BASIS
INDEPENDENT
BROOKLYN
WELCOME TO
BASIS
INDEPENDENT
BROOKLYN.
YOUR
COMMUNITY
AND YOUR
UNBOUNDED
OPPORTUNITIES.
Table of Contents
01WELCOME
05TEACHERS + CURRICULUM =
WHAT OUR CHIEF SCHOOLS OFFICER SAYS
“When I talk to new teachers, I say: It is your job to make these children want more.”
Carolyn McGarvey, BASIS.ed Chief Schools Officer
WHAT OUR TEACHERS SAY
“Everyone has that one teacher who has left a lasting impact, who made you love science
or love French. Usually, it is just that—one teacher or a handful of teachers who changed
your life as a student. At BASIS Independent, we're all that one teacher, striving to foster
the most academically rich and engaging experience possible for each of our students.”
Mike Mandeville, French Teacher
“I love teaching at BASIS Independent because every day I get to work with like-minded
colleagues who are passionate about education and making their subject come alive
for their students. Every teacher and staff member is equally invested in creating and
fostering a learning environment that will help our students be successful in the classroom
and in the real world.”
UNBOUNDED OPPORTUNITY
Teachers
The BASIS.ed Diploma
Curriculum
The Co-Curriculum: Sports, Clubs & Activities
Senior Projects
22
OUR RESULTS
Global Results
National Results
AP/PSAT/ACT/SAT Results
AP Seminar & Research
28
STAY IN TOUCH
Jessica Wolf, Math Teacher
“Teachers at BASIS Independent bring extra enrichment into the classroom. The
teachers here have an intimate knowledge of these concepts because of their industry
background. They connect concepts to real-world experiences to introduce deeper
thinking, comprehension, and creativity. Teachers are encouraged to go outside of their
boundaries and bring in their personal flavor and interests to engage and excite students.”
Dr. Anuradha Murthy, Biology Teacher
“Teaching at BASIS Independent enables me to engage my students with the rigor of
a college class while sharing my passion and love for my subject area of English. I've
never felt more fulfilled in my work as a teacher as I do at BASIS Independent.”
Steve D’Amato, English Teacher
“I love that my child is challenged by a rigorous,
well-rounded curriculum and I love that he is
surrounded by bright, motivated students who
help challenge him. He’s absolutely thriving at
BASIS Independent and has been truly inspired
by engineering and music classes. He loves
learning advanced math and history, and in
general enjoys being in an “older kid” school
with lockers and different teachers for each
subject. It’s amazing that he will take Latin,
geography, and so many other interesting
classes.”
— BASIS Independent Parent
Dear Reader,
Welcome to BASIS Independent Brooklyn. The following pages showcase
the unbounded opportunity that is available to your child as part of the
BASIS.ed community.
WELCOME!
When the BASIS.ed network of schools was formed in 1998, co-founders
Dr. Michael and Olga Block were pursuing the answer to a simple question:
What happens when world class academic standards, those upheld in the best
education systems around the globe, are combined with the spirit of American
creativity, the entrepreneurialism that is so deeply woven into the fabric of
our culture?
The answer to this question, discovered in our first school in Arizona, is
now the driving force behind our network of 28 schools around the world,
a network lauded both for top academic performance and student satisfaction.
The answer to the question builds the foundation for a future so bright,
a future of unbounded opportunity as our children determine just who they
want to be and how they want to carry on their adult lives.
As we look to the future for our children, in this time of great uncertainty and
complexity, we acknowledge that to build a rewarding life today requires us
both to embrace the adventure of continual redefinition and refinement, but
also to hold firm to what is solid and true and timeless. To uphold our great
contributions to the world, new skills must be gained and competencies honed.
Our program, rooted in the Liberal Arts and Sciences, is designed to foster
these new skills and competencies. As much as the BASIS.ed diploma ensures
deep content mastery in all disciplines, it stands out in the challenge and
opportunity it offers to students. Students stretch the limit of what is possible,
combining information and knowledge in novel ways, fueling discovery of self,
the world around them, and the world that doesn’t quite exist yet.
The following pages tell only the partial story of BASIS Independent Brooklyn.
We invite you to immerse yourself in our community. Visit us for an Information
Session, explore our website, or talk to our parents, students, and teachers.
What you will find is an intimate learning community preparing students to
be participants, not spectators, in the 21st Century world of commerce and
innovation.
Sincerely,
Peter Bezanson
CEO BASIS.ed
01
BASIS.ed
EDUCATES
STUDENTS
TO THE
HIGHEST
INTERNATIONAL
LEVELS
HOW?
