Our nation’s schools are full of students who possess a desire to go to college and the willingness to work hard, but many of them do not truly have the opportunity to be college-ready. These are often the students who will be the first in their families to attend college and are from groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education. AVID Secondary equips teachers and schools with what they need to help these students succeed on a path to college and career success.
The AVID Elective is a 6th-12th grade component of the AVID Secondary System that prepares students in the academic middle for admission to a four-year college or university. Students take an AVID Elective course that provides them with the skills needed to be successful in advancing academically with the ultimate goal of attending college. For more than 30 years, AVID has been instrumental in preparing students for success in higher education.
The core component of the AVID Secondary System is the AVID Elective, which supports students as they challenge themselves in classes that are more rigorous. Students are taught study skills, note-taking, time management, writing skills, and research skills, while being immersed in a college-going culture. The class also includes tutoring sessions that are led student led and provides support for success in the academically rigorous curriculum. Additionally, the AVID class provides access to information about colleges and universities through field trips, guest speakers, college tutors, scholarship opportunities, and college admission requirement information.
The power of AVID Secondary is the ability to impact students in the AVID Elective class and all students throughout the campus. AVID Secondary can have an effect on the entire school by providing classroom activities, teaching practices, and academic behaviors that can be incorporated into any classroom to improve engagement and success for all students.
How does PLC provide AVID to our scholars, and what does it look like?
Scholars at PLC receive AVID in multiple ways! Many teachers at PLC are AVID trained and continue to gain AVID professional development hours to support scholars in their growth to become college-ready, and eventually, college graduates. Secondly, we offer AVID 1-4 elective (depending on grade level) to scholars who need additional support throughout the day to gain additional skills to be college bound by the end of their high school career. Beginning in 2019-2020, ALL freshmen will have AVID 1 as part of our CORE plan to help provide all students with the supports needed to be successful in high school and beyond.
AVID scholars at PLC are afforded many opportunities to see and understand their academic needs, the needs of their classmates and the needs of their school and community. They spend adequate time learning studying techniques and applying them to current classes, within tutorial groups.
Service Learning is also an important aspect of AVID. During the 2019-2020 school year AVID scholars are participating in the IMPACT project! They are traveling to several elementary schools and working with the student there, with a focus on academic and social/emotional support.
