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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don't think it's an issue with student quality, either.  Instead, it's more about financial means.  A lot of people who choose Basis over a top notch private are doing so because they can't afford the top private.  [b]The same people are not applying to ivies, because they already know that they cannot easily afford to send their kids.[/b]   Basis seems to do well with getting a lot of merit aid for kids at T50 type schools, which still means that the school has a lot of top notch kids.[/quote]

Bunk. UMC BASIS families in the "fi aid doughnut" are applying to Ivies/Ivies Plus schools for top students. The kids are applying but almost never getting in. Franchise leaders and admins are behind the times, mainly in failing to support and encouraging the students to run with unique interests, backgrounds and talents. For example, many 5th graders come in from ES language immersion programs strong in languages.  The message from BASIS is who cares, not us, no language for you before 8th and then only at the beginning level. These are kids who could ace AP language exams in 9th or 10th grade with a little bit of support from BASIS, or even just a little flexibility on language study, but none is forthcoming. [b]Also, BASIS forces all students to take algebra no later than 7th, when many of the kids aren't quite ready for it despite being v. bright and hard-working. Some of these kids wind up doing MS again in HS.  That's what happened to my Walls student, who always earned As in BASIS math (essentially by memorizing answers).[/b]  The lack of flexibility just isn't working v. well in elite college admissions.[/quote]

This is really interesting.  My kid is at top 3 DC private with two Basis kids who were accelerated in math (putting them on track for pre-calc in 9th) and yet aren't doing well in math at the private (struggling to get low Bs).  Basis math seems to be a mile wide and an inch deep.  Kids who are truly gifted in math and are doing math in their free time will compensate for this but others just have a crappy foundation and either struggle or take classes again (the Walls kid above and others we know).  
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This is really interesting.  My kid is at BASIS in advanced math and did a summer program with numerous kids from top DC area privates.  Those kids were strugging and didn't seem to know basis concepts.  Private school math in the DMV area seems to be cr*p.  [/quote]

If Basis math instruction is so fabulous why can't any Basis kids do PSAT math?  it's BASIC algebra and geometry concepts.

Waiting patiently for your reply. [/quote]

DP.  Why do you assume that they can't do PSAT math?  NSMF scores are 2 * the language arts score + the math score, making the selection pretty heavily tilted toward kids stronger in reading.  In DC, the selection index is very high, meaning that kids who earn perfect scores in math, but only 98th percentile in the language arts sections are not going to make the cut.  [/quote]

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