Anonymous wrote:What's also messed up is that BASIS DC picked a subpar building years ago and isn't a well-managed program today. It's still all too common for good teachers to quit after a year or two, and for the younger middle school students, particularly boys, to bounce off the walls for lack of fresh air and exercise during the (extended) school day. It's also messed up that senior admins tend to be inflexible, even myopic, in face of all manner of parent concerns and requests, however modest and well thought through. Even more messed up, high school ECs are essentially a joke, pushing most HS families to pricey DIY ECs. Right, all of us who point out such shortcomings have....an axe to grind.

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Anonymous wrote:I'm still trying to get my head around the idea that anyone is okay with these people taking $2 million a year off the DC taxpayer in exchange for washing out 60 percent of the class. WTF

I'm a lot more concerned about the DCPS schools passing students through despite truancy and being years behind grade level.

Why? Some dude in Arizona isn't getting the fancy Audi off of that... I mean, if we're going to miseducate our kids, let's keep the money for Audis here in the district.

Also, to be slightly serious, what you're describing is failure of the system, and what I'm talking about is people seeing how close they can get the system to failure in the name of getting the fancy Audi. Profit should never be part of any conversation about education.

BASIS DC is nonprofit, dummy.

Think of the millions that DCPS is spending on failing schools where most of the kids are illiterate and innumerate.

Let’s create another dozen BASIS schools in DC and stop pouring money into schools that don’t work.

No. It's a for-profit charter. We've gone over this.

DC contracts with a non-profit organization which then turns around and pays the for-profit for administration and curriculum. The for-profit is the decision-making power in terms of what happens at the school. It's really gross.

If DCPS put them out of business by offering a test-in, accelerated STEM school, I wouldn't be sad for a moment. But right now, this is who is interested in providing real math and science to my non-JR zoned kids.

Yeah, I mean, if it gets it done for your kids, you should do it. But so many people going in look at those washout numbers and think “oh that won’t be my kid” but statistically, it will be. And it’s infuriating that BADIS administrators bring kids in and know that they can’t educate 60 percent of them, but don’t try to change their method or discourage the kids who aren’t going to make it.

They’re looking to get paid so they have to take kids in they have no intention or ability to get through to graduation and they convince a whole lot of parents that they’re going to help their kids when they won’t. It’s messed up.

DP. Your post makes absolutely no sense. What are the "washout" numbers you keep referring to? Where are you getting that 60% of the kids aren't being educated? I have to assume you're referring to the attrition numbers which--to be clear--does not represent the number of kids who failed. The number of kids who don't pass the year-end comps is actually pretty small. But kids choose to leave for a number of reasons.

You also argue that the school isn't doing anything to "discourage" the kids who aren't going to make it...soooo, what would you have them do? Maybe require the students to take a year-end test that they have to pass in order to get promoted to the next grade? Oh wait...

What's actually messed up is the fact that DC has so many failing schools---schools that are allowed to remain open and take tax dollars yet less than 5% of the kids are at grade level! THAT's what you should be upset about. Those are the kids who aren't being educated. The stats suggest that the kids at BASIS are, in fact, getting an education.

I'm not suggesting that BASIS is perfect, and it sounds like it didn't work out for your child, but whatever ax you have to grind is getting in the way of facts.

Sixty percent of the kids who go in, don't graduate. That's not success. The fact that 40 percent are successful is dismal. It's good for those 40 percent, but it's an indictment of the school overall.

If it was a public school you'd call that a failing school. If it was a private school and only 40 percent of the kids who start make it to graduation people wouldn't send their kids.

You are reading the data wrong. Families leave DC all the time (transient city). Those kids aren't backfilled at BASIS so you don't notice them at other schools. You also ignore the application HS process. If kids apply to SWW or Banneker or DESA and decide to attend that doesn't mean BASIS failed. It means kids had options and chose something else. Some kids do indeed leave (lots between 6th and 7th) because the school is not a good fit for them. And that is ok. It doesn't have to be. The fundamental failure of your argument is that kids who aren't a good fit and leave for a better fit is an indication of BASIS's "failure". That is no more true than it is to say that a kid who opts to leave BASIS because it isn't a good fit "failed".

Tlr Your analytical skills and critical thinking failed you.

If you saw that garbled mess of an answer to any other school, public or private, you would call bullshit. And what's weird is that none of the other schools (public or private) that have comparable test scores, have this issue of a dramatic decline in class size from 9th to 12th...

How many kids start at 9th grade finish with a diploma? If it's not 75-80%+ the school isn't working.

I now see the problem. You made up B.S. numbers. The 60% number you are (incorrectly) hanging your hat on is total attrition based on class size from 5th through 12th. Bolded above makes clear you mean to address attrition from 9th-12th.

Let's look at the actual OSSE data.
9th grade enrollment 2016-17 vs 12th grade enrollment 2019-20: 57 vs 50 (87%)
9th grade enrollment 2017-18 vs 12th grade enrollment 2020-21: 49 vs 39 (80%)
9th grade enrollment 2018-19 vs 12th grade enrollment 2021-22: 57 vs 52 (91%)
9th grade enrollment 2019-20 vs 12th grade enrollment 2022-23: 54 vs 42 (78%)
9th grade enrollment 2020-21 vs 12th grade enrollment 2024: 49 vs 39 (80%)

Good news is based on the criteria you set out ("If it's not 75-80%+ the school isn't working") the school is "working". Welcome to the Boosters Club!!!!

According to the DC school report card (which I'll link: https://schoolreportcard.dc.gov/lea/168/school/3068/report), the school has:

5th grade: 135
9th grade: 79
12th grade: 42.

