Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No gym, stage, library, grass, language instruction before 8th grade. No instrumental music program, serious sports or arts. High, chronic teacher turnover. Weak leadership and v. uneven ms instruction in core subjects. All course work done by the end of jr year in HS. These aren’t minor weaknesses. Families with the dough for private high schools leave.

Sure, but if you're leaving in middle school for a worse DCPS public or charter, that's not why you're leaving -- you're leaving because the coursework was too much too soon.

Not necessarily true. The parents I know who chose BASIS because they saw it as a good school which they initially defined as great test scores, rigorous expectations (they valued their kids having AP in the middle grades) and what they deemed a high performing cohort of kids. They realized their kids could do well elsewhere but have more access to other types of schools offerings (arts in particular). They didn't think of the school they chose as "worse" though -- the test scores were good but not as good as BASIS. How are you defining a "worse DCPS public or charter"?

Substantially worse test scores, behavioral problems, and/or opportunities for acceleration. I'm not talking about Deal, Hardy, or Latin. But if you're leaving for a school where virtually none of the kids are testing at grade level, I don't think it's for access to a broader variety of middle school options. Especially if you're leaving after 6th or 7th.

Worse test scores for who? I would be totally comfortable sending my kid to a middle-of-the-road DCPS school, like Stuart Hobson or MacArthur or SWWFS, where the upper limit is still high, over BASIS.

There are substantially worse schools that kids are transferring into from BASIS.

*macfarland

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No gym, stage, library, grass, language instruction before 8th grade. No instrumental music program, serious sports or arts. High, chronic teacher turnover. Weak leadership and v. uneven ms instruction in core subjects. All course work done by the end of jr year in HS. These aren’t minor weaknesses. Families with the dough for private high schools leave.

Sure, but if you're leaving in middle school for a worse DCPS public or charter, that's not why you're leaving -- you're leaving because the coursework was too much too soon.

Not necessarily true. The parents I know who chose BASIS because they saw it as a good school which they initially defined as great test scores, rigorous expectations (they valued their kids having AP in the middle grades) and what they deemed a high performing cohort of kids. They realized their kids could do well elsewhere but have more access to other types of schools offerings (arts in particular). They didn't think of the school they chose as "worse" though -- the test scores were good but not as good as BASIS. How are you defining a "worse DCPS public or charter"?

Substantially worse test scores, behavioral problems, and/or opportunities for acceleration. I'm not talking about Deal, Hardy, or Latin. But if you're leaving for a school where virtually none of the kids are testing at grade level, I don't think it's for access to a broader variety of middle school options. Especially if you're leaving after 6th or 7th.

Worse test scores for who? I would be totally comfortable sending my kid to a middle-of-the-road DCPS school, like Stuart Hobson or MacArthur or SWWFS, where the upper limit is still high, over BASIS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No gym, stage, library, grass, language instruction before 8th grade. No instrumental music program, serious sports or arts. High, chronic teacher turnover. Weak leadership and v. uneven ms instruction in core subjects. All course work done by the end of jr year in HS. These aren’t minor weaknesses. Families with the dough for private high schools leave.

Sure, but if you're leaving in middle school for a worse DCPS public or charter, that's not why you're leaving -- you're leaving because the coursework was too much too soon.

Not necessarily true. The parents I know who chose BASIS because they saw it as a good school which they initially defined as great test scores, rigorous expectations (they valued their kids having AP in the middle grades) and what they deemed a high performing cohort of kids. They realized their kids could do well elsewhere but have more access to other types of schools offerings (arts in particular). They didn't think of the school they chose as "worse" though -- the test scores were good but not as good as BASIS. How are you defining a "worse DCPS public or charter"?

Substantially worse test scores, behavioral problems, and/or opportunities for acceleration. I'm not talking about Deal, Hardy, or Latin. But if you're leaving for a school where virtually none of the kids are testing at grade level, I don't think it's for access to a broader variety of middle school options. Especially if you're leaving after 6th or 7th.

Anonymous wrote:No gym, stage, library, grass, language instruction before 8th grade. No instrumental music program, serious sports or arts. High, chronic teacher turnover. Weak leadership and v. uneven ms instruction in core subjects. All course work done by the end of jr year in HS. These aren’t minor weaknesses. Families with the dough for private high schools leave.

For me, it’s also that BASIS doesn’t make any effort to really solve for their terrible facilities space. They could be taking the kids regularly outside to the national mall, which is just a couple blocks away. But I can count on one hand how many times they have taken my kid outside in 1.5 years. Teachers regularly promise it as a “carrot” in an effort to bribe kids into good behavior, but then take it away day after day.