TEACHERS + CURRICULUM =
UNBOUNDED OPPORTUNITY
TEACHERS +
CURRICULUM =
UNBOUNDED
OPPORTUNITY
It really is very simple. Ask any BASIS.ed student what makes their school different and they will first tell you,
“the teachers.” Teachers who love teaching, teach students to love learning.
We believe that high-level subject matter expertise, coupled with the passion to inspire students, are the
most important ingredients to teach content knowledge, creative thinking, and problem solving to the
highest international levels.
Thus, our teacher recruitment process is highly selective and we hire only the most qualified teachers. Upon
selection as top candidates, prospective teachers are challenged to teach a lesson during one of our regular
Demo-Teach Days. Only the teachers who are highly ranked by both students and faculty are hired to
be BASIS.ed teachers.
At BASIS Independent Brooklyn, the classroom is sacrosanct and student–teacher interaction is the essential
CO-CREATIVE educational activity. The value we place on nurturing this relationship is evident in how we
allocate our resources and the deep signs of respect we show toward teachers and the learning process.
Teachers open the minds of our students to their disciplines and teach them how to learn. This true
partnership and mutual respect is unmistakable in our academic community. Dialogue flows freely.
Support—academic and otherwise—is always available. Students grow to learn that they can always find
a champion in their teachers. Our teachers are answerable with regard to ensuring they establish and
nurture this connection with each student.
BASIS.ed teachers are authentic professionals. They work in a collegial culture in which they are held
professionally accountable for student learning. That responsibility is complemented by the freedom we
accord them as professionals to craft their own classroom learning culture so that they are able to do what
they do best: light the fire of learning in every child.
05
THE TEACHER AUTONOMY & ACCOUNTABILITY
BASIS.ed does not write curriculum; we manage it. What does that
mean? It means that we choose the subjects to be taught and set the
standards for the scope and sequence of instruction in that subject.
Teachers who are new to BASIS.ed quickly discover that ours is a
system that balances the accountability of common high standards
across the network with the pedagogic autonomy to develop innovative
ways to meet these standards. BASIS.ed will never hand a teacher a
fully written curriculum for a course, but we will provide structured
guidance in the form of common standards, common exams based
on those standards, and a network of “Subject Advisors”—mentor
teachers sprinkled throughout our schools—to assist and support.
The creative tension between the autonomy that our expert teachers
value so highly, and the common aspects of shared accountability that
enables BASIS.ed to maintain academic quality control across the
network, is the nexus at the heart of our classroom learning culture.
We are able to preserve this level of autonomy for our teachers by
agreeing upon these common principles.
WE BELIEVE:
1.Children can achieve more than we have commonly been told. With
hard work, dedication and the support of teachers and parents, 3rd
graders can think critically, 6th graders can learn Physics, and High
School students can read Critical Theory and Philosophy.
2.Instructional time is precious. Every minute of every class should
be filled.
3.Mastering the basics is the precondition for going beyond them.
Students learn to listen for the music of Shakespeare’s iambic
pentameter and to decipher the crucial details in a historical primary
source, but they must also be able to parse the grammar of a
sentence and craft concise and persuasive prose.
4.Homework, as long as it is an extension of what is being learned in
the classroom, is valuable. Practice helps students achieve mastery.
5.High-stakes, summative tests that assess content mastery and
learning skills (BASIS.ed Comprehensive Exams and the College
Board Advanced Placement Exams for example) are foundational
for learning.
6.The evaluation of teacher performance must be based both on
classroom instruction and on student learning results on high-stakes
assessments.
06
TEACHERS
“BASIS Independent
instilled a love
of learning in my
daughters and
challenged them in
ways I didn’t realize
was possible. I had
underestimated
my kids. They now
adore school, since
they feel challenged
and are engaged
more than ever.”
—BASIS Independent Parent
TEACHERS + CURRICULUM =
UNBOUNDED OPPORTUNITY
The BASIS.ed Diploma
The BASIS.ed Diploma prepares students to participate in the dynamic and unpredictable world of 21st
Century commerce and innovation. Students who earn this diploma grow in our classrooms to love learning
and the pursuit of deeper understanding. They experience the delight of mastering fields of complex
knowledge and of developing the habits of disciplined, critical enquiry. Above all, they have the best possible
educational foundation to be independent and resourceful problem solvers and to face future challenges. It
is their choice what career opportunities they pursue and intellectual decisions they make in the future. It is
our job to fully prepare them to succeed in those choices.