I'll buy the argument that it's lottery and people don't know what they're getting into at fifth grade and by ninth have realized the terrible mistake theyv'e made, but what's the deal with the 9th to 12th drop. And 42 isn't even the number that graduates. But let's say it is, it's a 47 percent washout. I stand corrected. Still a horrific number.

And, when you compare it any other school, there is NOWHERE near the attrition 9-12.

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Anonymous wrote:I'm still trying to get my head around the idea that anyone is okay with these people taking $2 million a year off the DC taxpayer in exchange for washing out 60 percent of the class. WTF

I'm a lot more concerned about the DCPS schools passing students through despite truancy and being years behind grade level.

Why? Some dude in Arizona isn't getting the fancy Audi off of that... I mean, if we're going to miseducate our kids, let's keep the money for Audis here in the district.

Also, to be slightly serious, what you're describing is failure of the system, and what I'm talking about is people seeing how close they can get the system to failure in the name of getting the fancy Audi. Profit should never be part of any conversation about education.

BASIS DC is nonprofit, dummy.

Think of the millions that DCPS is spending on failing schools where most of the kids are illiterate and innumerate.

Let’s create another dozen BASIS schools in DC and stop pouring money into schools that don’t work.

No. It's a for-profit charter. We've gone over this.

DC contracts with a non-profit organization which then turns around and pays the for-profit for administration and curriculum. The for-profit is the decision-making power in terms of what happens at the school. It's really gross.

If DCPS put them out of business by offering a test-in, accelerated STEM school, I wouldn't be sad for a moment. But right now, this is who is interested in providing real math and science to my non-JR zoned kids.

Yeah, I mean, if it gets it done for your kids, you should do it. But so many people going in look at those washout numbers and think “oh that won’t be my kid” but statistically, it will be. And it’s infuriating that BADIS administrators bring kids in and know that they can’t educate 60 percent of them, but don’t try to change their method or discourage the kids who aren’t going to make it.

They’re looking to get paid so they have to take kids in they have no intention or ability to get through to graduation and they convince a whole lot of parents that they’re going to help their kids when they won’t. It’s messed up.

DP. Your post makes absolutely no sense. What are the "washout" numbers you keep referring to? Where are you getting that 60% of the kids aren't being educated? I have to assume you're referring to the attrition numbers which--to be clear--does not represent the number of kids who failed. The number of kids who don't pass the year-end comps is actually pretty small. But kids choose to leave for a number of reasons.

You also argue that the school isn't doing anything to "discourage" the kids who aren't going to make it...soooo, what would you have them do? Maybe require the students to take a year-end test that they have to pass in order to get promoted to the next grade? Oh wait...

What's actually messed up is the fact that DC has so many failing schools---schools that are allowed to remain open and take tax dollars yet less than 5% of the kids are at grade level! THAT's what you should be upset about. Those are the kids who aren't being educated. The stats suggest that the kids at BASIS are, in fact, getting an education.

I'm not suggesting that BASIS is perfect, and it sounds like it didn't work out for your child, but whatever ax you have to grind is getting in the way of facts.

Sixty percent of the kids who go in, don't graduate. That's not success. The fact that 40 percent are successful is dismal. It's good for those 40 percent, but it's an indictment of the school overall.

If it was a public school you'd call that a failing school. If it was a private school and only 40 percent of the kids who start make it to graduation people wouldn't send their kids.

You are reading the data wrong. Families leave DC all the time (transient city). Those kids aren't backfilled at BASIS so you don't notice them at other schools. You also ignore the application HS process. If kids apply to SWW or Banneker or DESA and decide to attend that doesn't mean BASIS failed. It means kids had options and chose something else. Some kids do indeed leave (lots between 6th and 7th) because the school is not a good fit for them. And that is ok. It doesn't have to be. The fundamental failure of your argument is that kids who aren't a good fit and leave for a better fit is an indication of BASIS's "failure". That is no more true than it is to say that a kid who opts to leave BASIS because it isn't a good fit "failed".

Tlr Your analytical skills and critical thinking failed you.

If you saw that garbled mess of an answer to any other school, public or private, you would call bullshit. And what's weird is that none of the other schools (public or private) that have comparable test scores, have this issue of a dramatic decline in class size from 9th to 12th...

How many kids start at 9th grade finish with a diploma? If it's not 75-80%+ the school isn't working.

I now see the problem. You made up B.S. numbers. The 60% number you are (incorrectly) hanging your hat on is total attrition based on class size from 5th through 12th. Bolded above makes clear you mean to address attrition from 9th-12th.

Let's look at the actual OSSE data.
9th grade enrollment 2016-17 vs 12th grade enrollment 2019-20: 57 vs 50 (87%)
9th grade enrollment 2017-18 vs 12th grade enrollment 2020-21: 49 vs 39 (80%)
9th grade enrollment 2018-19 vs 12th grade enrollment 2021-22: 57 vs 52 (91%)
9th grade enrollment 2019-20 vs 12th grade enrollment 2022-23: 54 vs 42 (78%)
9th grade enrollment 2020-21 vs 12th grade enrollment 2024: 49 vs 39 (80%)

Good news is based on the criteria you set out ("If it's not 75-80%+ the school isn't working") the school is "working". Welcome to the Boosters Club!!!!

