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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][b][b]AZ Basis mom here.  Just to clarify a few things:  my oldest kid entered Basis in 7th grade.  They were tested in the summer before 7th using the 6th grade math and language arts comprehensive exams.  They passed with no issues, and it was assumed that they’d be able to jump in and handle all of the other subjects.  If they had not passed, they would have entered in 6th grade.  Basis is not placing kids multiple grade levels below their proper grade.  It’s really common out here for kids to enter Basis after 5th.  [/b][/b]

Also, it’s hardly a fringe educational program.  If anything, most public school programs are fringe with their educational fad of the week and excessive screen time.  My kids’ school feels much more like a 1980s-ish traditional education, with textbooks, note taking by hand, exams, homework, minimal grade inflation, and minimal tech.  It’s the opposite of being fringe.  [/quote]

This is not allowed in DC. [/quote]

I know it's not allowed.  Basis DC would happily backfill if they were allowed to test the kids and make sure that the kids were academically ready, just like all of the AZ Basis schools.  It's not even like the test is a very high bar.  Kids entering just have to pass the exact same math and english comp tests that all of the Basis kids had to pass.  [/quote]

It's a high bar in that kids in DCPS grade level math won't have had that material before, and that Basis teaches distinct sciences starting in 5th, so I'm sure there's a lot of material DCPS kids wouldn't have covered. [/quote]

It really depends on the grade the kid is seeking to enter.  For 6th grade entry, I would expect any bright kid to be able to reach the 60% threshold for passing, especially if they know ahead of time that they will be tested and work through the material using something like Khan academy.  [b]For 7th grade entry, a lot of kids in any metro area are on the "algebra in 7th grade track."  [/b]So, any of them should be able to get a 60% on the Basis pre-algebra final from 6th grade.

Yes, it's true that kids trying to enter in 7th, like mine did, would start out behind in the sciences and might need some extra support.  Sciences weren't included in any placement tests.  The school just assumed that they might need to support kids entering at later grades, and the material cycles quite a bit.  My kid didn't not have any issues with getting decent grades in 7th grade science after missing all of the 5th and 6th grade science content.  [/quote]

The sad reality in DC is that only a small fraction of school offer Algebra in 7th/geometry by 8th. Like, a handful, out of a couple dozen public middle schools.[/quote]

Yeah.  I'd like to think that with a little bit of self-instruction, a bright and motivated incoming 7th grader on the "algebra in 8th track" would have some chance of scoring 60% or higher on the prealgebra test.  A lot of the mathematical concepts spiral before reaching algebra, so a bright DCPS kid might still have a sufficient foundation.  I would hope that the parents who really want Basis and were shut out of the 5th grade lottery would take whatever steps they needed for 6th or 7th grade admissions, providing that higher grade level admissions were allowed at all.  [/quote]

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