All BASIS.ed schools share a common curriculum and common assessments (including AP exams and
BASIS.ed’s own Comprehensive Exams), which are used to assess both student mastery and faculty
performance. Successful teachers are rewarded through substantial merit-based bonuses.
The scope and sequence of the BASIS.ed Diploma is determined by these practices.
We define opportunity for our students in GLOBAL terms. In the 21st Century we can no longer conceive
of opportunity for the next generation as confined to a city, a state or even a nation. Hence, we commit to
teaching our students to the highest global standards so that they can win admission to the best universities
in the world and compete in a global professional marketplace.
Founded by two economists, from our earliest days our schools have been committed to the smart,
network-wide use of student performance data. We hold ourselves ACCOUNTABLE to use the insights
this data provides to sustain and improve learning outcomes for our students.
07
We teach our students to achieve MASTERY of the foundational
academic disciplines and competencies, for it is that mastery which will
empower their future lives and careers. In our classrooms they face
extraordinary challenges, and they grow accustomed to the unwavering
support of the faculty.
We have a course of study that is CONNECTED from the student’s
academic start in Preschool to its finish with Senior Projects. Our
curriculum is carefully calibrated so that in every discipline and at
every grade level, students are appropriately challenged and excited by
their learning, and each year builds as a preparation for the challenges
to come.
Our approach to the use of TECHNOLOGY in education is highly
focused: we use technology to help us solve problems of scale, to help
create the connective tissue that joins a network of schools into an
integrated system with data-driven quality control and the sharing of
best practices, and to ensure that curricular decisions and innovations
are driven by our master teachers, not a top-down centralized
bureaucracy.
In terms of the integration of technology in the classroom itself,
we believe that technology is one of many tools available to
teachers to engage and inspire students to take ownership of their
learning experience. However, devices cannot replace the dynamic,
CO-CREATIVE classroom interaction between teacher and student.
We have developed our own tablet-based electronic learning platform
to enhance, not replace the role of the teacher. Our belief is that
technological competency with industry-standard hardware and
software is a key skill necessary to thrive in our modern academic,
professional and personal lives.
We create a learning culture in which diverse PERSPECTIVES are
challenged and tested in an environment of informed thought and
collegiality. Our students must be prepared to productively and
decently navigate the uncertainty of the 21st Century landscape with
a profound humility. By engaging with a variety of global perspectives,
our students are empowered to make their own decisions about how
they will navigate their world. As a learning community, we do not
hide from the conflict and struggle that ensues. We revel in it as a vital
component in the maturation of our students and the evolution of
their most deeply held convictions.
08
BASIS.ed
CURRICULUM
“All the teachers are
helpful and caring,
and they make sure
that no student feels
left out. The teachers
are also really nice
and do their best to
help their students
succeed. If you ever
need extra help,
teachers are happy
to help during lunch
and office hours,
and they are even
happy to set up
appointments to help.”
—BASIS Independent Student
THE STUDENT IN THE CLASSROOM: THE ACADEMIC
JOURNEY FROM PRESCHOOL TO SENIOR PROJECTS
From Preschool to senior year, the academic program is divided into five divisions:
1. EARLY YEARS: PRESCHOOL–KINDERGARTEN, DISCOVERY AND FOUNDATION
Preschool and Kindergarten are both taught in self-contained classrooms. During these years, each classroom
has an assigned Early Education Teacher and an Early Education Teaching Fellow who has at least a Bachelor’s
degree, and who aspires to become an Early Education Teacher. The Early Education Teacher is responsible
for most of the instruction. However, in specialized disciplines such as Mandarin and Engineering, a Subject
Expert Teacher replaces the Early Education Teacher.
The Preschool learning environment is carefully designed to encourage a child's natural curiosity to question,
to create, and to discover. We focus on nurturing a rich, enjoyable, and intentional learning experience. Early
Education Teachers specifically facilitate opportunities for children to interact with materials in a thoughtful
and intentional manner and encourage children to use their imagination and creativity to ask questions, and
to use their own reasoning to organically learn from, and make connections to, the world around them.
Following on the heels of this program, Kindergarten lays the foundation for success in school during the years
to come. This success is based not only on the acquisition of foundational concepts and skills, but also on the
adoption of scholarly habits and the immersion in a culture which values learning above all other endeavors.
2. PRIMARY YEARS: GRADES 1–3,
TEACHING TO LEARN
Starting in Grade 1, BASIS.ed students are no longer in a selfcontained classroom. In every discipline, a Subject Expert Teacher
(SET) who specializes in that discipline (Humanities, Math, Science,
Engineering, Art, Mandarin, etc.) teaches the students. Across all
disciplines, the Learning Expert Teacher (LET), who focuses on
effective pedagogy, co-teaches with the SET.
