BASIS Silicon Valley: should I send my son to this private school?

Parents Forum
101

<p>If your child is lucky enough to be bored to tears only in math class, then perhaps it is worth pursuing alternate options for math. Is there a test for the next year’s math class which your child could use to place out? Even if they will not allow your child to enroll in a higher level of math class, perhaps they can be convinced not to force your child to waste her time in the next year’s class, and have a study hall instead. That would give her more time to pursue other interests, which might include some other form of math learning. You could hire a private math tutor for a fraction of what you’d be paying for that school. </p>

<p>Don’t neglect travel time. If your child saves 40 minutes of boredom in math class, but spends an extra 40 minutes traveling to and from school each day, it might not turn out as helpful as you may think. </p>

102

<p>I thought I would share my families experience with Basis. The first thing most families that attend Basis will tell you is that it is not for everyone, and this cannot be stressed enough.</p>

<p>Currently there are 10 Basis schools in AZ with two more opening up, not sure where the other poster got their numbers. Many of these locations have waiting lists to get in for the lower grades, high school it is much easier.</p>

<p>For those interested, the Geometry is included in the Algebra II book. They use the Saxon Math series and they have the Geo built into their Algebra series.</p>

<p>When new schools open they have a slower pace and allow the student to get acclimated to the rigor, the second year a little more intense and by the third year it is up to speed with the other Basis locations ie all freshmen are expected to be in PreCalc (not sure if this is written in stone though)</p>

<p>Basis is a very competitive school but they do offer a lot of support such as teacher tutoring hours and peer tutoring, that being said they will not wait for anyone so it is up to the student to get the appropriate help and catch up. </p>

<p>The lower grades are great because some of our elementary and middle schools can be sub-optimal. When families enter Basis, it doesn’t take more than a quarter to realize whether it is a good fit for them, some will leave after the first year but many will stay. </p>

<p>Basis does drop a lot of students but the vast majority is after 8th grade when many families decide they want a more traditional High School experience. (D1 sports etc)The ones that stay are the very motivated.</p>

<p>To a certain extent the schools demographics are determined by its location, ours has quite a few engineering companies in town thus we have a lot of Asians and Asian/Indians, so many of the parents share the OP’s intensity for education.</p>

<p>We have an 8th grader and a 9th grader. One STEM one not. Both came from a rigorous elementary school but my oldest (STEM) went straight into Basis for 7th grade. The youngest (Non STEM) decided to go a different route and went into a district gifted school.</p>

<p>The oldest was supremely happy while my younger one found the lack of seriousness towards academics to be troubling. As my oldest approached the end of middle school we had him tour the local high schools and some of the private schools in our area. He ended up opting for Basis to finish high school. </p>

<p>My second did not want to finish middle school in her gifted program and asked to go to Basis for 8th grade. She is not my STEM kid but we wanted her to have a voice in where she went so we moved her to Basis for this year. She went from a 3.85 GPA at her old school to a 2.5 at Basis. Definitely not ideal but she seems happier. </p>

<p>As we did for her older sibling, she has had the opportunity to tour several high schools in preparation for next year but she has also decided to stay at Basis. My wife and I have misgivings but she is adamant so she has been enrolled for next year.</p>

<p>Before sending a child to Basis, I would make sure that it is what the child wants. All of our children can do amazing things especially if they want to but to stick a child into Basis who is unsure will not yield a good result. Moreover, be sure that you can stand to watch your child work hard because it will get intense for them. </p>

<p>As I said earlier this school is not for everyone. </p>

<p>Here in AZ Basis is a charter school, so it is free. But every family is “expected” to contribute to an annual teacher’s fund. Usually $1500.00 per year, per family. A bargain considering the 25K the OP is willing to pay.</p>

<p>I hope this helps. Sorry for the long post.</p>

103

<p>Hello–Ok, so I have a child who is in 8th grade at BASIS Scottsdale (which was just ranked #1 charter school, and #2 High School by US News & World Report). Before answering the OP’s question, I feel compelled to counter some misconceptions about the school: 1) it has NO testing requirement–there is simply no way to “test” into the school; 2) it has an open enrollment–you put in your name and you take your chances; 3) it is NOT a magnet program, nor is it geared solely toward “gifted and talented” students; 4) it does NOT focus solely on STEM at the expense of the arts–this is a really critical misconception. My child has drama class five days a week. She has art five days a week. If she could play an instrument, she could have band or orchestra five days a week. In fact, at BASIS, she can take AP Art History, AP Music Theory, and/or AP Art Studio; 5) it is not for “rich white kids”–BASIS Scottsdale has a 42% non-Caucasian enrollment and kids from every economic stratum; 6) it is not centered on “standardized tests”–while its curriculum is AP-based, students are hardly “taught to the test.” Instead, they are taught to read, to think, to reason, to question, to engage, and to learn.</p>

