<p>BASIS has 3 charter schools in my state and they are free. The curriculum is the same as that described for the SV one. I know many very intelligent kids who go there and they are flourishing. I also know a lot who went to BASIS for one year and have come back to the public school or gone to other private schools with more flexibility and EC’s. The kids who graduate from BASIS are highly competitive but there is a definite lack of extracurricular activities other than music. I have a senior graduating from HS and one entering HS next year - both fit the profile for kids who would do well at BASIS academically. We live in a well-regarded public school district and they would have revolted at being sent to BASIS. </p>
<p>FWIW, my senior got top scores on her standardized tests, had more AP classes offered at her public school than she could take and is going to a top ten university for engineering with a good scholarship. </p>
<p>Yes, because only already-elite students can keep up with the curriculum. For example, the lowest of several math tracks is two years advanced compared to the US norm. That can “weed out” non-elite students, including the OP’s kid, who is only one year advanced compared to the US norm in math.</p>
<p>There are regular private schools in the area which will offer the opportunities for elite super-advanced students, but not overwhelm the advanced-but-not-super-advanced students like the OP’s kid. At such a school, the OP’s kid would have the opportunity to step it up, but will not be left behind if he is overwhelmed trying to do so. Some of the public schools may have similar offerings for super-advanced students in some subjects, possibly through arrangements with local community colleges.</p>
<p>After reading some info about the schools and comments here, I would also be worried about how well-rounded the curriculum is. Admission to the most elite colleges, require that even STEM students have superior English/Reading skills in addition to the kind of advanced Math/Science background that BASIS promises. </p>
<p>Very few schools have great music programs, amazing sports programs, and other amazing additions. Take academic lessons at the school, and join in advanced orchestras, participate in high up club sports all outside of school. Push your child to take action in your community (downtown) through organizing events, hosting community-wide clubs etc. It is a bit of a gamble, I guess. If he succeeds, he really succeeds. If he doesn’t try, he will fail dramatically.</p>
<p>On another viewpoint, UK schools only care about Academics. Their schools are fairer priced and also rank near the top in multiple world rankings. So do many other countries’ schools. If he doesn’t feel confident applying to US schools, UK schools are just as great. Good luck!</p>
<p>Considering that you say your child is in a good school already, I don’t know why you would want to switch. Is he unhappy? Does he not have a good group of friends? Are the kids who would be at this school going to be the sort of kids he’d enjoy being with? </p>
<p>As far as I can tell, it sounds like your main complaint is that your current school limits kids to one science class per year. I don’t think that’s a good policy, but it hardly seems worth pulling your child away from friends and an otherwise good school and spending well over $100K. Does your child even WANT to take so many AP science classes? For that much money, you could buy all kinds of interesting summer science experiences, or commute to take a course a local college which may have science courses that are better than AP anyhow. Seems like a waste to pay all that just for an AP class. </p>
<p>This school seems very narrowly focused on pushing everyone through the maximum number of AP classes. It’s new with no track record and you cannot find out how the kids like it, how good the teachers are, what activities are available, etc. I think it would be crazy to take your child out of a good situation and pay a fortune for that kind of risk.</p>
<p>" But I really want to know how many kids can met their requirements." I’m not sure exactly what you mean by this. By the end of high school, my daughter will have done most of the APs specifically mentioned in their curriculum, if that’s what you mean by meeting their requirements. However, her school doesn’t generally have courses more advanced than AP. It’s not clear what “capstone” classes would be. Also, it’s a little hard from that info to see what the actual schedule would look like–looks like they can in theory take 2 science classes, but do they actually have room in their schedule for that?</p>