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Anonymous wrote:The much more logical answer to the question about why Walls lacks the same attrition: Walls is a selective application school which begins in 9th grade where students are selected based on criteria and when students are more likely to know whether an academic focused type of school is a good fit. BASIS admission, on the other hand, is pure lottery in 5th grade when families don’t know their students’ abilities nearly as well and have fewer good public options. Comparing the attrition between 5th and 12th grade at BASIS to lack of attrition between 9th and 12th grade at Walls is apples to oranges. At most, you can compare attrition from 9th through 12th at BASIS to the same grades at Walls but even that isn’t completely fair because Walls hand picked its student body.

Yes, I'm comparing 9th grade. Pick any other school in the area, public or private, better or worse academically, and tell me if you can find another school that loses students like BASIS.

Your answer is the closest to a logical answer that anyone has given, but it's not particularly satisfying, considering how BASIS promotes itself. It may be a case of lottery admission, but the people applying are self-selecting based on the marketing material prepared by the for-profit school.

Also, to the degree that your answer makes sense, it's still problematic because it's not a NEW problem. It's been happening since BASIS showed up. If they're going to take tax dollars, they should solve problems. At least before they're given the right to open any new profit centers.

BASIS is not allowed to solve the problems you want them to solve. They market themselves the way they do for the same reason they don't offer assessment tests and recommend students who are behind not attend: if they did that, there would be enormous pushback. The only way you can have a charter curriculum that's accelerated in DC is by pretending that it's for everyone. But, again, since DCPS has zero interest in providing this to kids who live in most parts of the city, this is what there is.

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Anonymous wrote:The much more logical answer to the question about why Walls lacks the same attrition: Walls is a selective application school which begins in 9th grade where students are selected based on criteria and when students are more likely to know whether an academic focused type of school is a good fit. BASIS admission, on the other hand, is pure lottery in 5th grade when families don’t know their students’ abilities nearly as well and have fewer good public options. Comparing the attrition between 5th and 12th grade at BASIS to lack of attrition between 9th and 12th grade at Walls is apples to oranges. At most, you can compare attrition from 9th through 12th at BASIS to the same grades at Walls but even that isn’t completely fair because Walls hand picked its student body.

Yes, I'm comparing 9th grade. Pick any other school in the area, public or private, better or worse academically, and tell me if you can find another school that loses students like BASIS.

Your answer is the closest to a logical answer that anyone has given, but it's not particularly satisfying, considering how BASIS promotes itself. It may be a case of lottery admission, but the people applying are self-selecting based on the marketing material prepared by the for-profit school.

Also, to the degree that your answer makes sense, it's still problematic because it's not a NEW problem. It's been happening since BASIS showed up. If they're going to take tax dollars, they should solve problems. At least before they're given the right to open any new profit centers.

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Anonymous wrote:I'm still trying to get my head around the idea that anyone is okay with these people taking $2 million a year off the DC taxpayer in exchange for washing out 60 percent of the class. WTF

I'm a lot more concerned about the DCPS schools passing students through despite truancy and being years behind grade level.

Why? Some dude in Arizona isn't getting the fancy Audi off of that... I mean, if we're going to miseducate our kids, let's keep the money for Audis here in the district.

Also, to be slightly serious, what you're describing is failure of the system, and what I'm talking about is people seeing how close they can get the system to failure in the name of getting the fancy Audi. Profit should never be part of any conversation about education.

BASIS DC is nonprofit, dummy.

Think of the millions that DCPS is spending on failing schools where most of the kids are illiterate and innumerate.

Let’s create another dozen BASIS schools in DC and stop pouring money into schools that don’t work.

No. It's a for-profit charter. We've gone over this.

DC contracts with a non-profit organization which then turns around and pays the for-profit for administration and curriculum. The for-profit is the decision-making power in terms of what happens at the school. It's really gross.

If DCPS put them out of business by offering a test-in, accelerated STEM school, I wouldn't be sad for a moment. But right now, this is who is interested in providing real math and science to my non-JR zoned kids.

Yeah, I mean, if it gets it done for your kids, you should do it. But so many people going in look at those washout numbers and think “oh that won’t be my kid” but statistically, it will be. And it’s infuriating that BADIS administrators bring kids in and know that they can’t educate 60 percent of them, but don’t try to change their method or discourage the kids who aren’t going to make it.

They’re looking to get paid so they have to take kids in they have no intention or ability to get through to graduation and they convince a whole lot of parents that they’re going to help their kids when they won’t. It’s messed up.

DP. Your post makes absolutely no sense. What are the "washout" numbers you keep referring to? Where are you getting that 60% of the kids aren't being educated? I have to assume you're referring to the attrition numbers which--to be clear--does not represent the number of kids who failed. The number of kids who don't pass the year-end comps is actually pretty small. But kids choose to leave for a number of reasons.

You also argue that the school isn't doing anything to "discourage" the kids who aren't going to make it...soooo, what would you have them do? Maybe require the students to take a year-end test that they have to pass in order to get promoted to the next grade? Oh wait...

What's actually messed up is the fact that DC has so many failing schools---schools that are allowed to remain open and take tax dollars yet less than 5% of the kids are at grade level! THAT's what you should be upset about. Those are the kids who aren't being educated. The stats suggest that the kids at BASIS are, in fact, getting an education.

I'm not suggesting that BASIS is perfect, and it sounds like it didn't work out for your child, but whatever ax you have to grind is getting in the way of facts.

Sixty percent of the kids who go in, don't graduate. That's not success. The fact that 40 percent are successful is dismal. It's good for those 40 percent, but it's an indictment of the school overall.

If it was a public school you'd call that a failing school. If it was a private school and only 40 percent of the kids who start make it to graduation people wouldn't send their kids.

