Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID)
AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination and seeks to identify college eligible students in grades 7-12 to prepare them for four-year college entry. AVID is an elective class that students attend daily. Twice a week, students engage in tutorials in the AVID elective classroom. During the other week days, students are taught a college readiness curriculum. AVID students are also provided an opportunity to visit colleges and universities throughout Arizona. In addition, guest speakers are invited to discuss careers and students are encouraged to explore career options on a regular basis.
One of the most impressive and consistent indicators of AVID’s success is the rate at which it sends students to four-year colleges. Eighty-five percent of 2014 AVID graduates were accepted to four-year colleges both in-state and out of state. In Mesa, 95% of our AVID graduates have gone on to higher education. Mesa AVID students also received an average of $50,000 in financial aid and scholarships in 2014. Mesa AVID students have also been finalists for the prestigious Questbridge Scholarship, the Dell Scholarship, and Wood Scholarship. All of these scholarships include significant financial aid to cover tuition, room, board, and books. In addition, AVID students are eligible for unique scholarships that are only open students in AVID, such as the Dell Scholarship. All of this success has been because these students took advantage of the expert assistance that AVID provides.
How does AVID work?
AVID aligns a school campus with the most current research-based college and career readiness practices. At the elementary level, AVID practices are used schoolwide. At the secondary level, AVID practices are used schoolwide and the AVID Elective class is utilized to add an extra layer of support for college readiness if a student chooses to participate. In addition, AVID training and resources help teachers improve student performance by embedding best teaching practices, encouraging self-advocacy, providing support, and building relationships that encourage student engagement. AVID is a leader in professional learning, training more than 25,000 educators each year.
Now your student has the opportunity to take part in the AVID elective class Skyline High School and take advantage of the opportunities that AVID has to offer. This would be a great chance for your student to start working on achieving college goals.