Anonymous wrote:Do kids who are doing well at Basis (Basis Distinguished Scholar honors each grading period) typically do well on the comps? I would think so, but . . .. ?

Of course.

Some kids don’t even need to study.

Deed

Anonymous wrote:I have loved Basis so far, but as a parent I'm annoyed at the multitudes of emails that I'm getting from the teachers about pre-comps. They have seemingly made it my job to prepare my kid, which I will do of course -- but what I have liked about Basis up to now is that they teach student-based responsibility. One teacher is literally sending an email per day until pre-comps! It's taking the student out of the picture and putting it all on the parent.

I just forward those daily emails my child, which I think is the intent.

Anonymous wrote:Do the tests last a single class period per subject, or are they longer than that?

At least in the past, the tests were usually 2 class periods, but shorter for some (foreign language I think). My kid is in high school so comps are no longer an issue for us. They will send out the comps schedule the week before, which usually involves proctors (not your teacher) and a different schedule.

I appreciate that they take the time to send messages and keep parents in the loop. Parents who don't want the information can easily ignore it, and those who find it helpful have it right at hand. Sometimes a kid will ask a question about something and it's easy to find the answer waiting in a message from a teacher. It's really kind of them.

Anonymous wrote:I have loved Basis so far, but as a parent I'm annoyed at the multitudes of emails that I'm getting from the teachers about pre-comps. They have seemingly made it my job to prepare my kid, which I will do of course -- but what I have liked about Basis up to now is that they teach student-based responsibility. One teacher is literally sending an email per day until pre-comps! It's taking the student out of the picture and putting it all on the parent.

As a BASIS parent, I generally immediately delete anything from the classroom teachers. Other parents care.

Do the tests last a single class period per subject, or are they longer than that?

Anonymous wrote:I have loved Basis so far, but as a parent I'm annoyed at the multitudes of emails that I'm getting from the teachers about pre-comps. They have seemingly made it my job to prepare my kid, which I will do of course -- but what I have liked about Basis up to now is that they teach student-based responsibility. One teacher is literally sending an email per day until pre-comps! It's taking the student out of the picture and putting it all on the parent.

I think the teachers can't win on this one.

Some parents want the updates, some kids need parents to be on them about studying, and others do not. The feedback each year is divided. And, every year there are kids who are cruising along with As for a grading period, but who get a C on a pre-comp or comp. Parents start contacting teachers and admins saying they didn't know about the exams, or they didn't understand how much they counted, or they should have had more information to help their kid prepare, or that they just don't believe the score because it was inconsistent.

Anonymous wrote:Do kids who are doing well at Basis (Basis Distinguished Scholar honors each grading period) typically do well on the comps? I would think so, but . . .. ?

PRobably. You will soon know. A C+ on a pre-comp or comp can significantly pull the GPA down. BUT it is middle school and not the end of the world if they get less than an A.

My younger kid well in 6th and 7th, although his comp scores were always about a grade lower than the class grade. In 8th he got behind due to illness after winter break, and basically never caught up - and failed 2. It was a pretty awful experience. That experience isn't the norm, but it can happen.

I have loved Basis so far, but as a parent I'm annoyed at the multitudes of emails that I'm getting from the teachers about pre-comps. They have seemingly made it my job to prepare my kid, which I will do of course -- but what I have liked about Basis up to now is that they teach student-based responsibility. One teacher is literally sending an email per day until pre-comps! It's taking the student out of the picture and putting it all on the parent.

Do kids who are doing well at Basis (Basis Distinguished Scholar honors each grading period) typically do well on the comps? I would think so, but . . .. ?

Anonymous wrote:Are they consistent with other testing throughout the year? (I know they count for more/cover more ground, but are they more difficult in other ways?)

There should not be any new material presented, but obviously there will be fewer questions on each thing. They are twice as long as other tests - which is challenging for some students. The atmosphere around them is also different because they do count, and the end of year version is a key factor in determining whether a teacher will receive a bonus. For other tests or quizzes students can sometimes earn some points back by doing corrections or even retakes -- not possible for precomps or comps.

Half of the pre-comp/comp is written by your child's teacher (called the native portion) and the other half is written by the BASIS network curriculum person over the subject (called the common portion). The classroom teacher will nto see the common portion before the test day. Occasionally something will be on the common portion that hasn't been presented to your child, and in that case the teacher can and does get that question taken out when it is time to grade.

The idea of these tests is to prepare students for high stakes AP tests covering large amounts of material when they hit 9th grade. But it can be a lot to put on middle school students, and some kids don't handle the stress very well, including otherwise good students.

Are they consistent with other testing throughout the year? (I know they count for more/cover more ground, but are they more difficult in other ways?)

They are a big deal less because they affect their grades a lot, but because they preview the end of year comps. Failing an end of year comp (59 or below) can mean a summer retake or potentially not being promoted to 7th. It is also worth a HUGE percentage of the final year grade.

Use any study guide to review. Focus on material that was given for each unit test if there was a unit or concept they struggled with - they need to go to student hours with that teacher. English one will have lots of grammar.

If your kid has done well all along - they should be fine with review. Keep things light at home, help them review if they will let you. My kids worked most on their hard classes - not the ones they found easier.

They are stressful, but it will be better if they get through these first ones successfully.

My child is currently in 6th & about to do pre-comps for the first time.
Any parents who have gone though this before have any helpful tips?
There seems to be a lot to do to review -- are they really that big of a deal?
Thanks