You are reading the data wrong. Families leave DC all the time (transient city). Those kids aren't backfilled at BASIS so you don't notice them at other schools. You also ignore the application HS process. If kids apply to SWW or Banneker or DESA and decide to attend that doesn't mean BASIS failed. It means kids had options and chose something else. Some kids do indeed leave (lots between 6th and 7th) because the school is not a good fit for them. And that is ok. It doesn't have to be. The fundamental failure of your argument is that kids who aren't a good fit and leave for a better fit is an indication of BASIS's "failure". That is no more true than it is to say that a kid who opts to leave BASIS because it isn't a good fit "failed".

Tlr Your analytical skills and critical thinking failed you.

If you saw that garbled mess of an answer to any other school, public or private, you would call bullshit. And what's weird is that none of the other schools (public or private) that have comparable test scores, have this issue of a dramatic decline in class size from 9th to 12th...

How many kids start at 9th grade finish with a diploma? If it's not 75-80%+ the school isn't working.

Anonymous wrote:The much more logical answer to the question about why Walls lacks the same attrition: Walls is a selective application school which begins in 9th grade where students are selected based on criteria and when students are more likely to know whether an academic focused type of school is a good fit. BASIS admission, on the other hand, is pure lottery in 5th grade when families don’t know their students’ abilities nearly as well and have fewer good public options. Comparing the attrition between 5th and 12th grade at BASIS to lack of attrition between 9th and 12th grade at Walls is apples to oranges. At most, you can compare attrition from 9th through 12th at BASIS to the same grades at Walls but even that isn’t completely fair because Walls hand picked its student body.

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Anonymous wrote:I'm still trying to get my head around the idea that anyone is okay with these people taking $2 million a year off the DC taxpayer in exchange for washing out 60 percent of the class. WTF

I'm a lot more concerned about the DCPS schools passing students through despite truancy and being years behind grade level.

Why? Some dude in Arizona isn't getting the fancy Audi off of that... I mean, if we're going to miseducate our kids, let's keep the money for Audis here in the district.

Also, to be slightly serious, what you're describing is failure of the system, and what I'm talking about is people seeing how close they can get the system to failure in the name of getting the fancy Audi. Profit should never be part of any conversation about education.

BASIS DC is nonprofit, dummy.

Think of the millions that DCPS is spending on failing schools where most of the kids are illiterate and innumerate.

Let’s create another dozen BASIS schools in DC and stop pouring money into schools that don’t work.

No. It's a for-profit charter. We've gone over this.

DC contracts with a non-profit organization which then turns around and pays the for-profit for administration and curriculum. The for-profit is the decision-making power in terms of what happens at the school. It's really gross.

If DCPS put them out of business by offering a test-in, accelerated STEM school, I wouldn't be sad for a moment. But right now, this is who is interested in providing real math and science to my non-JR zoned kids.

Yeah, I mean, if it gets it done for your kids, you should do it. But so many people going in look at those washout numbers and think “oh that won’t be my kid” but statistically, it will be. And it’s infuriating that BADIS administrators bring kids in and know that they can’t educate 60 percent of them, but don’t try to change their method or discourage the kids who aren’t going to make it.

They’re looking to get paid so they have to take kids in they have no intention or ability to get through to graduation and they convince a whole lot of parents that they’re going to help their kids when they won’t. It’s messed up.

DP. Your post makes absolutely no sense. What are the "washout" numbers you keep referring to? Where are you getting that 60% of the kids aren't being educated? I have to assume you're referring to the attrition numbers which--to be clear--does not represent the number of kids who failed. The number of kids who don't pass the year-end comps is actually pretty small. But kids choose to leave for a number of reasons.

You also argue that the school isn't doing anything to "discourage" the kids who aren't going to make it...soooo, what would you have them do? Maybe require the students to take a year-end test that they have to pass in order to get promoted to the next grade? Oh wait...

What's actually messed up is the fact that DC has so many failing schools---schools that are allowed to remain open and take tax dollars yet less than 5% of the kids are at grade level! THAT's what you should be upset about. Those are the kids who aren't being educated. The stats suggest that the kids at BASIS are, in fact, getting an education.

I'm not suggesting that BASIS is perfect, and it sounds like it didn't work out for your child, but whatever ax you have to grind is getting in the way of facts.

Sixty percent of the kids who go in, don't graduate. That's not success. The fact that 40 percent are successful is dismal. It's good for those 40 percent, but it's an indictment of the school overall.

If it was a public school you'd call that a failing school. If it was a private school and only 40 percent of the kids who start make it to graduation people wouldn't send their kids.

You are reading the data wrong. Families leave DC all the time (transient city). Those kids aren't backfilled at BASIS so you don't notice them at other schools. You also ignore the application HS process. If kids apply to SWW or Banneker or DESA and decide to attend that doesn't mean BASIS failed. It means kids had options and chose something else. Some kids do indeed leave (lots between 6th and 7th) because the school is not a good fit for them. And that is ok. It doesn't have to be. The fundamental failure of your argument is that kids who aren't a good fit and leave for a better fit is an indication of BASIS's "failure". That is no more true than it is to say that a kid who opts to leave BASIS because it isn't a good fit "failed".

Tlr Your analytical skills and critical thinking failed you.

If you saw that garbled mess of an answer to any other school, public or private, you would call bullshit. And what's weird is that none of the other schools (public or private) that have comparable test scores, have this issue of a dramatic decline in class size from 9th to 12th...

How many kids start at 9th grade finish with a diploma? If it's not 75-80%+ the school isn't working.

