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AVID at Wasson is a 9th through 12th grade program to prepare students in the academic middle for four-year college eligibility. It has a proven track record in bringing out the best in students, and in closing the achievement gap. AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. 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 rigorous curriculum but are falling short of their potential. Typically they will be the first in their family 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. AVID students are expected to maintain at least a C average in scholarship and citizenship, to take notes in all classes, be prepared for classes by studying at home at night, and to enroll in college prep classes with the goal of attending college. Middle and high school teachers collaboratively developed AVID curriculum with college professors, based on rigorous standards. 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 schools where the AVID elective is not offered. A teacher who has been trained in the program’s methodologies leads the AVID elective class. Teachers and administrators from throughout the school and district attend AVID Summer Institutes, where they all learn techniques for bringing out the best in AVID students. In this way, AVID students are supported in content-area classrooms and in the AVID elective. This means that even more than just the AVID students can benefit from the program. AVID students are encouraged to enroll in honors and Advanced Placement classes. In the AVID elective class they learn organizational and study skills, work on critical thinking and asking probing questions, get academic help from peers and college tutors, and participate in enrichment and motivational activities that make college seem attainable. Their self-images improve, and they become academically successful leaders and role models for other students. A well-developed AVID program improves school wide standardized test scores, advanced and 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. 94.3% of AVID students report enrolling in college, 77.1% in four-year institutions and 17.2% in community colleges. The national average for four-year college enrollment is 35%.
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