Anonymous wrote:PP--who are you? A parent? A Basis administrator?

ALL schools have the intention of providing the best curriculum and producing high achieving students. BASIS doesn't corner the market on that. Saying that a curriculum is "great" actually is an opinion. I hope the folks at BASIS are teaching the difference between fact and opinion correctly.

Six weeks of school is not even close to being enough time to show that they're "pulling it off."

All anyone can do is wait. That doesn't make me a BASIS hater or supporter. Just a realist.

I'm a parent who made the switch to BASIS in large part because of the curriculum.

BASIS tracks the college matriculation and graduation rates of its alums as a measure of its success. The vast majority of schools, well intentioned or not, do not track college graduation rates. Thus, they can't really tell how well they are preparing their students for college.

Having attended a top private school myself, having had child in another DC area charter, and having taken a close look the BASIS curriculum as well as observed the first few weeks of it's implementation, I stand by my claim that it is a great curriculum.

Clearly, this is my opinion, and you are free to disagree with met. However, you should take the time review it yourself before calling my opinion of its quality into question:

https://www.basisdc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=86&Itemid=97

Please feel free to post any specific criticism you have. Feel free, also, to post a link to the curriculum of a DC-area school that you believe to have a better curriculum.

PP--who are you? A parent? A Basis administrator?

ALL schools have the intention of providing the best curriculum and producing high achieving students. BASIS doesn't corner the market on that. Saying that a curriculum is "great" actually is an opinion. I hope the folks at BASIS are teaching the difference between fact and opinion correctly.

Six weeks of school is not even close to being enough time to show that they're "pulling it off."

All anyone can do is wait. That doesn't make me a BASIS hater or supporter. Just a realist.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very hard to know what to believe on this thread, since, reading between the lines, most of the upper-middle-class parents involved are rather desperate for a halfway decent middle school. They can't afford privates all the way up, or can't afford them easily, struck out in the spring Latin lottery and, for the most part, aren't IB for Deal. So they're almost certainly going to put a positive spin on whatever's happening at Basis. They'd rather not leave their row houses for greener educational pastures, but less appealing lifestyles, in the burbs, so who knows what the real deal is.

This holds for all schools. It's really hard to get a straight answer from anyone. We are in-boundary for a particular school often discussed on DC Urban Moms, and despite some recent changes at the school, parents of current students praised it at every chance. We kept encountering boosters wherever we turned. Lo and behold, as the school year went on, a surprising number of people (including some of the biggest boosters!) pulled their kids out when spots became available at other schools, and at least two pulled their kids out early in the year and sent them to private or parochial schools. Even more didn't have their kids return the following year, again staging an exodus for charters, other DCPS, and a few private schools.

Made me realize that it's hard to take anyone's opinions seriously. I don't think much of this is nefarious intent. Parents are just very invested in the choices they've made for their children, and they will defend those choices vigorously...until a better opportunity presents itself.

BASIS, however, has a great curriculum. It's not merely a matter of opinion. It is posted on the web for all to see. The issue seems to be whether, without selective admissions, it can adhere to that curriculum. So far, it seems to be pulling it off, but only time will tell.

I've made this point before, but I'll make it again. BASIS is focused on graduating a class of seniors who are prepared to graduate from a 4-year college, if not grad school. It will not water down its curriculum to increase the number of graduates at the cost of graduating student who are ill-prepared for college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very hard to know what to believe on this thread, since, reading between the lines, most of the upper-middle-class parents involved are rather desperate for a halfway decent middle school. They can't afford privates all the way up, or can't afford them easily, struck out in the spring Latin lottery and, for the most part, aren't IB for Deal. So they're almost certainly going to put a positive spin on whatever's happening at Basis. They'd rather not leave their row houses for greener educational pastures, but less appealing lifestyles, in the burbs, so who knows what the real deal is.

This holds for all schools. It's really hard to get a straight answer from anyone. We are in-boundary for a particular school often discussed on DC Urban Moms, and despite some recent changes at the school, parents of current students praised it at every chance. We kept encountering boosters wherever we turned. Lo and behold, as the school year went on, a surprising number of people (including some of the biggest boosters!) pulled their kids out when spots became available at other schools, and at least two pulled their kids out early in the year and sent them to private or parochial schools. Even more didn't have their kids return the following year, again staging an exodus for charters, other DCPS, and a few private schools.

Made me realize that it's hard to take anyone's opinions seriously. I don't think much of this is nefarious intent. Parents are just very invested in the choices they've made for their children, and they will defend those choices vigorously...until a better opportunity presents itself.