The role of the LET is to make sure that students understand
what they are being taught, and that every individual student is
working to the absolute best of his/her personal ability. The LET
travels with his/her students throughout the school day and is
always there to aid in the scholastic development of students. LETs
provide a high level of progress monitoring, parent communication
and enrichment to all students and their families.
The synergy of the SET and LET facilitates a relatively rapid
transition from instruction in foundational skills and knowledge
to independent thinking and active learning in the primary grades.
Heavy emphasis is placed on making connections between
disciplines through the reiteration of key concepts throughout the
curriculum, fostering the move from the acquisition to application
of knowledge.
10
BASIS.ed
CURRICULUM
3. BRIDGE YEARS: GRADES 4 AND 5, FROM CONCRETE TO ABSTRACT THINKING
In Grades 4 and 5, students graduate from the two-teacher model and are taught exclusively by SETs,
most of whom have advanced degrees in the field they teach. This builds on the independence fostered
in the Primary Years and allows students more independence in—but also more responsibility for—their
education.
As the name indicates, the Bridge Years transport students from the foundational years to an intermediate
program focused on mastering basics necessary for a college-preparatory curriculum. In particular, instruction
focuses on attaching abstract thinking to concrete thinking: students transition from reading comprehension
to interpretation, from data collection to data analysis, and from mathematical calculation to mathematical
reasoning. Courses unique to the Bridge Years include Latin, Classics, and Physical Geography.
4. THE INTERMEDIATE YEARS: GRADES 6–8, KNOWLEDGE AS A TOOL
During these years, BASIS.ed students complete a rigorous schedule of pre-Advanced Placement courses
in all core disciplines, including the three sciences (Physics, Chemistry and Biology), Economics, and a course
in Logic.
It is in these Intermediate Years that our students come to understand knowledge as a tool. They begin to
glimpse what mastery of the fundamental concepts, skills, and material in these various disciplines will afford
them. They learn that amassing skills and facts is a step toward the more creative thinking required of the
college-level coursework they will tackle in High School.
5. THE HIGH SCHOOL YEARS: GRADES 9–12,
THINKING FOR PROBLEM-SOLVING
Beginning with a demonstration of mastery in required preAP and AP courses in English, Math, Science and Social Science,
BASIS.ed High School students further develop their ability to
think independently and creatively in Post-AP and Capstone
courses and independent research projects.
The High School program culminates in a three-month, offsite, independent project that is proposed and constructed by
the students under the guidance of both an internal BASIS.ed
faculty adviser and an external, professional specialist in the
field of the student’s choosing. The Senior Project is the most
evolved phase of the BASIS.ed Diploma. It gives students the
opportunity to apply their academic content knowledge in a
professional or research setting, and to demonstrate individual
accountability and a facility for problem-solving. BASIS.ed
graduates thus leave the High School program prepared to be
leaders in college and beyond.
“I like the atmosphere
in this school. I like how
everyone is academically
challenging themselves.
Rather than competing
against one another,
we are all looking for ways
to help each other better
ourselves. I like the fact that
I’m competing against the
‘me’ rather than the people
around me because I’m
trying to be a better person
—not a better rival.”
—BASIS Independent Student
11
SPORTS, CLUBS & ACTIVITIES AT BASIS INDEPENDENT BROOKLYN
BASIS Independent Brooklyn teaches students to be participants in their own learning, and thus we
deliberately empower students to guide the school’s co-curriculum. At the beginning of each year, we
survey students to determine their interests, and our faculty explicitly encourages them to develop their
own programs.
Below is a list of the current clubs and activities available to students at BASIS Independent Brooklyn. Our
offerings change and grow in response to the interests and passions of our vibrant student community.
CLUBS
ATHLETICS
Preschool
Archery
Food Art
Ballet
Capoeira
Basketball
Bricks 4 Kids
Capoeira
Fencing
Enrichment
THE CO-CURRICULUM:
SPORTS, CLUBS & ACTIVITIES
Our school’s co-curricular energy and range is evident in the
clubs, sports teams, and activities we offer to complement our
academic program. On their teams and in their clubs, students
make life-long friends, have great fun, and develop passions
and interests that are often life-defining.
While we are certainly proud of all of our student’s cocurricular accomplishments, we’d like to acknowledge our
burgeoning Model U.N. team. In its first year competing,
two teammates won Best Middle School Delegation for their
resolution on Internet Freedom of Speech at the Change the
World Model U.N. conferences in early 2016.