DP. Schools have attrition rates for a variety of reasons. In a city with a city-wide lottery system, multiple application high schools and lots of private schools, there are a number of reasons why a kid might leave BASIS in high school. It's not a good fit for everyone and the curriculum in high school gets a bit wonky. You keep arguing that the school is failing because HS students choose to leave, but I'm not sure that's the dig against the school you think it is given the variety of reasons kids choose to leave.

Why don't any of the other schools -- public or private -- have those attrition numbers? Kids who go to Walls have all the same lottery and private school options. Why are they able to graduate roughly the same number of kids who start at 9th grade AND report strong test scores?

Probably because the curriculum at Walls is more traditional. As I said, this is likely why a lot of kids leave BASIS in HS. If you want a more traditional HS experience, BASIS isn't going to work for you. That's no secret. You can read into that whatever you like.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I'm still trying to get my head around the idea that anyone is okay with these people taking $2 million a year off the DC taxpayer in exchange for washing out 60 percent of the class. WTF

I'm a lot more concerned about the DCPS schools passing students through despite truancy and being years behind grade level.

Why? Some dude in Arizona isn't getting the fancy Audi off of that... I mean, if we're going to miseducate our kids, let's keep the money for Audis here in the district.

Also, to be slightly serious, what you're describing is failure of the system, and what I'm talking about is people seeing how close they can get the system to failure in the name of getting the fancy Audi. Profit should never be part of any conversation about education.

BASIS DC is nonprofit, dummy.

Think of the millions that DCPS is spending on failing schools where most of the kids are illiterate and innumerate.

Let’s create another dozen BASIS schools in DC and stop pouring money into schools that don’t work.

No. It's a for-profit charter. We've gone over this.

DC contracts with a non-profit organization which then turns around and pays the for-profit for administration and curriculum. The for-profit is the decision-making power in terms of what happens at the school. It's really gross.

If DCPS put them out of business by offering a test-in, accelerated STEM school, I wouldn't be sad for a moment. But right now, this is who is interested in providing real math and science to my non-JR zoned kids.

Yeah, I mean, if it gets it done for your kids, you should do it. But so many people going in look at those washout numbers and think “oh that won’t be my kid” but statistically, it will be. And it’s infuriating that BADIS administrators bring kids in and know that they can’t educate 60 percent of them, but don’t try to change their method or discourage the kids who aren’t going to make it.

They’re looking to get paid so they have to take kids in they have no intention or ability to get through to graduation and they convince a whole lot of parents that they’re going to help their kids when they won’t. It’s messed up.

DP. Your post makes absolutely no sense. What are the "washout" numbers you keep referring to? Where are you getting that 60% of the kids aren't being educated? I have to assume you're referring to the attrition numbers which--to be clear--does not represent the number of kids who failed. The number of kids who don't pass the year-end comps is actually pretty small. But kids choose to leave for a number of reasons.

You also argue that the school isn't doing anything to "discourage" the kids who aren't going to make it...soooo, what would you have them do? Maybe require the students to take a year-end test that they have to pass in order to get promoted to the next grade? Oh wait...

What's actually messed up is the fact that DC has so many failing schools---schools that are allowed to remain open and take tax dollars yet less than 5% of the kids are at grade level! THAT's what you should be upset about. Those are the kids who aren't being educated. The stats suggest that the kids at BASIS are, in fact, getting an education.

I'm not suggesting that BASIS is perfect, and it sounds like it didn't work out for your child, but whatever ax you have to grind is getting in the way of facts.

Sixty percent of the kids who go in, don't graduate. That's not success. The fact that 40 percent are successful is dismal. It's good for those 40 percent, but it's an indictment of the school overall.

If it was a public school you'd call that a failing school. If it was a private school and only 40 percent of the kids who start make it to graduation people wouldn't send their kids.

You are reading the data wrong. Families leave DC all the time (transient city). Those kids aren't backfilled at BASIS so you don't notice them at other schools. You also ignore the application HS process. If kids apply to SWW or Banneker or DESA and decide to attend that doesn't mean BASIS failed. It means kids had options and chose something else. Some kids do indeed leave (lots between 6th and 7th) because the school is not a good fit for them. And that is ok. It doesn't have to be. The fundamental failure of your argument is that kids who aren't a good fit and leave for a better fit is an indication of BASIS's "failure". That is no more true than it is to say that a kid who opts to leave BASIS because it isn't a good fit "failed".

Tlr Your analytical skills and critical thinking failed you.

If you saw that garbled mess of an answer to any other school, public or private, you would call bullshit. And what's weird is that none of the other schools (public or private) that have comparable test scores, have this issue of a dramatic decline in class size from 9th to 12th...

How many kids start at 9th grade finish with a diploma? If it's not 75-80%+ the school isn't working.

DP. Schools have attrition rates for a variety of reasons. In a city with a city-wide lottery system, multiple application high schools and lots of private schools, there are a number of reasons why a kid might leave BASIS in high school. It's not a good fit for everyone and the curriculum in high school gets a bit wonky. You keep arguing that the school is failing because HS students choose to leave, but I'm not sure that's the dig against the school you think it is given the variety of reasons kids choose to leave.

Why don't any of the other schools -- public or private -- have those attrition numbers? Kids who go to Walls have all the same lottery and private school options. Why are they able to graduate roughly the same number of kids who start at 9th grade AND report strong test scores?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm still trying to get my head around the idea that anyone is okay with these people taking $2 million a year off the DC taxpayer in exchange for washing out 60 percent of the class. WTF

I'm a lot more concerned about the DCPS schools passing students through despite truancy and being years behind grade level.

