Reply to New BASIS discussion

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to "New BASIS discussion"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]PP, I agree.  We aren't talking about rare ability, BASIS isn't trying to teach kids anything extraordinary like how to levitate or move things using telekinesis - this is stuff that most kids, given the right environment, should be able to master.[/quote]

I'm new to this discussion but I taught G/T middle school math in a Fairfax school for 5 years before switching to a DC private 2 years ago.  Is it true that Basis plans to teach 7th grade algebra to almost all the students?  Whose stats are you going on?

At my Fairfax school, 90% of the G/T math kids came out of county elementary G/T programs, or were very bright DCPS transplants, yet we found that only about 1/3 could handle 7th grade algebra.  Even fewer at my DC private, where two-thirds of middle school applicants are rejected, take this subject.  As you may know, 7th grade algebra puts kids on track for BC (higher level) AP calculus.

How in the heck could Basis effectively teach 7th grade algebra to almost all the kids when we, in one of the country's best and most G/T inclined school systems, where kids are routinely screened for math giftedness from 2nd grade, could not?  Not even close.  Is nobody asking these questions?  It really does sound like some of you have drunk the Koolaid.

[/quote]

Yet, PP, this is exactly what BASIS is doing at eight schools in Arizona.

First, there are three math tracks at BASIS.  The average BASIS student is on track to study Algebra I & II in seventh and eight grades, respectively, after studying Math "7/8" in fifth and Pre-Algebra in sixth.  The above-average BASIS student will study Algebra I & II in sixth and seventh.  The exceptional BASIS student will study Algebra I & II in fifth and sixth.

Second, BASIS truly emphasizes math.  Math is the only class in which the students get homework every night -- 30 problems a night, IIRC.  They are also tested in math every week.  The BASIS curriculum is built upon accelerated math.

Third, because of the comprehensive exams, BASIS students are not promoted after sixth grade unless they master math. The lack of social promotion at BASIS after sixth grade creates a huge incentive to meet the high expectations in math.

I'm not sure what the "secret sauce" in the BASIS formula is, but I suspect that it is a combination of high expectations and the lack of social promotion, with subject matter expertise thrown in.

Don't you think, PP, that more than 1/3 of your G&T kids would have mastered Algebra I in the seventh grade had they been told in no uncertain terms that they would be held back if they failed the Algebra I comprehensive exam at the end of the year?

As for your private school kids, PP.  The fact that two-thirds of the middle school applicants to your private are rejected is more suggestive of a large number of applicants for a small number of openings rather than a large number of gifted students in attendance.

What sort of credentials are required to teach middle school math to G&T students in Fairfax, PP?  Do you hold a graduate degree in math or in a math-heavy major such as economics, physics or computer science?

Which class(es) did you teach at your Fairfax G&T school?  Did you teach Algebra I or Algebra II?

Is there any possibility, PP,  that your inability to teach Algebra to seventh grade G&T students is more a reflection on your G&T middle school than on the impossibility of realizing the BASIS vision in DC?

[/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