what criticism do you have about aiken

They have posted a ton of teaching positions on the NAIS website. Reminds me that teachers make a school so who they hire will greatly shape this school. Too much of an unknown for me to even look at it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would
They flat out ignore ieps? Come on. There's more to the story.

Sounds pretty typical for charters or for profit schools. Yet excuses are made to explain away the problem.

I'm the PP Basis DC parent who said I didn't know why. I know what happened - not the motives.

My kid has an IEP - was supposed to get about 5 hours a month of specialized instruction that first year. They couldn't seem to figure out how to deliver the services by pushing into the classroom and were concerned that pulling him out would result in him being hopelessly behind. They were unable/unwilling to adjust the curriculum in even simple ways. And honestly they were unprepared for how profound some children's needs were (not my child's, but others who were 2-4 grade levels behind). It was a perfect storm.

Part of the reason we stayed there was because as public school they HAVE to figure that out. We pushed hard, got a lawyer and things got much better for everyone the next year when they brought in more experienced administrators and teachers with special education skills. Ironically my kid loves the school.

I'm ambivalent about them starting an independent school in the DMV - but wanted to chime in here because Aiken was part of fixing things after a bumpy start. He shouldn't get tagged with that particular criticism.

Anonymous wrote:Why would
They flat out ignore ieps? Come on. There's more to the story.

Sounds pretty typical for charters or for profit schools. Yet excuses are made to explain away the problem.

Why would
They flat out ignore ieps? Come on. There's more to the story.

Anonymous wrote:So, as a private school in McLean, do they provide any special education services?

That is a question to ask at an info session. As an independent school they would not be required to.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All hype. Kids can take ap anywhere. One test tells you if the kids get credit or not. Sounds perfect for a non profit
And Sean is no leader. He got DC investigated.

Obviously this poster was FIRED by Basis DC, so not sure how much credence I would give this opinion. Basis DC was investigated because of lack of special ed services being provided the first year (before Sean Aiken's tenure). To say it was Sean Aiken who was investigated is not only disingenuous, it is a lie.
Former Basis DC parent whose child opted to leave for a larger HS experience.

It's not obvious to me that she was fired.

Why didn't they provide special Ed services?

I believe she was fired based on the misinformation that she was purporting. One thing I loved about the school was their willingness and ability to fire ineffective teachers.

Additionally, no other school allows 8th graders to take AP classes.
Perhaps she could provide some valid criticism using complete sentences.

So, as a private school in McLean, do they provide any special education services?

Year 1 in DC BASIS ignored several IEPS and simply didn't provide required services (e.g. x hours with a reading specialist or SLP). No clue why and it was dumb. There were investigations by the US Dept of Ed and the DC Public Charter School Board and BASIS fired people. During Aiken's tenure the school hired a new head of special education services and additional specialists.

This is all a matter of public record, as was the fact that the DCPCSB 'cleared' them last year after 2+ years of monitoring.

That said, virtually every public school gets sued at some point for its failures on the special ed front. Sometimes for not providing services, sometimes for missing legal deadlines and sometimes because parents of kids with special needs and the schools disagree on whether the quality or quantity of the services is sufficient.

-Current BASIS DC parent who has been at the school for 3+ years

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All hype. Kids can take ap anywhere. One test tells you if the kids get credit or not. Sounds perfect for a non profit
And Sean is no leader. He got DC investigated.

Obviously this poster was FIRED by Basis DC, so not sure how much credence I would give this opinion. Basis DC was investigated because of lack of special ed services being provided the first year (before Sean Aiken's tenure). To say it was Sean Aiken who was investigated is not only disingenuous, it is a lie.
Former Basis DC parent whose child opted to leave for a larger HS experience.

It's not obvious to me that she was fired.

Why didn't they provide special Ed services?

Anonymous wrote:All hype. Kids can take ap anywhere. One test tells you if the kids get credit or not. Sounds perfect for a non profit
And Sean is no leader. He got DC investigated.

Obviously this poster was FIRED by Basis DC, so not sure how much credence I would give this opinion. Basis DC was investigated because of lack of special ed services being provided the first year (before Sean Aiken's tenure). To say it was Sean Aiken who was investigated is not only disingenuous, it is a lie.
Former Basis DC parent whose child opted to leave for a larger HS experience.