Anonymous
Post 03/21/2014 13:45     Subject: No good teachers at BASIS High school?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have yet to meet a parent/kid at Basis in person whose child has so little homework a night-lot virtually though. As an FYI, we know families in 5th, 6th and 7th grade, and have an honor roll student in 5th. And pp who said their kid has a 97/98 average and is in 90's club-that would get you distinguished honor roll, not 90's club. No CHILD I know in or out of Basis can do all 30 Saxon math problems in 15 minutes, just numbering the pages and writing the problems down take half that time. Again, having 20 minutes of homework a night in an accellerated program with 8 subjects and 30 math problems is impossible. The reading of choice required each week alone is more than that.


Actually, the Distinguished Honor Roll is only for the top 5% of the class. And if you make the Distinguished Honor Roll you also make the 90's club.

My DC always makes the 90's club. Only homework DC does at home is algebra, and that takes about 60 mins, because DC writes slow.


PP here - 97-98% won't guarantee you distinguished honor roll, DC has been on distinguished honor roll a few times but not always.

It takes longer than 30 minutes because DC does the problems, writing down the problem and showing all work, then goes through and checks the answers, redoing and correcting any that were wrong, and then DC looks up solutions for any that were still stumpers - and often there's one or two that were more tricky or involved. A minute a problem isn't going to cut it no matter how you slice it.
Anonymous
Post 03/21/2014 12:03     Subject: No good teachers at BASIS High school?
They have us history instead of classics and the 3 sciences instead of two.
Anonymous
Post 03/21/2014 11:32     Subject: No good teachers at BASIS High school?
11:23 please go on the website and see what the classes are per grade. In sixth, English is only 5x per week. The addition is that they have us history instead of phys geo and instead of science 5x per week, they have bio, chem and physics each three times per week. PE is less than every day and either art, music or drama are taken daily. It all works out and the class periods aren't longer.

Every year is different.
Anonymous
Post 03/21/2014 11:23     Subject: No good teachers at BASIS High school?
My child is in 5th grade at Basis. Science, Math, Phys Geo meet 5x a week, English meets 6x (one day you have it twice) Classics, Latin, Music and Art meet 3, maybe 4 times a week for one of them, and I have no idea about Phys Ed. Next year they have to choose between Art Music and Phys Ed. I assume that means the other classes become much longer then? How can they end the same time of day and have all their classes be 3x a week? That 21 periods and aero and lunch, vs 33 periods plus aero and lunch. It does not make sense. Regardless, it ends up being more than 20 minutes, unless math is the ONLY class.
Anonymous
Post 03/21/2014 10:33     Subject: No good teachers at BASIS High school?
Anonymous wrote:I have yet to meet a parent/kid at Basis in person whose child has so little homework a night-lot virtually though. As an FYI, we know families in 5th, 6th and 7th grade, and have an honor roll student in 5th. And pp who said their kid has a 97/98 average and is in 90's club-that would get you distinguished honor roll, not 90's club. No CHILD I know in or out of Basis can do all 30 Saxon math problems in 15 minutes, just numbering the pages and writing the problems down take half that time. Again, having 20 minutes of homework a night in an accellerated program with 8 subjects and 30 math problems is impossible. The reading of choice required each week alone is more than that.


5 classes meet 3x/week. It is similar to having 6 graded classes per day, except that the child has to keep more in his/her head from week to week. 6 classes a day is no worse than other schools. The key is being able to handle the wealth of information, and being able to manage time wisely. Staying ahead is a huge part of time management.

Not many kids will do 30 Saxon problems in 15 minutes, but there are a few who are actually hitting the :30 per set mark, which was the PP's claim. You can also see that mark on some greatschools reviews for the Arizona schools. There are also some 3-4 hours/night comments there, as well. Both are probably true, with the likely reality for the average kid laying somewhere in between.

It is true that Saxon is very repetitious, so I do not find the :30 claim as being all that tough to swallow. It seems more plausible, if the child is also able to stay ahead of the class, which indicates a higher-than-average mathematical tendency. Now, add in the statement about Algebra II in 6th, and I think the only statement that is likely to be untrue is that the child is "hardly" a genius. This is probably a gifted child, and :30 per set may even be a lazy pace.

Anonymous
Post 03/21/2014 10:25     Subject: No good teachers at BASIS High school?
Planet Algebralia.
Anonymous
Post 03/21/2014 10:06     Subject: No good teachers at BASIS High school?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Obviously PP's DS is some sort of a genius, because, as a Basis parent of two children myself, it is nigh impossible to do only 20-30 minutes of HW every night and get distinguished honor roll. Are there nights that my kids have very little hw because they did it in class or worked ahead or did it after school with their teachers during student hours? Sure! Is that a daily occurrence? No. Perhaps this student gets home after spending a few hours in school after care doing work. The kids take 8 graded subjects, most classes they have every day. That is about 15 minutes per class per week in HW. Even our elementary gave more hw than that starting in 1st or 2nd grade.


Hardly a genius. Above average, yes, but DS is mainly just focused on the task at hand. He does more than 30 minutes total work per day, but not at night as homework. And no, he doesn't have after school care beyond extra-curriculars. He uses the time given to him during class, which is usually enough.

Let's be honest -- not all of those 8 graded subjects are tough. Only math, English, and history possess any real depth beyond a regular school's curriculum. Art's a joke. Physics is a joke (at least in 6th). Latin is really, really slow. Biology and Chemistry are paced typically as middle school material goes, which doesn't say much. Each of those are 3 day/week classes, so they don't have as much homework as it sounds.

Math only requires what it requires. Some kids are faster than others (not necessarily better). DS doesn't have to apply any thought to all but 2-3 problems per set. The majority of each set is repetition of previous sets, which should already be mastered. It's designed to move along far better than you'd think. As a kid, I had to do 40-50 problems a night in both Algebra and Precalc, without all the Saxon-style repetition, so I know it isn't that hard to do 30 problems a night.

It's just the sheer number of classes, lack of preparation, and rapid pace that seems to get to the kids.

I get it -- there are exceptions, but hours of homework is not the rule. You had better be planning on it, but don't be shocked if your kids have less.


I think you are a straw man/woman, who will accomplish 2 very detrimental things. 1. Make the kids who came from good elementary schools feel inferior for no decent reason and 2. Attract more parents whose students are not willing to work.

Is that really to the benefit of anyone? It certainly can be detrimental to two other populations I have identified. I think you are a sock puppet or are sick


Why so much hate? Maybe he is brighter than we think, but we try not to make any such assumptions. I certainly don't follow your logical leaps.

30 minutes for 30 Saxon problems is definitely possible. I can do a set in 15 minutes. Whoopee. I know other kids need more time. I don't expect them to log onto DCUM and feel inferior because of it. If your kids are doing that, well, look in the mirror.


look in the mirror? What kind of a tiger mom / insufferable competitive person are you? Why does it matter how quickly YOU can do 30 Saxon problems? This is about your 6th grader, or so I thought. I think if you took a poll of 6th graders who are actually doing their homework, the average would be much more than 30 minutes.

You know you are an outlier, everyone here has told you that, so since your experience is not representative I suggest you stop posting it because you might make other parents worry that they are missing some magic bullet or make other parents think BASIS DC is no different than say, Deal or Latin. Neither of which are true. So I'm happy you and your kid are in the right school, but don't come on here and say your experience is typical, because it is not, or imply that it should be, because that is not true either. BTW, where did your kid come from?
Anonymous
Post 03/21/2014 09:15     Subject: No good teachers at BASIS High school?
Distinguished honor roll is better than 90's club-you get awarded whatever the highest level of achievement you get is, even though you get pins for everything, that's what you stand up for and get written up in the bulletin for as well. and though it's a percentage, my child best distinguished honor roll with a 98% average.
Anonymous
Post 03/21/2014 09:00     Subject: No good teachers at BASIS High school?
Anonymous wrote:I have yet to meet a parent/kid at Basis in person whose child has so little homework a night-lot virtually though. As an FYI, we know families in 5th, 6th and 7th grade, and have an honor roll student in 5th. And pp who said their kid has a 97/98 average and is in 90's club-that would get you distinguished honor roll, not 90's club. No CHILD I know in or out of Basis can do all 30 Saxon math problems in 15 minutes, just numbering the pages and writing the problems down take half that time. Again, having 20 minutes of homework a night in an accellerated program with 8 subjects and 30 math problems is impossible. The reading of choice required each week alone is more than that.


Actually, the Distinguished Honor Roll is only for the top 5% of the class. And if you make the Distinguished Honor Roll you also make the 90's club.

My DC always makes the 90's club. Only homework DC does at home is algebra, and that takes about 60 mins, because DC writes slow.
Anonymous
Post 03/21/2014 08:28     Subject: No good teachers at BASIS High school?
I have yet to meet a parent/kid at Basis in person whose child has so little homework a night-lot virtually though. As an FYI, we know families in 5th, 6th and 7th grade, and have an honor roll student in 5th. And pp who said their kid has a 97/98 average and is in 90's club-that would get you distinguished honor roll, not 90's club. No CHILD I know in or out of Basis can do all 30 Saxon math problems in 15 minutes, just numbering the pages and writing the problems down take half that time. Again, having 20 minutes of homework a night in an accellerated program with 8 subjects and 30 math problems is impossible. The reading of choice required each week alone is more than that.
Anonymous
Post 03/20/2014 20:20     Subject: No good teachers at BASIS High school?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Obviously PP's DS is some sort of a genius, because, as a Basis parent of two children myself, it is nigh impossible to do only 20-30 minutes of HW every night and get distinguished honor roll. Are there nights that my kids have very little hw because they did it in class or worked ahead or did it after school with their teachers during student hours? Sure! Is that a daily occurrence? No. Perhaps this student gets home after spending a few hours in school after care doing work. The kids take 8 graded subjects, most classes they have every day. That is about 15 minutes per class per week in HW. Even our elementary gave more hw than that starting in 1st or 2nd grade.


Hardly a genius. Above average, yes, but DS is mainly just focused on the task at hand. He does more than 30 minutes total work per day, but not at night as homework. And no, he doesn't have after school care beyond extra-curriculars. He uses the time given to him during class, which is usually enough.

Let's be honest -- not all of those 8 graded subjects are tough. Only math, English, and history possess any real depth beyond a regular school's curriculum. Art's a joke. Physics is a joke (at least in 6th). Latin is really, really slow. Biology and Chemistry are paced typically as middle school material goes, which doesn't say much. Each of those are 3 day/week classes, so they don't have as much homework as it sounds.

Math only requires what it requires. Some kids are faster than others (not necessarily better). DS doesn't have to apply any thought to all but 2-3 problems per set. The majority of each set is repetition of previous sets, which should already be mastered. It's designed to move along far better than you'd think. As a kid, I had to do 40-50 problems a night in both Algebra and Precalc, without all the Saxon-style repetition, so I know it isn't that hard to do 30 problems a night.

It's just the sheer number of classes, lack of preparation, and rapid pace that seems to get to the kids.

I get it -- there are exceptions, but hours of homework is not the rule. You had better be planning on it, but don't be shocked if your kids have less.


I think you are a straw man/woman, who will accomplish 2 very detrimental things. 1. Make the kids who came from good elementary schools feel inferior for no decent reason and 2. Attract more parents whose students are not willing to work.

Is that really to the benefit of anyone? It certainly can be detrimental to two other populations I have identified. I think you are a sock puppet or are sick


Why so much hate? Maybe he is brighter than we think, but we try not to make any such assumptions. I certainly don't follow your logical leaps.

30 minutes for 30 Saxon problems is definitely possible. I can do a set in 15 minutes. Whoopee. I know other kids need more time. I don't expect them to log onto DCUM and feel inferior because of it. If your kids are doing that, well, look in the mirror.
Anonymous
Post 03/20/2014 19:39     Subject: No good teachers at BASIS High school?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Obviously PP's DS is some sort of a genius, because, as a Basis parent of two children myself, it is nigh impossible to do only 20-30 minutes of HW every night and get distinguished honor roll. Are there nights that my kids have very little hw because they did it in class or worked ahead or did it after school with their teachers during student hours? Sure! Is that a daily occurrence? No. Perhaps this student gets home after spending a few hours in school after care doing work. The kids take 8 graded subjects, most classes they have every day. That is about 15 minutes per class per week in HW. Even our elementary gave more hw than that starting in 1st or 2nd grade.


Hardly a genius. Above average, yes, but DS is mainly just focused on the task at hand. He does more than 30 minutes total work per day, but not at night as homework. And no, he doesn't have after school care beyond extra-curriculars. He uses the time given to him during class, which is usually enough.

Let's be honest -- not all of those 8 graded subjects are tough. Only math, English, and history possess any real depth beyond a regular school's curriculum. Art's a joke. Physics is a joke (at least in 6th). Latin is really, really slow. Biology and Chemistry are paced typically as middle school material goes, which doesn't say much. Each of those are 3 day/week classes, so they don't have as much homework as it sounds.

Math only requires what it requires. Some kids are faster than others (not necessarily better). DS doesn't have to apply any thought to all but 2-3 problems per set. The majority of each set is repetition of previous sets, which should already be mastered. It's designed to move along far better than you'd think. As a kid, I had to do 40-50 problems a night in both Algebra and Precalc, without all the Saxon-style repetition, so I know it isn't that hard to do 30 problems a night.

It's just the sheer number of classes, lack of preparation, and rapid pace that seems to get to the kids.

I get it -- there are exceptions, but hours of homework is not the rule. You had better be planning on it, but don't be shocked if your kids have less.


I think you are a straw man/woman, who will accomplish 2 very detrimental things. 1. Make the kids who came from good elementary schools feel inferior for no decent reason and 2. Attract more parents whose students are not willing to work.

Is that really to the benefit of anyone? It certainly can be detrimental to two other populations I have identified. I think you are a sock puppet or are sick


NP here, I'm not sure I'd agree on that take. How would it make any kid feel inferior? And, how would it attract parents whose students are not willing to work? Basis is a very demanding school. PP may be lucky to have a kid who is more disciplined and well focused, not all kids are the same, in fact most mature and develop at different times and that's fine. We also have a Basis student who is in the 90s club with typically a 97-98% overall but it takes DC longer than a half hour - though DC doesn't often find time in class to do assignments. DC can typically get through the regular homework plus study for the following day's tests/etc in a half hour but a math problem set alone might easily add an additional hour or more (it varies, depending on the problems - and we also work ahead to keep it manageable), and sometimes other special projects like writing assignments or researching can also take up a bit of time. But that said, I don't find the workload unreasonable, it's comparable to what one would expect for any robust college prep school.
Anonymous
Post 03/20/2014 18:39     Subject: No good teachers at BASIS High school?
I still love Basis, as does my DC, so much so that DC2 can't wait to start in August.

As for DCUM vitriol, blah, blah, blah.

Anonymous
Post 03/20/2014 18:32     Subject: No good teachers at BASIS High school?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Obviously PP's DS is some sort of a genius, because, as a Basis parent of two children myself, it is nigh impossible to do only 20-30 minutes of HW every night and get distinguished honor roll. Are there nights that my kids have very little hw because they did it in class or worked ahead or did it after school with their teachers during student hours? Sure! Is that a daily occurrence? No. Perhaps this student gets home after spending a few hours in school after care doing work. The kids take 8 graded subjects, most classes they have every day. That is about 15 minutes per class per week in HW. Even our elementary gave more hw than that starting in 1st or 2nd grade.


Hardly a genius. Above average, yes, but DS is mainly just focused on the task at hand. He does more than 30 minutes total work per day, but not at night as homework. And no, he doesn't have after school care beyond extra-curriculars. He uses the time given to him during class, which is usually enough.

Let's be honest -- not all of those 8 graded subjects are tough. Only math, English, and history possess any real depth beyond a regular school's curriculum. Art's a joke. Physics is a joke (at least in 6th). Latin is really, really slow. Biology and Chemistry are paced typically as middle school material goes, which doesn't say much. Each of those are 3 day/week classes, so they don't have as much homework as it sounds.

Math only requires what it requires. Some kids are faster than others (not necessarily better). DS doesn't have to apply any thought to all but 2-3 problems per set. The majority of each set is repetition of previous sets, which should already be mastered. It's designed to move along far better than you'd think. As a kid, I had to do 40-50 problems a night in both Algebra and Precalc, without all the Saxon-style repetition, so I know it isn't that hard to do 30 problems a night.

It's just the sheer number of classes, lack of preparation, and rapid pace that seems to get to the kids.

I get it -- there are exceptions, but hours of homework is not the rule. You had better be planning on it, but don't be shocked if your kids have less.


I think you are a straw man/woman, who will accomplish 2 very detrimental things. 1. Make the kids who came from good elementary schools feel inferior for no decent reason and 2. Attract more parents whose students are not willing to work.

Is that really to the benefit of anyone? It certainly can be detrimental to two other populations I have identified. I think you are a sock puppet or are sick
Anonymous
Post 03/20/2014 15:56     Subject: No good teachers at BASIS High school?
Anonymous wrote:Obviously PP's DS is some sort of a genius, because, as a Basis parent of two children myself, it is nigh impossible to do only 20-30 minutes of HW every night and get distinguished honor roll. Are there nights that my kids have very little hw because they did it in class or worked ahead or did it after school with their teachers during student hours? Sure! Is that a daily occurrence? No. Perhaps this student gets home after spending a few hours in school after care doing work. The kids take 8 graded subjects, most classes they have every day. That is about 15 minutes per class per week in HW. Even our elementary gave more hw than that starting in 1st or 2nd grade.


Hardly a genius. Above average, yes, but DS is mainly just focused on the task at hand. He does more than 30 minutes total work per day, but not at night as homework. And no, he doesn't have after school care beyond extra-curriculars. He uses the time given to him during class, which is usually enough.

Let's be honest -- not all of those 8 graded subjects are tough. Only math, English, and history possess any real depth beyond a regular school's curriculum. Art's a joke. Physics is a joke (at least in 6th). Latin is really, really slow. Biology and Chemistry are paced typically as middle school material goes, which doesn't say much. Each of those are 3 day/week classes, so they don't have as much homework as it sounds.

Math only requires what it requires. Some kids are faster than others (not necessarily better). DS doesn't have to apply any thought to all but 2-3 problems per set. The majority of each set is repetition of previous sets, which should already be mastered. It's designed to move along far better than you'd think. As a kid, I had to do 40-50 problems a night in both Algebra and Precalc, without all the Saxon-style repetition, so I know it isn't that hard to do 30 problems a night.

It's just the sheer number of classes, lack of preparation, and rapid pace that seems to get to the kids.

I get it -- there are exceptions, but hours of homework is not the rule. You had better be planning on it, but don't be shocked if your kids have less.