I get it when people caution that first year charter enrollees are guinea pigs and that all schools start painfully. I have endured a few years of pioneering, and I’m ready for more - so far we are no worse for the wear. I’m doing the risk assessment, gaming it out, keeping it real and asking for candid advice. For us, Basis came to DC at the right time.

I like PE every day until 7th grade.

I like after school clubs on the Mall and downtown.

I like rigorous art, music and drama five days a week.

I like physics/biology/chemistry in 6th grade.

I like Archives Navy Memorial Metro, the location is pretty safe. I think about my child riding the metro unsupervised. I like going to Tony Cheng's Mongolian Grill for dinner on a weeknight.

I like that homework may be 30-120 min X5 nights X180 days.

I like the bridge programs for all students beginning in March, including all summer. I like small group tutoring after school.

I think I’ll like my child’s cohort and their parents.

If I mapped classes for my child’s 5-7th grade, it would look like the Basis course sequence:

FIFTH GRADE SCHEDULE
Scheduling module
1. English 5
2. Music 5
3. Art 5
4. PE 5
5. Math 8/7
6. Physical Geography (5 class/wk)
7. Intro to Science (5 class/wk)
8. Classics
9. Latin

SIXTH GRADE SCHEDULE
Scheduling module
1. English 6
2. Fine Art (Art, Music, Drama)
3. PE
4. Pre Algebra (or Algebra 1)
5. Biology (3 class/wk)
6. Chemistry (3 class/wk)
7. Physics (3 classes)
8. US History
9. Latin

SEVENTH GRADE SCHEDULE
Scheduling module
1. English 7
2. Rhetoric
3. Electives (Chorus, Drama, Art, PE)
4. Algebra 1 (or Algebra 2)
5. Biology (3 class/wk)
6. Chemistry (3 class/wk)
7. Physics (3 class/wk)
8. World History
9. Foreign Language

Every child has nine periods a day, with A & B days, plus brief scheduling module.

Basis will modify (according to diagnostic tests) the accelerated curriculum, at least in part, for every grade in 2012 (except 5th grade). This allows for the best chance for immediate success, while maintaining the academic rigor expected in every classroom.

Student Accountability
Students take responsibility for their educational achievement (homework club, tutoring)
Students responsible for mastering grade level material (pass comprehensive exams)
Organizational/study skills daily module (comprehensive journal)

Anonymous wrote:Interesting 13:41, I'm private school parent now and I'm completely convinced that Basis will be a mess the first few years, just like every other start up school I've had my children enrolled in or observed.

It's one thing to take a change on Pre-K, it's entirely another to risk your child's education for middle/high school.

I predict the head of school will blow up in flames in less than 2 years.

Yes, she has never been a principal but she is getting prepared for it. Besides she will have lots of help.
Let's be realistic about one thing -- teachers are the most important factor in having a good school. If Basis in fact hires very good teachers and gives them freedom to conduct their lessons without too many restrictions and loads of paperwork, Basis will indeed be successful. Children act out because they are bored or the work is way too difficult for them. From what I am seeing, scaffolding is non existent in middle schools, and teachers just pass out the same papers and the same work to everyone as if one size fits all.
A good teacher will make sure he/she meets students at their own level and help them improve at their own pace. That's the challenge of being a great teacher and let's hope Basis can deliver it.

If you think your child could get into TJ, then you should do it. There is no comparison. Go visit.