Reply to Basis McLean new HOS

Forum Index » Private & Independent Schools

Reply to "Basis McLean new HOS"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’m so confused by BIM. Is it a good school or not?  Why is it ranked so high?  Why do students do so successfully with college acceptances?[/quote]

BIM is a school that attracts smart kids who work hard and [b]get very advanced math and science education.[/b] These smart, well educated (more so in some subjects) kids take loads of AP classes, get great standardized test scores and get into great colleges. That is those that stay; typically more than 1/2 leave after 8th grade. Kids leave because the school has little to offer beyond academics. Families that remain do so because rigorous education is their top priority and they don’t expect/care a lot about broader community, social, culture offerings, etc. in the school experience. These kids would do well and get into top schools no matter where they went to high school but they value the like-minded environment.[/quote]

Curious what curriculum do they use for math? Are there any courses comparable to TJ post AP math/science classes?

Also heard that a bunch of teachers left, is it higher than typical turnover percentages? [/quote]

1). They were using Saxon, not sure if it’s still the case. The offerings can rival TJ with smaller classes and very strong teachers. 
2). The turnover in all aspects of the school (admin, teachers, students) is extraordinarily high because it is a fit fit a very niche STEM focused student (to the exclusion of much else). Big loss last year when their top math teacher left for Nysmith.
[/quote]

Hmm, I thought Saxon was not considered an advanced curriculum from the homeschooling threads that I have read in the past.

I'm familiar with the teacher who left, as he taught at Longfellow. To me, leaving would be a red flag that something isn't right (at least with the way math is being done). I assume he had left Longfellow because he was displeased with changing standards, as otherwise there is no way he would have left after decades of working with curriculum that he created there. I can only assume he would have a similarly good reason for leaving Basis so quickly (and I imagine Nysmith as a competitor would be very glad to grab him). Does anyone know if he publicly gave any reason for leaving? I know it's unlikely he would have disclosed it if it's at odds with the Basis administration, but was curious as it would shed light on what is going on.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics