You need to tell the kid all the possible options if they don’t pass. Study and retake, close enough and go to next grade, change schools, etc. This should help with anxiety that if too high will decrease their confidence/ success.

Try to understand how your child truly feels about all of this - tests, other options, where he is now - before making assumptions (about self-esteem etc.). I'm no better at this but have learned over the years that all too often we (adults) project our own understanding and fear of a situation. Kids that age really have nothing to go by to make decisions, so you sort of have to make those for them. But they can express values and priorities, and how the see the world. Try to understand your child's values, what's important to him. Listen to that in a way that doesn't have him repeat what you expect to hear back at you. Or have someone else do the asking, an advisor, school counselor etc. Then go from there, making clear there are worthwhile options regardless. And really there are.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our DC failed one of the comps last year, and they were not alone. I assume it was an unusual year because of Zoom learning. DC’s a strong student overall (As and Bs) but has ADHD and just flat-out didn’t process some of the year’s content.

We had the summer to work through a packet of materials and then retake the test. Technically DC might have been kept back if they failed again, but the administrator said he’d never seen a kid with strong overall grades fail a second time. Obviously it was not how DC expected to spend the summer, but it turned out to be a surprisingly positive experience because it supplied all the missing fundamentals and left DC feeling a lot more confident about the subject.

So great to hear!

This is positive news. My child is doing fine and hasn't failed a comp yet, but I have tutored in weaker subjects over holidays, breaks, and summer. SOme kids just need more time or a second chance at learning.

Anonymous wrote:Our DC failed one of the comps last year, and they were not alone. I assume it was an unusual year because of Zoom learning. DC’s a strong student overall (As and Bs) but has ADHD and just flat-out didn’t process some of the year’s content.

We had the summer to work through a packet of materials and then retake the test. Technically DC might have been kept back if they failed again, but the administrator said he’d never seen a kid with strong overall grades fail a second time. Obviously it was not how DC expected to spend the summer, but it turned out to be a surprisingly positive experience because it supplied all the missing fundamentals and left DC feeling a lot more confident about the subject.

So great to hear!

Our DC failed one of the comps last year, and they were not alone. I assume it was an unusual year because of Zoom learning. DC’s a strong student overall (As and Bs) but has ADHD and just flat-out didn’t process some of the year’s content.

We had the summer to work through a packet of materials and then retake the test. Technically DC might have been kept back if they failed again, but the administrator said he’d never seen a kid with strong overall grades fail a second time. Obviously it was not how DC expected to spend the summer, but it turned out to be a surprisingly positive experience because it supplied all the missing fundamentals and left DC feeling a lot more confident about the subject.

A friend’s kid was doing OK overall at BASIS but just couldn’t hack the math. Not great at math + test anxiety + downward spiral of lacking self-belief. Parent reached out to the school and I was actually shocked by the amount of support provided given what you hear on this forum. Teacher essentially provided hours of free tutoring weekly. Went so far as to give the kid a mock test — which kid passed by the skin of her teeth — and lied to kid (with parents knowing) that score was 10 points higher to try to increase confidence. Honestly could not believe how much this teacher seemed to care about one of the worst students in her class. Kid passed comp solidly but not spectacularly and toughed out BASiS for middle school. Now at Wilson and much happier, but parents attribute a lot of kid’s ability to get comfortable Bs in math to that teacher.

If he's on track to pass the classes -- which requires passing tons of quizzes and tests along the way -- but has anxiety about comps, I would reach out to the school, for sure. Even if he's just having some trouble along the way, I think there are a lot of supports in place, including teachers really eager to help students after school, and they want kids to succeed. I only know of one student who had to repeat a grade (and at least from other kids' perspective, it isn't seen as a big deal). I recognize how stressful this must be, and hope you can connect with the right teachers and administrators to reassure him and help him forward.

I would take my kid out of BASIS asap, especially because he does not want to be there for seventh grade. In the meantime, tell your son that comps are a game that teachers play to intimidate gifted, hard-working kids into obedience through the fear of failing.

Basis is the only school in DC that doesn't socially promote. You need at least 60% on each comp (combining native and common) to move to the next grade.

Your kid should reach out to the school for help if he/she thinks that he/she can't do that. The school will do all it can to assist. Your kid may need to go in for additional help or even take the subject over the summer.

It is unusual but a few kids do repeat a grade.

To be honest, if your kid is not getting at least 60% on each comp, 7th grade would be a really struggle. The curriculum builds on the coursework from 6th grade but is significantly more advanced.

Probably your best bet is to stick it out, see how your kid does, and it looks like he/she has to repeat 6th grade, then bail for your in-bounds school or move.

Good luck!

A little sports psychology type therapy? Kid sounds like a good figure skater who panics before a competition, overthinks his routine as a result, then crashes to the ice in front of a crowd.

My daughter's friend failed a comp at the end of 6th grade, retook the test, and passed. She did not do summer school.

From my daughter's perspective, the whole thing was not a huge deal for anyone concerned, though I haven't spoken with the kid or parent. In any case, this involved a kid who's overall a reasonably strong student.

The kid and family remain committed to the school (where other siblings attend).

They will work hard with your kid to help before comps, and then there are other supports over the summer.

But has your student been going to student hours and working on the areas he was weak in? That's where I would start.

I would have him finish out the school year where he is. I'd tell the kid to do his best on comps knowing that he's on his way out/has a parachute regardless.

In your shoes, under somewhat different circumstances--my straight A student wasn't happy without a more normal school experience--I left for a VA public MS for 7th grade. I didn't see an alternative in DC I could afford that looked like an improvement over BASIS for the kid. The new school ignored his previous grades but gave him various assessments during the first week--for math, for language, for instrumental music playing--then placed him in appropriate classes.

He's thriving at the new school, really enjoys band (as a class), performing arts, after-school competitive sports, math as advanced as at BASIS, great library, good group of friends.

My kid goes to Basis, and it seems that the school does everything they can to make sure the kid doesn't repeat the grade (according to stories of classmates who failed comps). Pro-Basis posters here will try to be hardass, but if you call Mr Rose & just explain, I'd bet he'll give you the skinny. Don't panic yet.

Does anyone have experience with kids who have failed one of more of their comps at Basis? Did any retake them and pass, or did they just end up repeating the grade? I searched here but didn't find anything more recent than 2016, indicating that most kids end up failing again the second time.

Our sixth grade DS has been nervous about failing the comps all year, and growing anxiety has been impacting his performance. He didn't do well on the pre-comps and came close to failing several of them, despite putting in considerable effort to study. Although our kid definitely needs to work on his study skills, he seems to know enough to pass 6th grade at most other schools (especially science, which is pretty advanced at Basis). We worry about the effect that having to repeat the grade could have on his self-esteem.

If a kid fails one or two comps at Basis but passes the classes, does anyone know whether other schools would recognize him as passing sixth grade? We are looking at other alternatives for seventh grade since Basis doesn't seem to be a good fit for our son, but now we are wondering whether it makes sense to leave sooner, in order to avoid the comps altogether.

I realize there are many people on this forum who have a grudge against Basis. Please avoid responding unless you have actual experience with the school and can answer our questions honestly. The school seems okay for some kids, just not for ours.