Why? Some dude in Arizona isn't getting the fancy Audi off of that... I mean, if we're going to miseducate our kids, let's keep the money for Audis here in the district.

Also, to be slightly serious, what you're describing is failure of the system, and what I'm talking about is people seeing how close they can get the system to failure in the name of getting the fancy Audi. Profit should never be part of any conversation about education.

BASIS DC is nonprofit, dummy.

Think of the millions that DCPS is spending on failing schools where most of the kids are illiterate and innumerate.

Let’s create another dozen BASIS schools in DC and stop pouring money into schools that don’t work.

No. It's a for-profit charter. We've gone over this.

DC contracts with a non-profit organization which then turns around and pays the for-profit for administration and curriculum. The for-profit is the decision-making power in terms of what happens at the school. It's really gross.

If DCPS put them out of business by offering a test-in, accelerated STEM school, I wouldn't be sad for a moment. But right now, this is who is interested in providing real math and science to my non-JR zoned kids.

Yeah, I mean, if it gets it done for your kids, you should do it. But so many people going in look at those washout numbers and think “oh that won’t be my kid” but statistically, it will be. And it’s infuriating that BADIS administrators bring kids in and know that they can’t educate 60 percent of them, but don’t try to change their method or discourage the kids who aren’t going to make it.

They’re looking to get paid so they have to take kids in they have no intention or ability to get through to graduation and they convince a whole lot of parents that they’re going to help their kids when they won’t. It’s messed up.

DP. Your post makes absolutely no sense. What are the "washout" numbers you keep referring to? Where are you getting that 60% of the kids aren't being educated? I have to assume you're referring to the attrition numbers which--to be clear--does not represent the number of kids who failed. The number of kids who don't pass the year-end comps is actually pretty small. But kids choose to leave for a number of reasons.

You also argue that the school isn't doing anything to "discourage" the kids who aren't going to make it...soooo, what would you have them do? Maybe require the students to take a year-end test that they have to pass in order to get promoted to the next grade? Oh wait...

What's actually messed up is the fact that DC has so many failing schools---schools that are allowed to remain open and take tax dollars yet less than 5% of the kids are at grade level! THAT's what you should be upset about. Those are the kids who aren't being educated. The stats suggest that the kids at BASIS are, in fact, getting an education.

I'm not suggesting that BASIS is perfect, and it sounds like it didn't work out for your child, but whatever ax you have to grind is getting in the way of facts.

Sixty percent of the kids who go in, don't graduate. That's not success. The fact that 40 percent are successful is dismal. It's good for those 40 percent, but it's an indictment of the school overall.

If it was a public school you'd call that a failing school. If it was a private school and only 40 percent of the kids who start make it to graduation people wouldn't send their kids.

You are reading the data wrong. Families leave DC all the time (transient city). Those kids aren't backfilled at BASIS so you don't notice them at other schools. You also ignore the application HS process. If kids apply to SWW or Banneker or DESA and decide to attend that doesn't mean BASIS failed. It means kids had options and chose something else. Some kids do indeed leave (lots between 6th and 7th) because the school is not a good fit for them. And that is ok. It doesn't have to be. The fundamental failure of your argument is that kids who aren't a good fit and leave for a better fit is an indication of BASIS's "failure". That is no more true than it is to say that a kid who opts to leave BASIS because it isn't a good fit "failed".

Tlr Your analytical skills and critical thinking failed you.

If you saw that garbled mess of an answer to any other school, public or private, you would call bullshit. And what's weird is that none of the other schools (public or private) that have comparable test scores, have this issue of a dramatic decline in class size from 9th to 12th...

How many kids start at 9th grade finish with a diploma? If it's not 75-80%+ the school isn't working.

DP. Schools have attrition rates for a variety of reasons. In a city with a city-wide lottery system, multiple application high schools and lots of private schools, there are a number of reasons why a kid might leave BASIS in high school. It's not a good fit for everyone and the curriculum in high school gets a bit wonky. You keep arguing that the school is failing because HS students choose to leave, but I'm not sure that's the dig against the school you think it is given the variety of reasons kids choose to leave.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm still trying to get my head around the idea that anyone is okay with these people taking $2 million a year off the DC taxpayer in exchange for washing out 60 percent of the class. WTF

I'm a lot more concerned about the DCPS schools passing students through despite truancy and being years behind grade level.

Why? Some dude in Arizona isn't getting the fancy Audi off of that... I mean, if we're going to miseducate our kids, let's keep the money for Audis here in the district.

Also, to be slightly serious, what you're describing is failure of the system, and what I'm talking about is people seeing how close they can get the system to failure in the name of getting the fancy Audi. Profit should never be part of any conversation about education.

BASIS DC is nonprofit, dummy.

Think of the millions that DCPS is spending on failing schools where most of the kids are illiterate and innumerate.

Let’s create another dozen BASIS schools in DC and stop pouring money into schools that don’t work.

No. It's a for-profit charter. We've gone over this.

DC contracts with a non-profit organization which then turns around and pays the for-profit for administration and curriculum. The for-profit is the decision-making power in terms of what happens at the school. It's really gross.

If DCPS put them out of business by offering a test-in, accelerated STEM school, I wouldn't be sad for a moment. But right now, this is who is interested in providing real math and science to my non-JR zoned kids.

Yeah, I mean, if it gets it done for your kids, you should do it. But so many people going in look at those washout numbers and think “oh that won’t be my kid” but statistically, it will be. And it’s infuriating that BADIS administrators bring kids in and know that they can’t educate 60 percent of them, but don’t try to change their method or discourage the kids who aren’t going to make it.

