I don't think it was necessarily for incoming students to be "advanced", but there is definitely an expectation of rigor, an expectation that the curriculum will be accelerated and will push hard on subjects like math and science, that there will not be social promotion, and accordingly that kids and parents will need to be committed, motivated and hard-working. It's not a school for slackers. If it was anyone's notion that they could just coast through BASIS as with a DCPS school, that was their own mistake.

Anonymous wrote:Our DS is having a good experience at BASIS, and it seems to be getting even better. Last night we hosted one of her classmates for dinner and we all laughed as they told stories about silliness at school. After dinner they worked on their homework together, and we heard giggling coming from the room, but an hour later they had finished their assignments (we checked) and they spent the rest of the evening doing whatever tweens do. It just seems like such a normal and healthy place. The math is challenging but achievable, the art class is fun and academic oriented, in English they are studying the basics (grammar rules and punctuation) reading cool books like "The Cay" and discussing big ideas like racism. I don't know much about people leaving the school, but the kids in my daughter's circle seem to be hitting their stride.

Anonymous wrote:What group is she in? I child seems to be doing well as well but does seem to be distracted sometimes by the silliness.

My daughter and her friend are in different groups - 5P and 5K.

Anonymous wrote:Our DS is having a good experience at BASIS, and it seems to be getting even better. Last night we hosted one of her classmates for dinner and we all laughed as they told stories about silliness at school. After dinner they worked on their homework together, and we heard giggling coming from the room, but an hour later they had finished their assignments (we checked) and they spent the rest of the evening doing whatever tweens do. It just seems like such a normal and healthy place. The math is challenging but achievable, the art class is fun and academic oriented, in English they are studying the basics (grammar rules and punctuation) reading cool books like "The Cay" and discussing big ideas like racism. I don't know much about people leaving the school, but the kids in my daughter's circle seem to be hitting their stride.

What group is she in? I child seems to be doing well as well but does seem to be distracted sometimes by the silliness.

Our DS is having a good experience at BASIS, and it seems to be getting even better. Last night we hosted one of her classmates for dinner and we all laughed as they told stories about silliness at school. After dinner they worked on their homework together, and we heard giggling coming from the room, but an hour later they had finished their assignments (we checked) and they spent the rest of the evening doing whatever tweens do. It just seems like such a normal and healthy place. The math is challenging but achievable, the art class is fun and academic oriented, in English they are studying the basics (grammar rules and punctuation) reading cool books like "The Cay" and discussing big ideas like racism. I don't know much about people leaving the school, but the kids in my daughter's circle seem to be hitting their stride.

Anonymous wrote:I hate to say "I told you so" but....

Told us what? That it would work as planned? That kids that have not been been given the opportunity to learn at a respectable level wouldn't just wake up one day and be able to change everything?

I hate to say "I told you so" but....

Wasn't this the entire point of BASIS? My understanding is that it is supposed to be a school for advanced students. There is no way to ensure that only advanced students enroll, so others will likely enroll, but unless they are advanced, they probably won't fit, so they will leave. Thus, the first year will always have a bunch that drop out.

I don't think Basis has reached the thousand mark yet in children enrollment.

It's the job of every public and public charter school to educate the students they've got, PP. But I agree that it's hardly fair to say they are failing. They've only been open for a few months. The school, families, and students are just sorting themselves out. That's to be expected since, taking a leap of faith, nobody could truly know what it would be like until things got rolling. I am not a basis parent and won't be one in the future. But let's cut them a little slack here.

Anonymous wrote:Basis is failing their students! Time to call 7 on your side

To say that BASIS is failing its students is hardly fair, OP.

I am a BASIS parent, and not on the faculty, so I have only limited insight into what's going on.

My impression, though, is that kids who came in at or above grade level in reading and math are doing well at BASIS, and those who came in a bit below grade level are surviving, perhaps barely, with pull-out remediation.

However, those kids who came in years below grade level in reading or math are failing their classes. It's possible that the parents of those kids are pulling them out in droves now that the second grading period is over. I just don't know.

In all fairness to BASIS, how are they supposed to educate a middle schooler who reads at a second or third grade level? How about one who can barely multiply numbers?

DCPS failed these students years ago, but hid it through a process of social promotion. Again, to attribute the failure to BASIS is hardly fair.

I agree. Basis leaders and parents won't care at all that students are leaving and people are trying to embarrass the school with the fact. Don't waste your time trying to make a scandal out of it. Basis totally expected, and planned for drop outs. It is about families looking for the right fit for their kids. I have no problem with that. And it is instructive to think about all the families who pull their kids from dcps schools and how that doesn't create a micro scandal for the individual schools when it probably should.

No one EVER said that Basis was right for every student. Neither is Roots pcs, or Howard Math and Science or Latin or Cesar Chavez.

You are trying to suggest there's a problem because maybe a couple of parents decided to pull their kids out of BASIS, for whatever reason.

What about the THOUSANDS of parents who've pulled their students out of DCPS schools to send them TO BASIS and other charters? What does that mean? By your own logic, apparently it should mean there's a MASSIVE problem at DCPS, thousands of times bigger than the one you are trying to suggest exists at BASIS.

OP sure has a hard on for Basis. What's your agenda?

This was quick!

Basis is failing their students! Time to call 7 on your side