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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It's just so weird what people say about BASIS. Like if anyone's below grade level in the whole school (after 5th anyway), then there isn't and can't possibly be "rigor" for anyone? What a weird thing to think and say.[/quote]

No school can be everything for everyone.  If a kid at Basis is below grade level, one of three things can happen:
A.  The kid will continue struggling and failing classes.  The kid will likely have to attend student hours every day, and they still won't be able to hack it.  After the kid figures out that they're not going to be able to pass, then the kid starts disrupting everyone else.  Eventually, the kid fails out of the program.  In math, especially, the kid was stuck getting pushed ahead into classes that they didn't understand, and failed to gain proper foundations.  This is usually what happens when kids who are close to failing do the summer packets/retests and manage to move to the next grade.  It would be an even bigger disaster if they socially promoted the kids who can't even manage to pass after all of that.

B.  The kid gets extensive tutoring and attends student hours every day, and somehow turns things around.  This is very rare.

C.  Basis has to water down the program to accommodate the kids who can't handle the rigor.

A is cruel.  B is exceedingly rare.  C would ruin Basis for all of the kids who need the rigor.  [/quote]

I'm unclear why accommodations for a few kids would "ruin it" for everyone. Can BASIS teachers not handle it? [b]BASIS offers a great many different classes at different levels[/b] so what's one or two more?[/quote]

The bolded is incorrect.  From 5th-8th grade, there is only one instructional level for the entire grade, with the exception of a very few kids who are bumped up for math.  Lower level classes are not offered.  In the high school level, there are very limited opportunities for different levels.  All Basis 7th graders take the same level of English, History, and science classes.  Almost all of them are taking Algebra I, with a few kids taking Algebra II or pre-calc.  In 9th grade, all kids are taking 2nd year of their foreign language, AP Government, Honors English, some honors science.  All kids must at least be in pre-calc.  I don't know why you had the idea that Basis offered different classes at different levels, and thus could accommodate remedial classes.  They do not do so.  [/quote]

I meant in high school they have different classes.

It's odd to me to offer so little differentiation and still claim "rigor".  How is it rigorous for the kids who are already above grade level?

Also, the idea that having any students below grade level ruin "rigor" for everyone else is odd. I think any student can be held to high expectations of working hard and progressing, even if they begin below grade level. And I don't see why in-room differentiation is so hard for BASIS teachers that they can't do it at all. Lots of schools manage to do it.[/quote]

They really don't have different levels in high school.  All classes are at Honors/AP levels.  Kids have some latitude on how many APs to take, but they can't take any regular level classes.

It isn't perfectly rigorous for the gifted kids, but it's better than they're going to get elsewhere in public schools.  Some kids can push ahead in math a year or two at Basis.  It's great that they don't attempt much in room differentiation.  In room differentiation doesn't work well anywhere, and the schools who claim to do it really just ignore the bright kids and focus on the slow ones.  The teachers are also expected to teach like 4 different classes wrapped into one, and that doesn't work well for anyone.  People like you always seem to want to screw over the bright motivated kids.

I honestly don't care whether Basis is impressive relative to its demographics.  I care about whether it's a good fit for my kids.  Honestly speaking, my kids would pass the standardized tests at any public school.  At most of them, they'd be bored out of their minds and not really learning much of anything.  At Basis, they're at least somewhat challenged and happy.  There's a long list of people who want to attend Basis.  There are many people who are happy there.  The kids are learning at high levels.  People who aren't a good fit for Basis have numerous other free options.  I'm not seeing the problem here.

[/quote]

On the contrary, my kids are bright and motivated, which is why BASIS' lack of differentiation is so unappealing.  And the meh performance relative to demographics indicates to me that the teaching is nothing special.

I don't want to screw over any kids, which is why I think it's cruel to put students to the choice of an embarrassing and developmentally inappropriate retention policy or else going to a probably much worse school. Sorry you don't care about that, but I do. I don't believe for a second that nobody else could have "rigor" if some kids were below grade level, and it speaks very poorly of BASIS that the aren't up to the challenge of managing this.[/quote]

The lack of differentiation is honors for all.  You're not going to find any other public schools that differentiate upward beyond an honors track.  The instructional level is sufficiently high that most bright, hardworking kids will be fine.  FWIW, my kids have experienced both FCPS AAP and Basis.  The Basis instructional level was much higher, and my kids were better served at Basis.  What do you want for expect for your bright and motivated kids that Basis isn't providing, but other public schools supposedly are?  Be specific.[/quote]

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