<p>I would also think from looking at where the high school curriculum begins that getting to those capstone classes assumes that students have had accelerated math and science from a fairly early age. Of course, some kids who are taking pre-algebra in 7th grade would be able to “catch-up” (seems a weird word to use in this context when a child is already working slightly above grade level but I digress…). Still, I would assume the 5-8 curriculum would be key to being able to take full advantage of the most advanced offerings in the 9-12 curriculum. That makes it hard for those who come to the program “late”. </p>
<p>Since OP lives in SV, where there are a wealth of excellent enrichment programs for bright and motivated STEM students, I would advise looking more carefully at those options in combination with a good public or more traditional private school. And I think that’s what he’s doing.</p>
<p>BASIS is an interesting program for some kids (not all), but I would hesitate to have my child be among the first to enroll. (I use the pancake analogy…When I make pancakes, the first couple often don’t turn out right because the heat is wrong or there’s too much oil on the griddle as I try to get everything working together. I feed those pancakes to the dog. You don’t want to do that with kids.) </p>
<p>Of course, not to point out the obvious, if you are an Asian kid, by going to a school like BASIS is really not going to help out with college application. An Asian kid going to a performing arts high school may stand out more. Just saying.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider is how your son is doing. Why is he in pre-algebra this year? Do you feel that placement was appropriate or is it way too easy and boring for him? Is he asking for more accelerated math? Does he read math books on his own? Is he enthusiastic about math competitions? </p>
<p>Algebra1 and geometry are important courses. I think it would be a huge mistake to just skip them and plunge into more advanced math classes. If he feels his current math program is too easy for him, if he’s getting top grades with little effort and would like more challenge, then why not accelerate him with an online class, summer school, private tutor, self-study, whatever, and get him through both algebra and geometry before high school? There are also a lot of opportunities for competitive math, summer math camps, etc. </p>
<p>With regard to the previously mentioned odd structure of this math program (two years for highly advanced students to take calculus), our school does that also. There are two reasons for it. One is that many of the kids in our school have been accelerated too fast in math starting in middle school, and they struggle in high school. The other is that when kids are taking many APs in a school where it’s the norm to take 8 courses, not just 6, the kids simply have less time per class both for instruction and for homework (no study hall) and it’s hard for some of them to get through BC in a year.</p>
<p>Looking back at the BASIS math curriculum, one way they are getting the kids through calculus faster is they seem to be skipping geometry entirely. I think that’s a bad idea. Perhaps it’s combined with algebra2? It’s odd they don’t mention what happened to geometry. </p>
<p>With regard to “meeting their qualifications” one of my kids did algebra 1 in 5th grade, so she could potentially have followed their green track in math. I know of a few students in our community who are comparably advanced, or are talented enough to have done a track like this if they’d had that opportunity. In a place like SV, I expect they could find enough such students to make a class of them. Not so in our area. </p>
<p>Our district has math placement test at 5th grade. My son is young, he will be 13 by the end of this year. At that moment, he was not placed on the fast track,which he can finish algebra1 in 7th grade. He will has a chance to take geometry in next summer before 9th grade. But top top students will also have a chance to take algebra2 at summer to keep one year ahead him. </p>
<p>OP,
you are going to make your Son unnecessarily anxious with your hyper competitive obsession that other kids are going to be ahead of HIM!
do yourself and him a BIG favor and RELAX. . His world will not END if he is not the #1 or #2 or #5 student in HS. !
IF HE has told you that he is TRULY interested in learning physics or math at an accelerated pace , AND he has the opportunity to do so with enrichment programs, classes, or activities, then let HIM decide IF he wants to pursue those options.
This is a child, not a HORSE. And he is NOT in a race where there can be ONLY one winner.