“There is so much
opportunity in
this school: clubs,
electives, school
events, teamwork,
and spirit are all
great things I see
every day.”
—BASIS Independent Student
Soccer
Beam Center
Magic the Gathering
Pilates
Bricks 4 Kids
Minecraft
Tennis
Brooklyn Bricksters
Model United Nations
Brooklyn Socialites
Lego Robotics
Chinese Chess
Robotics
Choir
Russian Club
BASIS Knights (Upper
School Chess)
Shakespeare Theater
Clayworld
Sewing
Coding
Cooking and
Culinary Principles
Cooking Basics
Culture Club
Eco Club
French Club
Hip Hop Dance
Key Club
Theater
Spanish Club
Strategic Game Play
Table Top Role Playing Games
Trading Games
National Elementary
Honor Society
National Junior Honor Society
National Honor Society
NOTE: All programs are subject to change based on participation rate and advisor availability
12
THE
CO-CURRICULUM
13
TEACHERS +
CURRICULUM =
UNBOUNDED
OPPORTUNITY
The BASIS.ed Diploma prepares students
to be participants, not spectators in the
21st Century world of commerce and innovation.
15
TEACHERS + CURRICULUM =
UNBOUNDED OPPORTUNITY
Senior Projects
Our promise to you is that, at BASIS Independent Brooklyn, your child will face extraordinary challenges and
grow accustomed to our unwavering support. That is how all of our students—each of our children—build
lives for themselves.
The goal of the BASIS.ed Diploma is to ensure that students have the opportunity to make great choices
in their future lives. The proof that our program accomplishes this vital goal lies in our Senior Projects, the
culmination of our diploma, and in our college acceptances. In their three-month-long Senior Project, our
students take the academic content knowledge and skills they have mastered in our classrooms into the real
world to apply knowledge and to develop competency in solving problems and creating new knowledge.
The following is a selection of Senior Projects from the Class of 2016. For a full listing of Senior Projects in
2015 and 2016, please visit our website.
FAULTY FORENSIC EVIDENCE AND FALSE CONVICTIONS
Rachel Kuntz | Arizona Innocence Project
In criminal law, the standard to convict is beyond a reasonable doubt. Due to this
incredibly high standard, expert testimony is key to a jury’s verdict, and forensic
evidence is the “proof” many juries need to convict beyond a reasonable doubt.
But not all forensic sciences are created equally, and faulty forensic evidence can
have drastic consequences. The Arizona Innocence Project has a number of cases in
which scientifically inaccurate forensic evidence was used to falsely convict, leaving
innocent people in prison for decades. Here, we show the relationship between faulty science and false
conviction. By working with these cases hands-on in the aftermath of conviction, we can examine how
this evidence directly affects convictions and how the truth about its scientific invalidity can be hidden
from jurors, judges, and defendants. Our justice system is meant to be based in truth and evidence,
and improperly relying on forensic evidence can not only convict an innocent person, but it can set free a
guilty one.
“Our input as faculty is not just received and cataloged but
then is brought out regularly and puzzles are put together
and inquiry is fed. At the end, something greater than the
sum of its parts happens.”
NEPHROLOGY’S HIDDEN NEMESIS: A LOOK INTO THE BK VIRUS
AND ITS RELATION TO IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE AGENTS
Alex Nica | Mayo Clinic
If you were to ask a random person what they thought is the most transplanted
organ, the answer would most likely be heart, liver, or lung. In reality, the need for
kidneys is more than double that of the next most needed organ. With demand so
high, it is important that the relatively few people who can get a kidney transplant
keep it functioning well for as long as possible. It is here where the BK virus, the
topic of this research project, becomes relevant. Once a transplant recipient is on an immunosuppressive
regimen, the often asymptomatic BK virus reactivates (in about 10% of kidney transplants), proliferates,
and can ultimately lead to the destruction of the graft. For this study, a literature review of journal articles
on BK nephropathy (spanning the past decade) was conducted to analyze if there is a correlation between
more heavy use of immunosuppressants in recent years and an overall increase in BK nephropathy after
transplant. Findings—based on data collected from various journal articles through Pubmed—suggest a
positive correlation between increased immunosuppressant use and an increase in the incidence of BK
nephropathy. In addition, data regarding which risk factors will most likely result in nephropathy or graft
rejection have also been analyzed. For BK nephropathy, preemptive monitoring and treatment is much
more effective than retroactively trying to curtail the disease. My research indicates a startling trend, so that
appropriate immunosuppressant regimens may be established sooner rather than later.
