AVID: ADVANCEMENT VIA INDIVIDUAL DETERMINATION

Reminders about AVID at WHS

AVID is not:

  • An “at-risk”, nor remedial program
  • A study hall for students who “need homework help”
  • For unmotivated students

AVID is:

  • A program designed to support students who are: first-generation college-bound, historically underserved by 4-year universities, low-income, or have other special circumstances
  • A structured preparatory system that teaches and instills skills and habits that will support student in any class
  • A direct support structure for students with potential to meet or exceed college entrance requirements
  • A professional development program providing training to educators, especially in the areas of rigorous curriculum, problem-solving, collaboration and critical thinking.

AVID classes include specific instruction, including Writing, Inquiry/Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading. AVID students practice strategies in each of these areas, both individually and collaboratively. Each week, we also have an AVID Tutorial, which is very different from a traditional tutoring situation. AVID Tutorials are designed to mimic the problem-solving, critically- thinking, student-centered, metacognitive study groups of successful university students. Students do not get time to complete homework in these sessions. Instead they access their resources, use inquiry and collaboration to explore a concept in depth, usually mastering a higher level of understanding than they otherwise would have.

On our campus, we start out with three big 9th grade classes, narrowing to three smaller 10th grade classes, and only two 11th and 12th grade classes. Our AVID students who remain and graduate as AVID seniors are the ones who are willing to work hard, be pushed out of their comfort zones and into the most challenging classes our school offers. Their hard work and dedication pay off, as the vast majority of them (84% last year) are accepted into four-year universities, even though some of them are the first in their families to even graduate high school. We are exceedingly proud of them, and glad we share them with you.