+1...spot on. BTW, we've moved through a couple of schools and the truth is I really liked all of the schools my DC(s) attended (save for one). To this day, I would recommend and defend each of these schools (even though we left), because they each had qualities that were very appealing and I was a member of the family. I would NEVER publicly highlight the negatives of any school my DC attended (current or past) especially not on a forum like DCUM. That's worse than airing your dirty laundry...that's like shooting yourself in the foot (particularly with new charters). I would however share a balanced assessment if prompted, and if I felt it would be helpful to a prospective family.

Anonymous wrote:Very hard to know what to believe on this thread, since, reading between the lines, most of the upper-middle-class parents involved are rather desperate for a halfway decent middle school. They can't afford privates all the way up, or can't afford them easily, struck out in the spring Latin lottery and, for the most part, aren't IB for Deal. So they're almost certainly going to put a positive spin on whatever's happening at Basis. They'd rather not leave their row houses for greener educational pastures, but less appealing lifestyles, in the burbs, so who knows what the real deal is.

This holds for all schools. It's really hard to get a straight answer from anyone. We are in-boundary for a particular school often discussed on DC Urban Moms, and despite some recent changes at the school, parents of current students praised it at every chance. We kept encountering boosters wherever we turned. Lo and behold, as the school year went on, a surprising number of people (including some of the biggest boosters!) pulled their kids out when spots became available at other schools, and at least two pulled their kids out early in the year and sent them to private or parochial schools. Even more didn't have their kids return the following year, again staging an exodus for charters, other DCPS, and a few private schools.

Made me realize that it's hard to take anyone's opinions seriously. I don't think much of this is nefarious intent. Parents are just very invested in the choices they've made for their children, and they will defend those choices vigorously...until a better opportunity presents itself.

Anonymous wrote:I know several families who chose Basis over Latin (mostly for the location). I would also like families to comment who have had a child at both schools. It seems like anecdotally from our friends, that kids in aftercare at Basis get their homework done, versus kids at Latin who bring it home and it kind of takes over family life. I guess we will apply to both for my kid.

I have an older child at Latin and a 5th grader, who is very math/science focused. My older child is very happy, thriving, learning and exceling with the curriculum at Latin and I wouldn't have moved her from Latin for a new untested (in DC) school where she would have been in one of the top two leading classes. I was attracted to Basis for my second child based on Basis's promise of a science/math focus. However, the other kids I knew who were going to Basis from his school were the most disruptive kids in the class. So, in the end I decided to go with what we knew and were familiar with. I haven't regretted the choice.

When my child at Latin has opted for study hall in school or after, most of the homework has been done by time she gets home. Mostly she prefers doing it at home.

Anonymous wrote:+1. Yup, that sums it up. Who knows what the story is.

+2. The more I read these threads, the more it's sinking in that we will be moving to Fairfax county by 5th grade at the latest and renting out our walk to everywhere including work rowhouse. Yeah, we are currently at a well regarded charter...

I know several families who chose Basis over Latin (mostly for the location). I would also like families to comment who have had a child at both schools. It seems like anecdotally from our friends, that kids in aftercare at Basis get their homework done, versus kids at Latin who bring it home and it kind of takes over family life. I guess we will apply to both for my kid.

+1. Yup, that sums it up. Who knows what the story is.

Very hard to know what to believe on this thread, since, reading between the lines, most of the upper-middle-class parents involved are rather desperate for a halfway decent middle school. They can't afford privates all the way up, or can't afford them easily, struck out in the spring Latin lottery and, for the most part, aren't IB for Deal. So they're almost certainly going to put a positive spin on whatever's happening at Basis. They'd rather not leave their row houses for greener educational pastures, but less appealing lifestyles, in the burbs, so who knows what the real deal is. With 7 years to go before the first crop of 5th graders applies to college, it will be a long time before we know how many high-SES families stick out HS, and if most of the kids are in fact heading to elite schools. I remain skeptical - open lottery admissions probably means much potential for white flight as the years go by, as per usual.

Who knows what passing comps (PhD program language!) means. Basis can pass and fail whoever it likes on whatever terms, though surely the exams themselves, and answers given, will be carefully filed in the event that law suits eventuate (probable). My guess is that very few kids will actually fail to head off controversy/political headaches.

Thanks. That info should light a fire under DC of mine!

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know, regarding failing 'comps' at Basis, how many does one have to fail to be not promoted?

From looking at their handbook, you have to pass all of them to be promoted. Option would be to take summer school and retake the failed comp at the end of the summer.

It's few. How would I know? DC has a strong network of friends in 5th, 6th and 7th from prior school and outside activities, going back to before we even came to BASIS, and likewise, we know parents from quite a few sections. Most of the classes are quite well-behaved, but there is also one or two that I am aware of that have their handful of disruptors. All in all, it's been a good experience, with far fewer problems than the other schools that the kids are coming from.