CARING FOR THE FUTURE (ELDER CARE FROM TWO DIFFERENT
POINTS OF VIEW)
Sammy Kanungo | CareArbo
This project aims to understand the very pressing issue of elderly care from two
different points of view: the first being a medical and sociological point of view, and
the second being that of a startup business attempting to address that issue. As the
baby boomer generation begins to enter retirement in the United States, the need
for convenient and cost-effective care for the elderly arises in a dramatic fashion.
However, it is not just the United States facing this problem; India’s population, due to declining fertility rates
and higher life expectancy, will be comprised of nearly 20% (323 million people) elderly by 2050. Currently,
obtaining qualified care for elderly loved ones can reach costs of over $80,000 per year, an unsustainable and
unobtainable rate for many. In order to find out how one might go about finding a solution to this problem,
I followed a startup company in its developing stages to observe the necessary steps and research needed,
which included a vast amount of targeted market research and surveying of public opinion. Research such as
this remains vital to obtaining success in the entrepreneurial world and allows for the creation of solutions
to problems that people may not yet realize are present but will soon become apparent.
–Dr. Stephen Speyer, Biology Teacher, Senior Project Advisor
16
SENIOR
PROJECTS
17
THE WAR AGAINST ALGAE GROWTH
Evelyn Scollick | Biosphere 2
The steady decline in our oceans’ pH levels has seen devastating effects on marine
life everywhere, from coral bleaching to the endangerment of hundreds of species.
Along with this ocean acidification, we have seen an increase in harmful algae blooms
which deplete the oxygen levels in the surrounding water, creating dead zones where
no animals can live. These blooms also release harmful toxins effecting both fish and,
as a result, all living creatures down the food chain as they ingest these toxins too,
including us fish-eaters. Over a billion people get food from oceans by subsistence fishing. It seems that as
the greenhouse gases in the air continue to rise, and the CO2 continues to dissolve into the ocean making it
more and more acidic, the more hopeless it feels to ever be able to counteract such pressing concerns. This
project has two aims: the first of which is to observe a correlation between the changing ocean conditions
and the algae that grows in the different environments, by studying how and what type of algae grows in
different pH and UV environments; the second is to develop a solution to aid in the ever-growing problem
of algae growth and its effect on the marine life around it.
THE MUSICAL KEY TO OUR BRAIN
Caleb Price | ASU CoNi Lab (Communication Neuroimaging and Neuroscience Lab)
The purpose of my project is to determine how music induces the powerful
emotions we feel in the brain. Through this research, I will then be able to create
a formula based on the patterns in the music I analyze and thereby compose my
own piece to test the validity of my formula. While a person listens to a piece of
music, the brain will subconsciously anticipate what will happen next in the music
and eventually signal dopamine transmitters to be released in the brain at the climax
of the piece. While music can be felt in many different ways, essentially the two reactions that occur in the
brain are an emotional and a physical reaction to this musical climax. I employed a behavioral survey that
asked participants questions about their emotional and physical reactions to 1 out of 10 pieces of music,
each selected by its emotional use in films. From the data I have gathered, I have observed that the brain
anticipates more with suspenseful, intense music at the beginning which then increases the satisfaction of a
climatic musical resolution and thereby creates the powerful reactions that an audience feels while listening.
Though somewhat obvious, it illustrates music’s power when used correctly in influencing an audience to
feel the same powerful emotion in a movie scene. It shows how music draws people together in a raw
experience of emotion and is capable of making different people from different worlds relate on the single
fact of human nature.
“It is a very creative school that combines children’s best skills
with learning more and more in life. I am happy that my school
has put me in a place where I can express myself, my thoughts,
and ideas freely to my teachers, who are extremely skilled and
knowledgeable about the subjects that they are teaching.”
—BASIS Independent Student
18
SENIOR
PROJECTS
OUR RESULTS
20
2016 OECD TEST FOR SCHOOLS RESULTS
BASIS.ed-Managed Schools vs. Other Educational Systems
Global Results
IF THE BASIS.ed LEARNING COMMUNITY WERE A NATION,
IT WOULD BE THE TOP-RANKED COUNTRY IN THE WORLD
In a world of accelerated change, students need more than what traditional education offers. When
journalists report that the United States is lagging behind educational systems around the world, they are
usually referring to results on a common exam given to 15-year-olds around the world: the Organization
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s Test for Schools, based on Programme
for International Student Assessment (PISA).