They’re looking to get paid so they have to take kids in they have no intention or ability to get through to graduation and they convince a whole lot of parents that they’re going to help their kids when they won’t. It’s messed up.

DP. Your post makes absolutely no sense. What are the "washout" numbers you keep referring to? Where are you getting that 60% of the kids aren't being educated? I have to assume you're referring to the attrition numbers which--to be clear--does not represent the number of kids who failed. The number of kids who don't pass the year-end comps is actually pretty small. But kids choose to leave for a number of reasons.

You also argue that the school isn't doing anything to "discourage" the kids who aren't going to make it...soooo, what would you have them do? Maybe require the students to take a year-end test that they have to pass in order to get promoted to the next grade? Oh wait...

What's actually messed up is the fact that DC has so many failing schools---schools that are allowed to remain open and take tax dollars yet less than 5% of the kids are at grade level! THAT's what you should be upset about. Those are the kids who aren't being educated. The stats suggest that the kids at BASIS are, in fact, getting an education.

I'm not suggesting that BASIS is perfect, and it sounds like it didn't work out for your child, but whatever ax you have to grind is getting in the way of facts.

Sixty percent of the kids who go in, don't graduate. That's not success. The fact that 40 percent are successful is dismal. It's good for those 40 percent, but it's an indictment of the school overall.

If it was a public school you'd call that a failing school. If it was a private school and only 40 percent of the kids who start make it to graduation people wouldn't send their kids.

You are reading the data wrong. Families leave DC all the time (transient city). Those kids aren't backfilled at BASIS so you don't notice them at other schools. You also ignore the application HS process. If kids apply to SWW or Banneker or DESA and decide to attend that doesn't mean BASIS failed. It means kids had options and chose something else. Some kids do indeed leave (lots between 6th and 7th) because the school is not a good fit for them. And that is ok. It doesn't have to be. The fundamental failure of your argument is that kids who aren't a good fit and leave for a better fit is an indication of BASIS's "failure". That is no more true than it is to say that a kid who opts to leave BASIS because it isn't a good fit "failed".

Tlr Your analytical skills and critical thinking failed you.

If you saw that garbled mess of an answer to any other school, public or private, you would call bullshit. And what's weird is that none of the other schools (public or private) that have comparable test scores, have this issue of a dramatic decline in class size from 9th to 12th...

How many kids start at 9th grade finish with a diploma? If it's not 75-80%+ the school isn't working.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm still trying to get my head around the idea that anyone is okay with these people taking $2 million a year off the DC taxpayer in exchange for washing out 60 percent of the class. WTF

I'm a lot more concerned about the DCPS schools passing students through despite truancy and being years behind grade level.

Why? Some dude in Arizona isn't getting the fancy Audi off of that... I mean, if we're going to miseducate our kids, let's keep the money for Audis here in the district.

Also, to be slightly serious, what you're describing is failure of the system, and what I'm talking about is people seeing how close they can get the system to failure in the name of getting the fancy Audi. Profit should never be part of any conversation about education.

BASIS DC is nonprofit, dummy.

Think of the millions that DCPS is spending on failing schools where most of the kids are illiterate and innumerate.

Let’s create another dozen BASIS schools in DC and stop pouring money into schools that don’t work.

No. It's a for-profit charter. We've gone over this.

DC contracts with a non-profit organization which then turns around and pays the for-profit for administration and curriculum. The for-profit is the decision-making power in terms of what happens at the school. It's really gross.

If DCPS put them out of business by offering a test-in, accelerated STEM school, I wouldn't be sad for a moment. But right now, this is who is interested in providing real math and science to my non-JR zoned kids.

Yeah, I mean, if it gets it done for your kids, you should do it. But so many people going in look at those washout numbers and think “oh that won’t be my kid” but statistically, it will be. And it’s infuriating that BADIS administrators bring kids in and know that they can’t educate 60 percent of them, but don’t try to change their method or discourage the kids who aren’t going to make it.

They’re looking to get paid so they have to take kids in they have no intention or ability to get through to graduation and they convince a whole lot of parents that they’re going to help their kids when they won’t. It’s messed up.

DP. Your post makes absolutely no sense. What are the "washout" numbers you keep referring to? Where are you getting that 60% of the kids aren't being educated? I have to assume you're referring to the attrition numbers which--to be clear--does not represent the number of kids who failed. The number of kids who don't pass the year-end comps is actually pretty small. But kids choose to leave for a number of reasons.

You also argue that the school isn't doing anything to "discourage" the kids who aren't going to make it...soooo, what would you have them do? Maybe require the students to take a year-end test that they have to pass in order to get promoted to the next grade? Oh wait...

What's actually messed up is the fact that DC has so many failing schools---schools that are allowed to remain open and take tax dollars yet less than 5% of the kids are at grade level! THAT's what you should be upset about. Those are the kids who aren't being educated. The stats suggest that the kids at BASIS are, in fact, getting an education.

I'm not suggesting that BASIS is perfect, and it sounds like it didn't work out for your child, but whatever ax you have to grind is getting in the way of facts.

Sixty percent of the kids who go in, don't graduate. That's not success. The fact that 40 percent are successful is dismal. It's good for those 40 percent, but it's an indictment of the school overall.

If it was a public school you'd call that a failing school. If it was a private school and only 40 percent of the kids who start make it to graduation people wouldn't send their kids.

In theory, I guess, the curriculum isn't a terrible idea, but if they want to cater to that minority of students who it fits well, they should have a smaller—not larger—student body, and they should focus on those kids. Whether they're flunking or quitting, it's clearly not working for most people who go there.

