AVID

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  AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination)

  AVID really helps you even when you don't realize it. It can actually get you places.
  
  Introduction
  AVID is a program that the Gresham-Barlow School District implemented in 2006 at Gresham and Sam Barlow High Schools. The AVID program was expanded to three middle schools--Clear Creek, Dexter McCarty, and Gordon Russell--in September 2007. 

  Each year, our graduating classes include about 30 students who participate in the AVID program. Many of these graduates will be continuing their education at community colleges and universities in Oregon.
  
  AVID's mission is to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society.

  AVID at a Glance
  What AVID is . . .

• AVID is an acronym that stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination
• AVID is an in-school academic support program for grades 5-12 that prepares students for college eligibility and success.
• AVID places academically average students in advanced classes.
• AVID levels the playing field for minority, rural, low-income and other students without college-going traditions in their families.
• AVID is for all students, but it targets those in the academic middle.
• AVID is implemented schoolwide and districtwide.

What AVID isn't...

• AVID isn’t a remedial program.
• AVID isn’t a free ride.
• AVID isn’t a niche program.
• AVID isn’t a college outreach program.

The AVID Student
AVID targets students in the academic middle; B, C, and even D students - who have the desire to go to college and the willingness to work hard. These are students who are capable of completing a rigorous curriculum but are falling short of their potential. Typically, they will be the first in their families to attend college, and many are from low-income or minority families. AVID pulls these students out of their unchallenging courses and puts them on the college track: acceleration instead of remediation.

Curriculum
The AVID curriculum, based on rigorous standards, was developed by middle and senior high school teachers in collaboration with college professors. It is driven by the WIC-R method, which stands for writing, inquiry, collaboration, and reading. AVID curriculum is used in AVID elective classes, in content-area classes in AVID schools, and even in schools where the AVID elective is not offered.

Who Uses AVID?
AVID is at work in nearly 4,500 schools in 45 states and 15 countries serving more than 400,000 students. Large urban schools, tiny rural schools, resource-rich suburban schools, struggling schools - they all find that AVID meets the needs of their students in the middle.

Results
A well-developed AVID program improves schoolwide standardized test scores, advanced rigorous course enrollments, and the number of students attending college. Since 1990, nearly 40,000 AVID students have graduated from high school and gone on to college. Currently, 94.3% of AVID students report enrolling in college, 75% in four-year institutions and 17.2% in community colleges. The national average for four-year college enrollment is 35 percent.

Why AVID Works
Between the remedial programs for students who lag far behind, and the gifted-and-talented programs for a school’s brightest children, lies the silent majority: average students, who do “okay” in ordinary classes but, because they don’t attract attention to themselves, are left alone. Many of these students hunger for more challenging coursework but fear failure. Their potential lies dormant, waiting to be recognized, encouraged and supported.


More information about AVID is available at: www.avidonline.org