Often used as an international benchmarking tool, results from the test are comparable to existing PISA scales
so schools can compare their performance to other countries and school systems around the world.
Why does this test matter? What's striking about this exam is that it is a test of applied knowledge.
Memorizing facts and figures alone won’t get students a high score. The test assesses problem solving and
critical thinking; to do well, students need to think beyond the boundaries of each subject and explore how
they relate to each other in a real-world, problem-solving context.
MATH
READING
641
BASIS Independent
Silicon Valley
626
BASIS.ed
613
SCIENCE
616
BASIS Independent
Silicon Valley
BASIS Independent
Silicon Valley
611
BASIS.ed
570
Shanghai-China
580
Shanghai-China
Singapore
542
Singapore
551
Singapore
554
Korea
538
Japan
547
Japan
536
Japan
536
Korea
545
Finland
519
Finland
527
U.S. Private Schools
538
Korea
518
Canada
524
Finland
526
Poland
518
Poland
523
Canada
525
Canada
514
Germany
518
Poland
524
Germany
496
U.S. Private Schools
508
Germany
519
U.S. Private Schools
494
United Kingdom
499
United Kingdom
514
United Kingdom
487
Portugal
498
United States
497
United States
481
United States
488
Portugal
489
Portugal
413
Mexico
424
Mexico
415
Mexico
391
Brazil
410
Brazil
405
Brazil
609
BASIS.ed
596
Shanghai-China
573
Source: OECD Test for Schools, 2016. BASIS.ed results are from the 2016 OECD Test for schools. Results for all other countries and
educational systems are from the 2012 PISA. The 2016 OECD Test for Schools was designed to enable international benchmarking
against results from the 2012 PISA. BASIS Independent Silicon Valley was the only Independent school in the BASIS.ed network to
participate in 2016.
2016 INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS' ASSESSMENT (ISA)
Average Score in All Subjects
BASIS Independent Schools
All Schools
492
463
428
426
382
335
GRADE 3
22
GLOBAL
RESULTS
GRADE 4
GRADE 5
BASIS Independent Brooklyn was the only U.S.-based Independent school in the BASIS.ed network to participate in 2016.
Source: International Schools' Assessment, 2016.
23
National Results
The Washington Post—America’s Most Challenging High Schools
2016#1 BASIS Oro Valley, #2 BASIS Flagstaff, #4 BASIS Tucson North, BASIS Chandler, BASIS Peoria, and
BASIS Scottsdale are on the list of “Top-Performing Schools with Elite Students”
College Acceptances
The BASIS.ed Diploma prepares students to excel in some of the world's most prestigious colleges
and universities. Below are a handful of facts and figures highlighting some of the accomplishments of the
BASIS.ed Class of 2016. For more information, including a full list of acceptances for the Class of 2016,
please visit our school website.
2015
#1 BASIS Oro Valley; #2 BASIS Chandler; #6 BASIS Tucson North
2016 ACCEPTANCE RATE TO TOP 50 US NEWS & WORLD REPORT
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
BASIS Scottsdale is on the list of “Top-Performing Schools with Elite Students”
2014
#10 BASIS Tucson North
BASIS Scottsdale is on the list of “Top-Performing Schools with Elite Students”
2013
BASIS Scottsdale and BASIS Tucson North are on the list of “Top-Performing Schools with Elite Students”
2012 #1 BASIS Tucson; #5 BASIS Scottsdale
2011 #4 BASIS Tucson
BASIS Independent
Silicon Valley
Total BASIS.ed Network
of Schools
64.3%
42.0%
of students
of students
U.S. News & World Report—Best High Schools Rankings
2016
#2 BASIS Scottsdale: #1 charter school, #4 STEM school; #3 BASIS Tucson North: #2 charter school,
#6 STEM school; #6 BASIS Oro Valley: #3 charter school; Bronze Medal - BASIS Chandler
Sources: US News & World Report National Universities Ranking and US News & World Report National Liberal
Arts Colleges Ranking, 2016. College acceptance information self-reported by students. Naviance, 2016.
2015
#2 BASIS Scottsdale, #3 STEM school, #1 charter school;
2016 GRADUATES EARNING RECOGNITION AS
NATIONAL MERIT COMMENDED SCHOLARS OR BETTER
Bronze Medal - BASIS Oro Valley and BASIS Tucson North
2014
#2 BASIS Scottsdale, #15 STEM school, #1 charter school;
#5 BASIS Tucson North, #3 STEM school, #3 charter school
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
#2 BASIS Tucson; #5 BASIS Scottsdale
#6 BASIS Tucson
2016 BASIS Independent
Silicon Valley Graduates
All 2016 US
Graduates
42.9%
3.3%
U.S. News did not perform ranking
#9 BASIS Tucson
#13 BASIS Tucson
#16 BASIS Tucson
Source: National Merit Scholarship Corporation, 2016.
