIS DC is #274 among public high schools and #68 among public charters nationally.[/b]

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