AVID

AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a kindergarten through postsecondary college readiness system designed to increase the number of students who enroll and succeed in higher education and in their lives beyond high school. AVID's mission is to close the opportunity gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society.

Writing is:

• A learning tool
• A personal and public communication tool
• A record of thinking

Students who write:

• Consider audience and purpose
• Engage in various writing processes to address specific situations
• Support their thinking
• Demonstrate understanding

The AVID Curriculum supports writing through the use of:

• Cornell note-taking
• Learning logs
• Quick writing and reflections
• Process writing
• Peer Evaluation
• Authentic writing

Inquiry is:

• Uncovering one’s understanding
• Asking critical questions
• Engaging in thinking, learning, and discussion

Students who inquire:

• Analyze and synthesize materials or ideas
• Clarify their own thinking
• Probe other’s thinking
• Work through ambiguity

The AVID curriculum supports inquiry through the use of:

• Skilled questioning techniques
• Costa’s Levels of Thinking
• Socratic Seminars
• Tutorials
• Investigations
• Questions that guide research

Collaboration is:

• Teamwork with shared responsibility
• Sharing of ideas, information, and options
• Formal and informal discussions

Students who collaborate:

• Work together toward a common goal
• Develop positive interdependence
• Work in focused study groups
• Support the learning of others through inquiry

The AVID curriculum supports collaboration through the use of:

• Socratic Seminars
• Tutorials
• Philosophical Chairs
• Group activities and projects
• Peer editing groups
• Service learning projects

Organization is:

• Managing materials and practicing methodical study habits
• Planning and prioritizing school, work, and social tasks
• Engaging in mental preparation and goal-setting
• Strategically and intentionally taking responsibility for one’s own learning

Students who organize:

• Develop and use processes, procedures, and tools to study effectively
• Manage their time through prioritizing and goal-setting
• Are prepared for courses, participate during instruction, and interact with instructors
• Self-direct, self-evaluate, self-monitor, and self-advocate

The AVID curriculum supports organization through the use of:

• Binders and organizational tools
• Calendars, planners, and agendas
• Graphic organizers
• A focused note-taking system
• Tutorials and study groups
• Project planning and SMART goals

Reading is:

• Strategically gaining meaning, understanding, and knowledge from print and other media
• Purpose-driven
• Interactive

Students who read:

• Understand text structures
• Apply prior knowledge and make connections to other texts, self, and the world
• Make predictions and ask questions
• Create visual images as they read

The AVID curriculum supports reading through the use of:

• Deep reading strategies
• Note-taking
• Graphic Organizers
• Vocabulary building
• Summarizing
• Reciprocal Reading