Newsweek—America’s Best High Schools
BASIS.ed GRADUATES: CLASS OF 2016 COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES
2014
Schools offering grade levels below grade 7 (like BASIS.ed-managed schools) are no longer eligible
for Newsweek's ranking.
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
24
Total # of
Graduates
#3 BASIS Scottsdale; #7 BASIS Tucson North
Total College
Acceptances
Average # of College
Acceptances per Graduate
#3 BASIS Scottsdale; #5 BASIS Tucson
#3 BASIS Tucson
#6 BASIS Tucson
BASIS.ed
Network of
Schools
BASIS
Independent
Silicon Valley
BASIS.ed
Network of
Schools
BASIS
Independent
Silicon Valley
BASIS.ed
Network of
Schools
BASIS
Independent
Silicon Valley
352
14*
1770
110
5
7.9
#5 BASIS Tucson
#1 BASIS Tucson
#6 BASIS Tucson
#3 BASIS Tucson
Sources: Advanced Placement results: The College Board, 2016. College Acceptances self-reported by students. Naviance, 2016.
*The Class of 2016 was BASIS Independent Silicon Valley's inaugural graduating class.
NATIONAL
RESULTS
25
2016 GRADUATES: MEAN SCORES ON COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS
PSAT SCORES
The AP Capstone Course was specifically created to challenge the most intellectually gifted and ambitious
students in the most elite public and private schools in the nation with rigorous college-level research.
BASIS.ed students score significantly higher than even this highly exclusive group of top performers.
ACT SCORES
2016 ADVANCED PLACEMENT RESULTS: AP SEMINAR AND AP RESEARCH
BASIS.ed
UNITED
STATES
BASIS INDEPENDENT
SILICON VALLEY
UNITED
STATES
BASIS INDEPENDENT
SILICON VALLEY
141
214
21
31
SAT 1600 SCORES
SAT 2400 SCORES
United States
Average Score
4.1
Pass Rate
98.6%
3.9
3.0
2.9
AP SEMINAR
AP RESEARCH
92.0%
71.9%
AP SEMINAR
67.1%
AP RESEARCH
Participating Schools: BASIS Scottsdale and BASIS Tucson North. Source: The College Board, 2016.
UNITED
STATES
BASIS INDEPENDENT
SILICON VALLEY
UNITED
STATES
BASIS INDEPENDENT
SILICON VALLEY
1006
1484
1490
2144
2016 ADVANCED PLACEMENT RESULTS: ALL EXAMS
BASIS Independent Silicon Valley
3.91
BASIS.ed
88.1%
3.70
United States
84.4%
2.85
57.5%
Sources: ACT and the College Board, 2016.
AVERAGE SCORE
26
Source: The College Board, 2016.
RESULTS
PASS RATE
27
Stay in Touch
BASIS Independent Brooklyn was one of the founding schools in the family of independent schools quickly
establishing some of the very best college preparatory programs in the world. See below for the many ways
you can stay in touch with us and learn more about the experience as a BASIS Independent family.
BASIS Independent Brooklyn
Established Fall 2014 | Preschool–Grade 12
blog.basisindependent.com/bklyn
[email protected]
brooklyn.basisindependent.com
(718) 643 6302
BASIS Independent Manhattan
Opening Fall 2017 | Kindergarten–Grade 8
[email protected]
manhattan.basisindependent.com
(646) 522 3058
BASIS Independent Fremont
Established Fall 2016 | Kindergarten–Grade 8
[email protected]
fremont.basisindependent.com
(510) 775 5822
BASIS Independent McLean
Established Fall 2016 | Preschool–Grade 12
[email protected]
mclean.basisindependent.com
(703) 854 1253
BASIS Independent Silicon Valley
Established Fall 2014 | Grades 5–12
[email protected]
siliconvalley.basisindependent.com
(408) 291 0907
BASIS International School Shenzhen
Established Fall 2015 | Preschool–Grade 12
[email protected]
basisinternationalsz.com
+86 755 2361 6666
“We teach, it’s fun, it’s hard.
It’s all about the future.”
-Michael and Olga Block, Founders
Brooklyn | Fremont | Manhattan | McLean | Shenzhen | Silicon Valley