There is so much toxic behavior toward the students by admins and staff. I don’t know that I’m going to be able to stomach the head of school crowing about BASIS test scores for another however many years (knowing my own child is working his butt off to contribute to those stats) while simultaneously ignoring the way members of his staff treat students.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No gym, stage, library, grass, language instruction before 8th grade. No instrumental music program, serious sports or arts. High, chronic teacher turnover. Weak leadership and v. uneven ms instruction in core subjects. All course work done by the end of jr year in HS. These aren’t minor weaknesses. Families with the dough for private high schools leave.

Sure, but if you're leaving in middle school for a worse DCPS public or charter, that's not why you're leaving -- you're leaving because the coursework was too much too soon.

Not necessarily true. The parents I know who chose BASIS because they saw it as a good school which they initially defined as great test scores, rigorous expectations (they valued their kids having AP in the middle grades) and what they deemed a high performing cohort of kids. They realized their kids could do well elsewhere but have more access to other types of schools offerings (arts in particular). They didn't think of the school they chose as "worse" though -- the test scores were good but not as good as BASIS. How are you defining a "worse DCPS public or charter"?

Anonymous wrote:No gym, stage, library, grass, language instruction before 8th grade. No instrumental music program, serious sports or arts. High, chronic teacher turnover. Weak leadership and v. uneven ms instruction in core subjects. All course work done by the end of jr year in HS. These aren’t minor weaknesses. Families with the dough for private high schools leave.

Sure, but if you're leaving in middle school for a worse DCPS public or charter, that's not why you're leaving -- you're leaving because the coursework was too much too soon.

No gym, stage, library, grass, language instruction before 8th grade. No instrumental music program, serious sports or arts. High, chronic teacher turnover. Weak leadership and v. uneven ms instruction in core subjects. All course work done by the end of jr year in HS. These aren’t minor weaknesses. Families with the dough for private high schools leave.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is pretty telling how many posters are saying they left BASIS...for private.

What is it telling?

Tells us the issue isn't BASIS as much as it is the options in DC. It is one thing to say you moved on from BASIS to another DCPS or charter school and explain your reasons. Quite another to say why BASIS wasn't a good school and then explain that nothing was and you paid for private. I think it also instructive as to the type of parents BASIS attracts. Lots of 2 parent households with grad degrees and very academically minded. If you sent your kid to BASIS expecting Sidwell or private school, the issue isn't BASIS, it is you and your misguided expectations.

This is a fair point. Parents have to manage expectations. If you are the type of parents who have high expectations and don't have the tolerance and patience to overlook minor weaknesses in a DCPS and/or charter school, then you should be honest with yourselves and either move or plan for private. And that's fine--we all have our own thresholds. But there's no such thing as "private MS and HS education for free" in DC. That's just unrealistic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is pretty telling how many posters are saying they left BASIS...for private.

What is it telling?

Tells us the issue isn't BASIS as much as it is the options in DC. It is one thing to say you moved on from BASIS to another DCPS or charter school and explain your reasons. Quite another to say why BASIS wasn't a good school and then explain that nothing was and you paid for private. I think it also instructive as to the type of parents BASIS attracts. Lots of 2 parent households with grad degrees and very academically minded. If you sent your kid to BASIS expecting Sidwell or private school, the issue isn't BASIS, it is you and your misguided expectations.

Anonymous wrote:It is pretty telling how many posters are saying they left BASIS...for private.

What is it telling?

It is pretty telling how many posters are saying they left BASIS...for private.

Your kid is 10. Do you think you know what or who they are going to be in HS? I sure didn't at 10. Respectfully, it is dumb to wonder why kids would change schools for HS, especially in a city with school choice and application HS. Kids leave BASIS in 7th because 6th grade is the first time comps are given and it can be stressful. 50% of their grade is one test at the end. 30% of Tri 2 grade is pre-comps. That's a lot of pressure on one (or two) tests. I assume you knew that going in because BASIS tells everyone at every opportunity.

P.S. If the parents are freaking out in 5th, I can't wait to see the sh*t show when they get to the real grades.

This post has basically come full circle in the sense that the latest comments essentially address the lack of good (public) middle school options in DC and the earlier comments addressed the wider range of potential high school options, both of which contribute to BASIS having a higher middle school enrollment than high school enrollment.

The comments about uneven teaching and having families that complain seem to apply to so many schools IMHO. I think families at BASIS just have some of the highest expectations for education as compared to other public schools and speaking up about those expectations is unsurprising. Some people might see this as a negative but I think having so many families invested in their student’s success is a big plus and is one of the biggest driving factors for student success even if/when the school falls short in some regard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another downside of BASIS is that it attracts families who are high-maintenance and like to complain about everything. Unlike Latin, which attracts parents who are chill and know how to enjoy life. If Latin Cooper has 6th grade seats, it might be a good idea to switch.

I'm listing Latin first, but if my kid gets into BASIS and not Latin, my kid will go to BASIS. The overlap between parents considering each of these schools must be huge.

It is, but it really shouldn’t be. These schools are so different from one another.

Not relative to the rest of my kid's middle school options!