avid

AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a college-readiness system designed to increase the number of students who enroll in four-year colleges. Although AVID serves all students, it focuses on the least served students in the academic middle. The formula is simple - raise expectations of students and, with the AVID support system in place, they will rise to the challenge. Originating at the high school level, the program now serves grades fourth through twelve (roughly, ages 10–18).

Background

AVID was developed in 1980 by Mary Catherine Swanson, who was an English teacher at Clairemont High School in San Diego, California, in order to assist an influx of academically less prepared students following court-ordered desegregation. As of summer 2009, AVID figures showed that the program had grown from the original one-school model to serving over 4,000 schools in 46 states and 16 countries/territories and serves more than 320,000 students. Ramona High School AVID program of Riverside, California, is currently the largest AVID program in the world.

On October 27, 2003 the British Columbia Ministry of Education established a partnership between the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation (CMSF) and AVID Center in San Diego, California and the Ministry. Under the terms of this partnership, CMSF will provide over $5 million in funding for a five year AVID research project in B.C. The purpose of the research is to study the implementation of AVID with grade nine students considered to be “students in the middle.”

A number of schools throughout the province were selected to participate in research based on a random assignment study and a few schools were selected to participate in a case study. These schools began training in August 2004 with their first AVID classes starting in September, 2005. Chilliwack School District has been contracted by the Ministry to provide leadership and support for this initiative. AVID was first implemented in Canada by Chilliwack School District at Chilliwack Senior Secondary and Vedder Middle in September 2001. Subsequently, Sardis Senior Secondary, Chilliwack Middle and Mt. Slesse Middle implemented AVID programs in September 2003.^[1]

Methodology

The AVID system is a districtwide and schoolwide approach featuring: a college-preparatory elective course, rigorous curriculum, trained college tutors, and a site team composed of the AVID Coordinator, subject-area teachers, parents, and tutors. The program strives to improve students' study skills (e.g., time management and note-taking) and their metacognitive abilities. As one writer described the approach, "AVID programs focus not on factual questions — "Who commanded the Union Army at the First Battle of Bull Run?" — but on process-related questions — "How can I remember things like the name of the commander, Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell?"^[2] Students also receive tutoring, and are given a tutorial log to record what they're having trouble with, what they learned, and what they have gained from the session. College students and graduates are hired to assist the students, all within the classroom environment.

Note-Taking

Note-taking plays a vital role in succeeding in the AVID program. AVID students learn the Cornell Notes method and apply this skill in thier other core and content classes. Cornell Notes were established at Cornell University.

Statistics and results

Of the 14,818 2008 AVID graduates 96.4% plan to attend a post secondary institution; 65.5% in four-year institutions and 30.9% in two-year institutions.

89.5% of 2008 AVID graduates completed the college entrance course requirements for their states’ university system(s). 10,047 AVID graduates identified themselves as Hispanic, African American, Native American, Multi-racial, or “Other”.

AVID Students, who take many AP tests every year, show greater ethnic diversity than AP test-takers do overall. The proportion of Latinos taking AP exams is over five times higher among AVID students than among U.S. students overall.

"Number Crunching," AVIDonline</ref>

References

1. ^ Welcome to AVID BC - Introduction
2. ^ Garcia, Juan. "Putting kids on path to higher education," The Dallas Morning News, August 10, 2006

External links

• AVIDonline - official website.