Reply to Basis fills a gap that shouldn’t exist.

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Reply to "Basis fills a gap that shouldn’t exist."

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]But PPs who are Basis parents compare it to their regular public school growing up. It can’t be so very difficult that no kid coming in via the lottery could handle it. It’s too bad no one even gets the chance. [/quote]

Really, it's the math.  Basis 7th graders take Algebra.  Basis 9th graders take pre-calc, etc.  If a kid is trying to enter in 7th, and they were already on a track to take Algebra in 7th, they would be fine at Basis.  A lot of kids in DC are on that track and would be fine.  A lot aren't, and entering Basis would entail completely skipping pre-algebra and then likely failing Algebra because they weren't ready.  Almost all of the kids who are academic wash-outs from Basis either entered in 5th with extremely shaky math foundations, or needed a slower pace of math instruction and were not going to be ready for Algebra in 7th anywhere.

Not only is basis prohibited from using any admissions tests in the upper grades, but also they're not allowed to admit or not based on transcripts from previous schools.  So they can't even set "passing pre-algebra in a previous school" as a criterion for 7th grade entry.  Since Basis can't do anything at all to ensure that the kid would have a reasonable shot of succeeding at Basis, they don't admit in the higher grades.  Take it up with DC politicians if you disagree with the laws governing charter schools.  [/quote]

In Fairfax, 6th graders who are ready routinely take Algebra. We have no students like that here in DC?  I don't believe it. Many BASIS students aren't ready for 7th grade algebra. They memorize their way through. We thought that my eldest would be a top math student at his private school after getting As in math at BASIS for several years. He wasn't, not by a long shot.

The system needs to change. [/quote]

Good grief.  Obviously, there are plenty of students ready for Algebra in 7th or even 6th in DC.  That's not the issue.  It has been explained ad nauseam in this thread that Basis is not allowed to test for or examine transcripts for math readiness.  Every single other Basis school backfills in higher grades, but[b] they are allowed to test incoming kids for math readiness[/b].  Every single other Basis is thrilled to accept academically talented/prepared kids into higher grade levels.  The issue here isn't with DC students.  It also isn't with Basis.  It's the laws prohibiting any sort of testing for charter admissions.

No one likes to admit this, but natural math aptitude matters a lot more than any instructional system.  The kids at Basis who aren't ready for 7th grade Algebra weren't going to be ready anywhere.  Memorizing algorithms and getting decent grades in math courses without really understanding the material has been a thing everywhere for many, many years.  Basis, like many schools, has a model of the teacher lecturing based on a reputable textbook, kids doing homework, and taking exams.  Beyond that, how well the kid truly understands the material depends mostly on the kid's natural aptitude.  [/quote]

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