Anonymous wrote:I'd rather have my children in a school where two-thirds of the families don't vote with their feet between the entry year and the terminal year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd rather have my children in a school where two-thirds of the families don't vote with their feet between the entry year and the terminal year.

Attrition is not voting with your feet.

People leave Basis for different reasons. And there is no social promotion or backfill.

I would rather have my kids at a school where they are challenged and taught above grade level.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel this particular issue is discussed ad nauseam but here we go. Classes get smaller and smaller at BASIS because there is attrition and no backfilling. People leave the school in particular and DC in general for various reasons and cannot be replaced with new students. BASIS is not for everyone or becomes a bad fit as the intensity increases or is a great option for middle school but students want or need a different high school experience for various reasons (different/more extra curriculars, different learning environment that’s less test focused, etc.). It’s not a traditional school and just like any other school has its pros and cons. It seems a family has to really value the things it does very well (test prep, college admissions) to justify foregoing a more traditional high school experience.

I don't believe that most BASIS middle school parents who leave are in fact looking for a "more traditional high school experience." No, this euphemism just doesn't cover the gamut of reasons explaining the exodus.

From what I've observed, many BASIS 8th grade parents are looking for more inspired and reliably good teaching, better facilities (particularly resources for good tech), above all, a happier school with more competent and open-minded administrators.

If your student(s) aren't part of the BASIS Brahmin group, mostly comprised of kids can handle college math by 9th or 10th grades, the BASIS HS experience isn't necessarily a positive one overall. To some of us, test prep alone isn't a fine education. We'd be OK without a "traditional HS experience" if the education on offer was more interesting and, frankly, fun.

The BASIS HS experience works off a one-size-fits-all model to a lesser extent that the MS experience, but march-in-step-to-blue-chip-colleges is still the suffocating premise. Corny as it sounds, many families of the strongest middle school students leave yearning to breathe freer. By 9th grade, parents are tired of being slapped down by tin ear admins who've insinuate that they're the problem, vs. addressing the actual problem.

Anonymous wrote:I'd rather have my children in a school where two-thirds of the families don't vote with their feet between the entry year and the terminal year.

Anonymous wrote:I feel this particular issue is discussed ad nauseam but here we go. Classes get smaller and smaller at BASIS because there is attrition and no backfilling. People leave the school in particular and DC in general for various reasons and cannot be replaced with new students. BASIS is not for everyone or becomes a bad fit as the intensity increases or is a great option for middle school but students want or need a different high school experience for various reasons (different/more extra curriculars, different learning environment that’s less test focused, etc.). It’s not a traditional school and just like any other school has its pros and cons. It seems a family has to really value the things it does very well (test prep, college admissions) to justify foregoing a more traditional high school experience.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel this particular issue is discussed ad nauseam but here we go. Classes get smaller and smaller at BASIS because there is attrition and no backfilling. People leave the school in particular and DC in general for various reasons and cannot be replaced with new students. BASIS is not for everyone or becomes a bad fit as the intensity increases or is a great option for middle school but students want or need a different high school experience for various reasons (different/more extra curriculars, different learning environment that’s less test focused, etc.). It’s not a traditional school and just like any other school has its pros and cons. It seems a family has to really value the things it does very well (test prep, college admissions) to justify foregoing a more traditional high school experience.

I guess I disagree. Yes, everything you’ve written here has been discussed. But, it doesn’t answer OP’s question which is what is the high school like. What are hs classes like? We know they are small, but are lessons taught the same way? Is there more discussion between students and teachers? Is there more emphasis on good writing skills? Or is it still a lot like middle school? Still a lot of power points, guided notes and multiple choice quizzes and tests? I don’t see that discussed very often here.

It's hard to generalize, but since the BASIS focus is AP prep, the high school kids are mainly taught what AP exams test. Teachers don't tend to assign creative work, in-depth research, hands-on work, group work, term papers. Class discussions aren't exactly emphasized, because AP isn't grading test takers on participation in class discussions. BASIS language classes don't prioritize speaking and listening skills, because AP language exams don't. And on and on it goes. High school teacher quality doesn't vary as widely as middle school quality, but most teachers are still young/not terribly experienced. But the kids know who the teacher standouts are and sign up for their classes accordingly if they enjoy/can handle the subject matter. Science and math teachers tend to be stronger and longer serving than humanities and language teachers. BASIS just isn't a top private or parochial school emphasizing good writing skills. Some of the high school families supplement with writing tutors, summer pre-college programs, language immersion.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel this particular issue is discussed ad nauseam but here we go. Classes get smaller and smaller at BASIS because there is attrition and no backfilling. People leave the school in particular and DC in general for various reasons and cannot be replaced with new students. BASIS is not for everyone or becomes a bad fit as the intensity increases or is a great option for middle school but students want or need a different high school experience for various reasons (different/more extra curriculars, different learning environment that’s less test focused, etc.). It’s not a traditional school and just like any other school has its pros and cons. It seems a family has to really value the things it does very well (test prep, college admissions) to justify foregoing a more traditional high school experience.

I guess I disagree. Yes, everything you’ve written here has been discussed. But, it doesn’t answer OP’s question which is what is the high school like. What are hs classes like? We know they are small, but are lessons taught the same way? Is there more discussion between students and teachers? Is there more emphasis on good writing skills? Or is it still a lot like middle school? Still a lot of power points, guided notes and multiple choice quizzes and tests? I don’t see that discussed very often here.