<p>So, those are the misconceptions, now to the truths: BASIS is hard. However, it is not impossibly hard. Think about this for a second: how many hours does your son or daughter spend with their Playstation (or its equivalent) during the week? Now, what if he/she devoted some of that time to reading, math, or music? Would that be “hard?” Yes, harder than moving your thumbs. Would that be “impossible?” Not at all. It takes will; it takes circumspection; and it takes long-sightedness. While scoring a 780/780/800 on the SAT does not “guarantee” success later in life; reaching level 5 of Grand Theft Auto (I have no idea if that is an actual thing that one can do) is almost certainly not going to “guarantee” anything (other than, perhaps, a higher BMI). I would also wager that the pride and wonder you feel as a parent when your son or daughter comes home with a 98% on an AP Calculus test as a 13 year old will be at least slightly higher than when she or he gets a high score on a video game.</p>

<p>As to the criticisms leveled by some about the math curriculum at BASIS, you’re kidding right. My daughter is in AP Calculus AB as an 8th grader. She will take AP Calc BC as a 9th grader, AP Statistics in 10th grade, and then she can take post-AP classes in number theory, finite mathematics, or a host of other classes in 11th and 12th grade. </p>

<p>Simply put, we feel so fortunate that we found BASIS Scottsdale and that our child could attend. It is an amazing school. Several of the teachers and administrators there are moving to Silicon Valley. I do not know how a private model will impact the school; nor do I know whether a private model can replicate the success of an open enrollment model. However, I know that the BASIS model here works amazingly well. Good luck to you</p>

104

<p>

</p>

<p>Looks like the school offers rhetoric but not informal logic. </p>

105

<p>Someone got back to BASIS corporate about this thread! </p>

106

<p>“Someone got back to BASIS corporate about this thread!”</p>

<p>No, someone who actually knows something about BASIS because he has a kid who goes there saw this thread. Imagine as you wish, project as you wish, deny as you wish; but (to borrow from John Adams) “facts are stubborn things.” If you really want to know something about the actual school (in contradistinction to your conjured, imagined school), why not ask? If you just want to fill some time during the day by appropriating a snarky and inflammatory persona on an internet forum, well, you would hardly be the first.</p>

107

<p>Two first-time posters, with similar experiences, posting within 35 minutes of each other on a thread that is two-weeks old. About a for-profit/non-profit school. It’s one of those things that make you go “hmmmm.” Yes, I’m skeptical.</p>

108

<p>I’m skeptical too-- especially since there are already very good public and private high school choices in the Bay Area that are not for profit and have been around for decades. Not sure why anyone would choose a new for profit school over the other choices. </p>

109

<p>“Yes, I’m skeptical.”</p>

<p>Of course you are skeptical. Unwarranted, ill-conceived, and unsound skepticism is the life’s blood of the internet. You are correct that my previous post was my first post, because maybe you didn’t notice, but my kid is in 8th grade. I have been reading forum posts on this site for a while (hence the screen name–I recognize that obsessing about colleges for an 8th grader is a tad neurotic). Also, the #2 rating of BASIS Scottsdale was just released (it was 5th last year). I used the search option on this site to see if anyone else was talking about the impact that attending BASIS might have on admissions, and I found that this thread is the only thread (as far as I can tell) that mentions BASIS. Then, I started reading the comments and saw how ill-informed (willingly, at times, it seems) some posters are. I am very proud of BASIS. I am very proud of the accomplishments of the kids that go there. I know dozens of them in both my daughter’s grade and in other grades, and I know their parents. I think it is unfair to ignorantly presume (as many do) that the accomplishments of the students, the teachers, the administration, and the families is anything less than the result of hard work and dedication; that somehow, there has to be some other explanation for their success. So, you are not–sad to say–the embodiment of Hercule Poirot, Rather, you exemplify precisely the type of churlish and misinformed reactionism that prompted my post in the first place.</p>

