Reply to “Basis DC: Want the Peer Group, But Not the Boot Camp?”

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I agree that their acceleration is sort of crazy. They also invite 5th graders to take pre-algebra over the summer and then get on a hyper-accelerated path that has them taking algebra/geo/algebra 2 in 6th and 7th,  pre-calc in 8th, AB calc in 9th and BC Calc in 10th. and then things like multivariable calc and statistics in 11th and 12th.

I'm fighting against every instinct in my body that is in favor of taking every opportunity to say no to this. This is not necessary, right?

Can any experienced BASIS parents tell me if this is worth doing?[/quote]

Not a BASIS parent, but I have an undergraduate degree in mathematics, a graduate degree in operations research, and have worked for many years in operations research. The answer is no.

The BASIS sequencing is bizarre to me. Three years of Algebra and Geometry education packed into two years. And then one year of Calculus stretched out over two years. In my opinion it's better to go slower at first to really establish foundational concepts and then speed up as students are able. This does the opposite.

I also see limited value in starting so early. I took multivariate calculus my first semester of college and had no trouble meeting all the course requirements for my mathematics degree and another degree I earned concurrently.

Maybe the argument is more about having a competitive application for college admissions? Can't speak to that one.[/quote]

Former BASIS parent. Competitive academic applications for college admissions are indeed the BASIS fixation from the get go. But from what I can tell, they're not pivoting to adapt to current trends in admissions with much thought or determination, explaining why we left for HS. Their ill-conceived experiment teaching middle school linguistics is a good example of this.

BASIS' 2-year calc sequence and heavy STEM AP exam-load-for-all only works so well. At my NYC magnet HS, then and now, top math students took BCC calc without having taken AB calc.  The strangest part is how poorly BASIS uses senior year, letting burned out students mostly goof around in pursuit of vague and poorly supervised and resourced internships and independent studies/projects. If they spread out serious academics out over four years of HS, their students would generally wind up with more impressive ECs for college admissions.

OP, BASIS doesn't run a boot camp for the right peer group as much as highly controlled sprint to a bright red line in the sand, a conventional college admissions finish line. The inconvenient truth is that the line's relevance is fading as the years go by.

If you can do better by your children, do that.[/quote]

This.  There is no benefit in accelerating so much and what you lose is the depth and developing good math foundations.  Superficial acceleration does not equate to strong foundational understanding.

What you then find is that the kids that leave and go the private route are not strong and struggle.  They do not test into the highest math group.  The top privates don’t accelerate as much. They go slower but with much more depth.

Also kids taking a bunch of AP courses are a dime a dozen across the country.  You don’t stand out anymore and the ROI for trying to squeeze so much AP into a condensed 3 instead of 4 years is not worth it.  PP is right, senior year is just a waste. [/quote]

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