sheesh…</p>
<p>I understood not to push as a parent. Only try to let you know his situation. We never ask him to be top top student. But we support him if he can. Thanks for your advice.</p>
<p>So your school has a more advanced track, but he did not qualify on the placement test. So, he may be in the right place for him. Or, if he underperformed on that test, he may be in a class which is too easy. But now he’s been in that track for nearly two years so you should have a pretty good idea if he’s in the right track. But if he’s not been able to keep up with the highest group in his current school I can’t understand why you would go to so much trouble and expense to send him to an even more challenging school.</p>
<p>What other kids may or may not be doing really isn’t relevant to what is right for him. So, maybe there are some students who will finish algebra2 before 9th grade. Once you start playing that game you will never be happy because there are certainly kids his age who have already finished all of high school math. So, where does it end? My daughter finished precalculus. But it wasn’t because some other kids were doing whatever they were doing. It was because she loved math her entire life, <em>she</em> wanted to work hard at it, and this acceleration was one of the few things we do to keep her engaged and challenged in her otherwise way-too-easy school program. And yes, I know of a local kid who was a year ahead of my daughter. That didn’t matter, because she was in a track that was good for her.</p>
<p>Just make sure he is appropriately challenged. If he thinks math is really easy, and if he is interested in working harder and trying to join the group he didn’t test into, then find a way to get him that extra year of math. If he seems happy with his current program and has to work for grades that aren’t always perfect, then don’t worry about it.</p>
<p>His math should be one year ahead. It is too easy for him to study pre-algebra. I evaluate his level is: algebra 1 A- and geometry B. Otherwise he cann’t get 660 on SAT1 math.</p>
<p>I would not use the SAT for math placement. Has he been doing competitive math? Or how would he would have learned these things? </p>
<p>If math is too easy for him then have him do both algebra1 and geometry over the next year. I suggest doing algebra1 over the summer and then joining the more advanced group for geometry next year. Algebra1 is pretty easy, there’s a lot of overlap with “pre-algebra”, so he could probably learn it on his own from a textbook with a little assistance from you. There are also plenty of other ways to learn it.</p>
<p>Middle school and high school is a time for important personal and emotional growth.</p>
<p>I wonder how students who attend schools like BASIS fare later on when it comes to life skills and maturity. You might think they can do their exploration and participation in activities like athletics, arts, volunteer work, etc., outside of school – but with that intense curriculum, do they have time?</p>
<p>Your child is not a number or a test score. He is a person – and as a parent you need to pay attention to the whole person. The most important thing you can look for in choosing a school for him is finding a place where he can feel confident and happy. “Happy” is pretty hard to find, though at least we can all do our best to avoid “miserable” … but I was fortunate in that both of my kids really enjoyed their respective high school experiences. </p>
<p>I agree, and it seems like there is almost no flexibility in BASIS. What happens if the workload from so many APs is more than he can comfortably handle? What if his priority isn’t to take the most possible AP’s but to focus on other things in high school? It seems there is no place for students like that at the BASIS school. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t send my own middle schooler to that school, even if it were free, and I doubt our high school is as good as what you have in SV. She’ll take most of the AP classes on that list and she’ll also take electives in the arts which are important to her and don’t seem to be available at BASIS. And there’s no way she would want to leave her friends or miss out on some of the activities and social scene at her school.</p>
<p>Okay, so I googled BASIS. Turns out we have one here, and another is soon to open. That jogged my memory that I met a guy who was sending his daughter to the local BASIS. I tried to remember more about the circumstances and about what he said to me, but couldn’t. (My impression of the man was not favorable. I remember thinking “this guy is nuts” and being eager for him to step away. But that’s not fair for me to share, is it?)</p>
<p>I googled BASIS to see what the primary criticisms are. The first is that the programs’ drop out rate is 66%. Looking at one of the early AZ schools, only 1/3 of the original students, the original middle schoolers, made it to graduation. Many kids just can’t do the work. This is from a self selected cadre of kids and parents who are very STEM oriented. The second isn’t so relevant to the OP’s situation: the charter schools are full of hidden fees, their education has been described as a la carte. That has the effect of driving out lower income students. The classrooms end up looking overwhelmingly white even in places with large Hispanic populations. </p>
<p>I didn’t find much more info about the math programs, which are what I find the most troubling and curious. If I had a math superstar, I would be wary of putting him in a program that speeds him through high school math (except Geometry), slows him down for Calculus, and then can’t guarantee that he will have post Calculus math for the last two to three years of high school. </p>
<p>I’m puzzled as to how these schools can be successful with a 66% noncompletion rate. Why would a parent pay so much money to send their child to a school knowing that the majority of kids are going to leave the school? The social situation must be a disaster in a school with so much turnover. If the majority of kids are unable to do the work, what kind of grades are they getting? How is the workload affecting their lives?</p>
<p>I noticed they are a little vague on the non-AP offerings. This may be unavoidable in some subjects but if they offer multivariable calc or differential equations, why isn’t that listed in their course sequence?</p>
<p>The other BASIS schools are (public) charter schools. They are nominally free, although from what Lizardly says, they turn out not to be free.</p>
<p>I too don’t know why you’d send a brilliant mathy kid to one of those schools. The curriculum seems so regimented, and so lacking in the kind of mathematical creativity and exploration I’d want if I had a young math star. It seems like a school designed to check off boxes rather than learn for the sake of learning.</p>