And what's troubling is that as a for-profit, they have no incentive to change that. They keep pulling in kids who they can't educate—either because the kids can't cut it, or because they aren't providing an environment where most kids (who are already a self-selecting bunch of over-achievers looking for a better education) can thrive. Now they want to suck more kids into this system. All for the sake of making shareholders wealthier.

BASIS might be a fine curriculum—I'm skeptical, because even the people I know whose kids graduated felt they over-cooked, over-load-them mentality was, at the end of the day less productive—but if you want a school that caters to a small group of over-achieving students who can handle a super-accelerated curriculum that does not include art, music, physical education or extra-curriculars, you should send them to a private school that does that. You shouldn't take tax dollars for a system that the majority of students won't get the education they deserve.

You won't get any argument from me that DCPS sucks, but you won't convince me that a for-profit charter is the solution. With bad public schools or sketchy non-profit charters, it's a story of educational failure and it's not acceptable, but at least you know someone isn't getting rich off the failure.

Oh my. Ok, so you don't have a kid at the school yet you're convinced it must not be working if so many kids leave (and you make no distinction between those who choose to leave v. fail), all the kids you know who did graduate were less productive because they were burned out, and you believe the man behind the curtain is profiting somehow. Oh, and you claim there's no art, music, PE or ECs. Got it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm still trying to get my head around the idea that anyone is okay with these people taking $2 million a year off the DC taxpayer in exchange for washing out 60 percent of the class. WTF

I'm a lot more concerned about the DCPS schools passing students through despite truancy and being years behind grade level.

Why? Some dude in Arizona isn't getting the fancy Audi off of that... I mean, if we're going to miseducate our kids, let's keep the money for Audis here in the district.

Also, to be slightly serious, what you're describing is failure of the system, and what I'm talking about is people seeing how close they can get the system to failure in the name of getting the fancy Audi. Profit should never be part of any conversation about education.

BASIS DC is nonprofit, dummy.

Think of the millions that DCPS is spending on failing schools where most of the kids are illiterate and innumerate.

Let’s create another dozen BASIS schools in DC and stop pouring money into schools that don’t work.

No. It's a for-profit charter. We've gone over this.

DC contracts with a non-profit organization which then turns around and pays the for-profit for administration and curriculum. The for-profit is the decision-making power in terms of what happens at the school. It's really gross.

If DCPS put them out of business by offering a test-in, accelerated STEM school, I wouldn't be sad for a moment. But right now, this is who is interested in providing real math and science to my non-JR zoned kids.

Yeah, I mean, if it gets it done for your kids, you should do it. But so many people going in look at those washout numbers and think “oh that won’t be my kid” but statistically, it will be. And it’s infuriating that BADIS administrators bring kids in and know that they can’t educate 60 percent of them, but don’t try to change their method or discourage the kids who aren’t going to make it.

They’re looking to get paid so they have to take kids in they have no intention or ability to get through to graduation and they convince a whole lot of parents that they’re going to help their kids when they won’t. It’s messed up.

DP. Your post makes absolutely no sense. What are the "washout" numbers you keep referring to? Where are you getting that 60% of the kids aren't being educated? I have to assume you're referring to the attrition numbers which--to be clear--does not represent the number of kids who failed. The number of kids who don't pass the year-end comps is actually pretty small. But kids choose to leave for a number of reasons.

You also argue that the school isn't doing anything to "discourage" the kids who aren't going to make it...soooo, what would you have them do? Maybe require the students to take a year-end test that they have to pass in order to get promoted to the next grade? Oh wait...

What's actually messed up is the fact that DC has so many failing schools---schools that are allowed to remain open and take tax dollars yet less than 5% of the kids are at grade level! THAT's what you should be upset about. Those are the kids who aren't being educated. The stats suggest that the kids at BASIS are, in fact, getting an education.

I'm not suggesting that BASIS is perfect, and it sounds like it didn't work out for your child, but whatever ax you have to grind is getting in the way of facts.

Sixty percent of the kids who go in, don't graduate. That's not success. The fact that 40 percent are successful is dismal. It's good for those 40 percent, but it's an indictment of the school overall.

If it was a public school you'd call that a failing school. If it was a private school and only 40 percent of the kids who start make it to graduation people wouldn't send their kids.

In theory, I guess, the curriculum isn't a terrible idea, but if they want to cater to that minority of students who it fits well, they should have a smaller—not larger—student body, and they should focus on those kids. Whether they're flunking or quitting, it's clearly not working for most people who go there.

And what's troubling is that as a for-profit, they have no incentive to change that. They keep pulling in kids who they can't educate—either because the kids can't cut it, or because they aren't providing an environment where most kids (who are already a self-selecting bunch of over-achievers looking for a better education) can thrive. Now they want to suck more kids into this system. All for the sake of making shareholders wealthier.

BASIS might be a fine curriculum—I'm skeptical, because even the people I know whose kids graduated felt they over-cooked, over-load-them mentality was, at the end of the day less productive—but if you want a school that caters to a small group of over-achieving students who can handle a super-accelerated curriculum that does not include art, music, physical education or extra-curriculars, you should send them to a private school that does that. You shouldn't take tax dollars for a system that the majority of students won't get the education they deserve.

You won't get any argument from me that DCPS sucks, but you won't convince me that a for-profit charter is the solution. With bad public schools or sketchy non-profit charters, it's a story of educational failure and it's not acceptable, but at least you know someone isn't getting rich off the failure.