Reply to BASIS attrition after middle school- why?

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to "BASIS attrition after middle school- why?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This. When our kids were at BASIS, we got to know fellow test-in public magnet grads from big cities around the country who weren't bowled over by the education their children were receiving and weren't impressed with the school's leadership either. A few loved the place but most would they'd say that they tolerated BASIS because they couldn't afford both private MS and HS and didn't want to move from DC. These parents were mostly Federal civil servants, academics, non-profit workers or journalists. Their prevalence at BASIS helps explain substantial attrition after MS. We used our years in DCPS and BASIS to save [b]for a HS where the curriculum stresses critical thinking, creativity, inquiry, independent research, hands-on learning, [\b] the arts, advanced language work and other academic offerings not available at BASIS.
[/quote]

From what I’ve heard from BASIS admin, the HS experience is very different from MS, and there is a lot more of the bolded above in HS. Is that true?[/quote]

Emphatically not true. The HS experience revolves around AP test prep through and through, with the goal of all AP tests taken by spring of junior year. If AP isn't testing it, BASIS isn't teaching it, or at least isn't emphasizing it. In the HS, there is little hands-on learning, there are few class discussions or creative projects or research projects, there is no language instruction past the AP level (and little emphasis on speaking languages since AP doesn't stress speaking) and no languages not tested by AP taught (Russian, Arabic), and no instrumental music instruction or even AP music theory. But Math is taught past the AP level and dual enrollment at GW Univ is an option, if a student arranges that for themselves senior year. Dual enrollment is a big hassle from BASIS. Most years zero seniors bother with dual enrollment, which isn't unusual at Walls and J-R (with their campuses much nearer to GW).   [/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