AVID PROGRAM ADVANCEMENT VIA INDIVIDUAL DETERMINATION [L. avidus]: eager for knowledge

The purpose of the AVID program is to restructure the teaching methods of an entire school and to open access to the curricula that will ensure four- year college eligibility to almost all students.

The Mission of AVID l will succeed in rigorous curriculum, l will enter mainstream activities of the school, l will increase their enrollment in four-year colleges, and l will become educated and responsible l participants and leaders in a democratic society. AVID is designed to increase schoolwide learning and performance. The mission of AVID is to ensure that all students, and most especially students in the middle with academic potential capable of completing a college preparatory path:

Why AVID Works Places low-achieving students in rigorous curriculum and gives them the support to achieve therein Provides the explicit “hidden curriculum” of schools (study skills, Cornell notes, asking higher order questions) Constructing School Success: The Consequences of Untracking Low Achieving Students, Mehan et al, 1996

Provides a team of students for positive peer identification  Redefines teacher’s role as that of student advocate Constructing School Success: The Consequences of Untracking Low Achieving Students, Mehan et al, 1996

Focuses on academic success of low-achieving students as a school- wide issue, with significant portions of the school culture mobilized toward their success Constructing School Success: The Consequences of Untracking Low Achieving Students, Mehan et al, 1996

The AVID Student Profile s Average to High Test Scores s GPA s College Potential with Support s Desire and Determination Students with Academic Potential Meets One or More of the Following Criteria s First to Attend College s Historically Underserved in 4-year Colleges s Low Income s Special Circumstances

AVID Methodologies In A Nutshell Writing as a tool for Learning Inquiry Method Collaborative, subject specific groups RReading as a tool of learning WIC-R

AVID Program Implementation Essentials 1.AVID student selection focuses on students in the middle (2.0 to 3.5 G.P.A. as one indicator) with academic potential, who would benefit from AVID support to improve their academic record and begin college preparation. 2.AVID program participants, both students and staff, choose to participate. 3.The school must be committed to full implementation of the AVID program, with the AVID elective class available within the regular academic school day.

4.AVID students are enrolled in a rigorous course of study that will enable them to meet requirements for university enrollment. 5.A strong, relevant writing curriculum provides the basis for instruction in the AVID elective class. 6.Inquiry is used as a basis for instruction in the AVID classroom. 7.Collaboration is used as a basis for instruction in the AVID classroom. 8.A sufficient number of tutors are available in the AVID class to facilitate student access to rigorous curriculum.

9.AVID program implementation and student progress are monitored through the AVID Data System, and results are analyzed to ensure success. 10.The school or district has identified resources for program costs, has agreed to implement AVID Program Implementation Essentials and to participate in AVID Certification. It has committed to ongoing participation in AVID staff development. 11. An active interdisciplinary site team collaborates on issues of student access to and success in rigorous college preparatory courses.

AVID students are socialized into an ideology that supports working hard, getting good grades and entering the academic world. Then they are provided with a system of social supports that reinforce that ideology.”

“In effect, AVID teachers act like middle income parents; they check on their students’ work, and intervene actively if things are not proceeding the way they like.” Constructing School Success: The Consequences of Untracking Low-Achieving Students, Mehan, 1996

In AVID schools, whites and non-poor students also make gains, demonstrating once again that it raises achievement for all student groups when we accelerate the progress of groups that historically have been left behind. “Report Card on Reform,” September 22, 2002 Kati Haycock, Director Education Trust

Our data shows that AVID students are not necessarily trapped by their social circumstances. Students from the lowest income and educational levels are attaining a prestigious and economically important goal, enrollment in college. This means social environments can be re-arranged, at least under these circumstances, in order to facilitate educational opportunities... Constructing School Success: The Consequences of Untracking Low-Achieving Students, Mehan, 1996

If schools, not just well-to-do families, can deploy social capital to form productive social networks, then it means that schools can become transformative institutions, not just reproductive institutions. Constructing School Success: The Consequences of Untracking Low-Achieving Students, Mehan, 1996

95% of AVID students are enrolling in college and 89% of them are still enrolled two years later. This is an enrollment rate 75% higher than the national average and a retention rate 56% higher than the average. Constructing School Success: The Consequences of Untracking Low-Achieving Students, Mehan, 1996

Eighty percent of AVID students have been enrolled in college continuously since leaving high school. Eighty-five percent expect to graduate from college in four to five years. Their mean college GPA is 2.94.

While more than 70% of AVID students enroll in four-year colleges, the average attendance from their respective high schools is between percent.

The AVID Impact “I was looking for a way to change the culture and tone of our district, and I wanted to see kids who were eager to learn…That was where AVID helped…Immediately I saw dramatic changes in the attitudes of teachers and administrators. Students who were previously disruptive or not engaged were now sitting in the front rows of their classes, notebooks out, learning how to ask the right questions. Teachers were thrilled to get AVID students into their classes. All students recognized the program’s impact.” Dr. Eric Smith, Superintendent Anne Arundle, Maryland, Schools