110

<p>No need for personal attacks. I made an observation—a legitimate one—and expressed skepticism. You came back with insults rather than explanation. If you want to represent for your school, I suggest you come off the defensive and try for a dialogue. You’re not doing the program any favors with your current approach. JMO. </p>

111

<p>Except that you didn’t make an “observation,” you posted a glib and flippant comment that implied that my post was made by an employee. Thus, however one characterizes your post, it was hardly “legitimate.” Rather, it was predicated on a fallacy. Furthermore, BASIS is not my school. It is my child’s school. In any event, BASIS applauds students who challenge positions that are not grounded in fact or logic. Hopefully, they will applaud parents who do the same thing.</p>

112

<p>Yes, you are spoiling the good impression made by the guy who posted before you. </p>

<p>Another question: doesn’t California have charter schools? Why is BASIS going in as a private in California? Are the rules too restrictive in some way to allow for it to be a charter? Every state is different I know. </p>

113

<p>I don’t know if California has charter schools. My understanding is that even in states (or DC) that permit charters, the charter laws sometimes require the schools to adhere to the state’s mandated curriculum or teacher licensing protocol (BASIS does not require a teaching certificate. Instead, it requires a degree in the field that the teacher teaches). I know that there were a lot of stories about how BASIS had to fight in DC pretty hard to use its curriculum rather than the mandated curriculum. There is also likely a money issue. No matter how highly I think of BASIS, I am not naïve enough to think that the Blocks are purely altruistic. They are successful and they are talented and they have figured out how to make a historically very difficult thing (high school + teenagers) work. They likely (and maybe they are correct) figure that they are entitled to reap the reward of their success and talents.</p>

<p>Sorry to be biting in my comments, but I see similar reactionary posts on other forums that are totally bereft of actual facts, and I know how hard my kid, our family, and the school has worked to achieve what it has achieved. So, I am defensive about what is truly something remarkable.</p>

114

<p>At least you picked an appropriate user name. </p>

115

<p>CA has charter schools and Santa Clara County has many of them. This is a choice.</p>

116

<p>@neuroticdad , My son is a rising senior at one of the BASIS schools. He is all done with his APs and this year they are having him take some capstone courses. Initially, he was supposed to take one AP courses, but now they replacing it with Math capstone. I am not sure about those courses and how they look in his college applications. He also will be doing some research internship during the second half of his school year.
Would you please shed some light on this ? Do you think he should take more APs ? As of now he has a total of 11 APs. Thanks</p>

117

<p>@dildil–I wish I had some insight on your question. My daughter is only in 8th grade. She is taking two AP courses this year (Calculus AB and World History). I don’t know what the colleges think of the capstone courses. I know that they just started a new AP program (AP Seminar, I think it is called?) at BASIS where, rather than take an AP test, the kids present an “AP Paper” (like a master’s thesis). I may be naïve or just engaged in wishful thinking, but compared to the rest of the college-bound population, 11 AP tests is still really impressive (especially if he did well on the tests). BASIS Scottsdale has a new college counselor this year who used to be an admissions officer. She should have some insight on the appeal of those capstone courses. You may want to speak with her. Good luck to you and your son.</p>

118

<p>I’m not a BASIS parents, but I also have a rising senior. From what I’ve been told, 11 APs are in the sweet spot for even the most selective universities. I think the research internship and other more unique capstone courses and projects—especially those that are at a post-AP level—would probably be more interesting for him and more apt to capture the attention of adcoms. There’s nothing magic about AP. </p>

119

<p>Thanks for your information regarding the new college counselor at BASIS Scottsdale. My daughter is graduating this year from the same school. She however, took a total of 12 APs including the five she is taking this year as a senior[ she started going to BASIS as a sophomore]. She got into awesome schools including two Ivies. Your daughter seems really smart as she is taking Calculus AB in 8th grade. My son took the same course as a sophomore and is taking Calculus BC this year. Do you know which math course your daughter will be taking next year ?</p>

120

<p>@dildil–Thanks. Our daughter will be taking BC next year. Congratulations to your daughter! How fantastic. We got the e-mail with the list of acceptances. I don’t think people who don’t have kids at BASIS understand what it is like to get those e-mails and see that a school with a graduating class of 36 got 4 of them into Stanford, 7 of them into Berkeley, 6 into UCLA, and 3 into Brown (not to mention the Harvard, Dartmouth, Northwestern, USC, UNC, Wash. U, Johns Hopkins, and others). It is just amazing to us. Congratulations again, and good luck with your son.</p>