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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]Pretty much anyone can go to college. For some families, particularly at DCI, which has lots of first gen families, going to college at all is a big deal.  But clearly some families are aiming much higher.  BASIS develops the kind of work ethic and executive functioning skills that students aiming high in college admissions can rely on to be competitive. [/quote]

Or it burns kids out and makes them feel like failures and prevents them from having ongoing successful academic careers.

One close friend of the family had to send her daughter to legit therapy because the girl sobbed every night because she said she was a failure because she couldn't keep up with her all AP class schedule as a 15yo. Of course she couldn't, those are classes that are meant for college students. HS students being able to do any of them is a privilege and a real accomplishment—it should never be forced on anyone. Took months of therapy and private school tuition to get her feeling like she could go to college. Eff BASIS—seriously.[/quote]

Oh good grief.   :roll: Basis doesn't jump up that much in difficulty between 9th grade classes and 10th grade AP classes.  The kids who struggle in 10th grade APs are the ones who were also struggling in previous grades.  The parents and kid just buried their heads in the sand and hoped that the school would magically turn into a good fit.  If it took months of therapy to get over Basis, then there were like a hundred red flags flying in the previous few years.

AP classes aren't even college difficulty level anymore.  They're regular classes for bright kids, and tons of kids across the country take a lot of APs with no issue.  With the exception of math advancement, Basis courses are no harder and workloads are no greater than what I had in honors classes 30 years ago.  Grades are no harsher than what I saw in those classes 30 years ago.  The only difference is that most high schools these days have watered down the rigor and puffed up the grades enormously in the last 30 years, while Basis is similar to what we all had when completing high school.  It's not some grand experiment or education for the few.  It's more or less comparable to a solid, old-school education with minimal technology, note taking by hand, exams, and expectations.[/quote]

New poster here. There is something more intense about the culture than the workload. It is the high stakes all or nothing end of year testing at the end of the school year for pre-teens that stokes the fear or failure culture. [/quote]

The end of year tests are very generously curved, and the baseline for passing is pretty low.  They also spend a lot of time at the end of the year reviewing for the tests.  Almost everyone's grade increases after the comp exams.  The kids who fail usually were struggling all year.

I can see why it would be too intense for kids with anxiety or other issues, but for most kids, it really shouldn't be a big deal.  It's honestly not dissimilar to final exams and other high stakes testing that we all had 30 years ago.  The main difference is that kids these days are much more fragile.  [/quote]

Given the attrition it clearly is problematic for most kids. [/quote]

The attrition isn't due to comps, it is the rigor and workload throughout the year. Very few kids fail comps and the vast majority of those that do were struggling throughout the year.[/quote]

So... bad curriculum, but kinda nice comp tests? Okay, still seems like a place my kid shouldn't go. [/quote]
The curriculum is fine for bright, motivated kids.  It’s far superior than regular publics, which ignore advanced kids and teach to the bottom.  If your kid is not bright and motivated, the curriculum is a bad fit.  Fortunately, almost every DC public would be a good fit.  [/quote]

Sounds like a great idea for a private school. [/quote]
Why should people have to pay for private school just to get an appropriate education for their bright kids?  There would be little demand for a school like Basis if regular schools had some degree of tracking and gifted programming.  Why, in your worldview, is "remedial instruction for all" a good thing, but "advanced instruction for those who want and need it" a bad thing?  [/quote]

It’s the job of the public school system to provide the best education for the most students. If charter schools that can prove they do a good job for ALL students and are open to everyone can be meshed into the system they should, but [b]it’s not the taxpayers job to pay extra for your precious little Poooky to get a fringe education[/b]. You want a fringe education, go private. The BASIS money would be much better used improving dcps as a whole or spending on a charter that works for everyone, like Walls.

And before you say “dcps would just waste the money!” I would say you’re not wrong, but then the answer is reforming it, not sending your little creep to a special school because you think he’s a high achiever. [/quote]

But it's the taxpayers job to pay extra for the "special ed" kids and "special needs" kids etc etc etc. Sorry, but my kid is equal to those kids.[/quote]

There’s an obligation to take care of the weakest, you monster. You’re not special - public schools across America are tasked with providing a good basic education for everyone, not catering to the whims of a few. Want to tailor your kids education with weird fringe stuff, pay for it yourself. [/quote]

So are you against all gifted programs, AP classes, advanced math tracks, and selective public universities? Come on. Your anti-charter obsession is tipping over to derangement. [/quote]

I’m all for ap classes, and the good news is DCPS and all the other glial public systems offer them! but I’m not for mandatory high-pressure ones where 14yos who can’t handle a full college load are berated and pushed out. If you want all AP curriculum, a cohort strictly limited to kids who test well under pressure, no electives, no extra curricular, no sports, no art, no music and silent lunches… send your kid to private school. Save the money we’re sending to those creeps in Arizona for adding more APs at DCPS.[/quote]

I'm almost certain we are all arguing with one person-- the "secondhand" experience person who uses language like "eff BASIS", and who has never set foot in the building. I think her teeth are locked into this fight and we need to back away slowly.

Bottom line to me is that BASIS  is great for some kids and horrible for some kids. IMO we are all getting better at sending the right kids there. My son is entering and said almost everyone in his orientation self-identified as a Ravenclaw. They just graduated their biggest class ever (not huge, 62, but still). So, thanks to this forum for the info. [/quote]

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