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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]How much intellectual curiosity springs from kids marching in step through MS and most of HS in any program?  Where's the respect for the individual in learning styles in the BASIS MS?  What's presumptuous is notion that the surest path to Yale is the homogenized path.

When I asked at BASIS admins if the program would support my kid's language learning--s/he speaks a very difficult major world language--perhaps through DL, I was told, absolutely not.  The only language the the child could, and must, study before 7th grade is Latin.  Come 7th grade, the choice would be to study the language the child speaks at either the beginning level, or begin studying a different language and stick with it for the next six years.  When I pointed out that this rigid approach would make it next to impossible for the child to reach our goal of achieving native level fluency/literacy in the language the kid already speaks as a teen, I was told "no exceptions."   When I asked if the child could test out of 5th and perhaps 6th grade ELA based on his JH CTY summer camp work, I was told, no.  By contrast, in Arlington, I was told that the child could study any major world language at the appropriate level, perhaps via DL/special software through UVA, without having to study a different language.  I was also told that the child could freely test into ELA classes as much as two years ahead of grade.

Even the highest-performing DC public schools have a great way of pushing quirky advanced humanities students around.  Not a cheap dig and not unfounded.  New HOS, no difference.  [/quote]

I kind of admire Basis for sticking to their guns.  You wanted special treatment - the answer was no, and you went elsewhere.  Problem solved!  [b]From my perspective as the parent of a rising 6th grader, [/b]Basis offers plenty of challenge and lots of great and enthusiastic teachers.  The cohort - which I think is one of the most important factors in a kid's eduction - is quite diverse with a lot of very smart and hard working kids.[/quote]

NP. I hear you, PP who left BASIS. We ran for an independent high school. Kid found the learning atmosphere stifling in 7th and 8th grades. Our conclusion that BASIS was really only interested in turning out math and science stars. The perspective of a parent whose child hasn't been in the building even one full school year under an interim HOS is only so valuable.

We like the cohort at our current school better. Plenty of smart, hard-working kids, including those on fi aid, but no shortage of free thinkers with unusual interests and backgrounds.[/quote]

So you decided to pay for what you wanted. That's fine. But it's apples and oranges. Or rather, apples and $40,000 oranges.[/quote]

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