AVID, an acronym for Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a research-based program that identifies, recruits, and prepares students for four-year college eligibility. The program serves students who are often the least well served in our schools – students in the academic middle who are capable of success, but who are not reaching their potential.
AVID students enroll in a special academic elective class, scheduled during the school day, that emphasizes writing as a tool of learning, use of the inquiry method, collaboration, and reading. Through summer institutes and professional development, AVID also helps restructure teaching methodologies schoolwide, so that more students can succeed in college-prep classes.
The North Coast AVID Regional Center is housed at the Sonoma County Office of Education and serves over 1,300 students in 35 schools throughout Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, and Sonoma counties.
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NEW! North Coast AVID featured in publication and videos
The October 2009 issue of the SCOE Bulletin highlighted five key strategies that are used in AVID classrooms and that have helped to make the program so successful. The accompanying videos show two of those strategies – Socratic Seminars and Philosophical Chairs – in action.
Successful: How AVID is closing the achievement gap and making college accessible to all (Oct 2009)
AVID | Socratic Seminars: At Roseland University Prep, teacher Kristen O’Connor guides her senior AVID students through a Socratic Seminar.
AVID | Philosophical Chairs: The Roseland University Prep students use Philosophical Chairs to explore the pros and cons of lowering the legal drinking age to 18.
Write Off Winners, 2009
AVID Region 1 holds an annual writing contest for AVID students in grades 7-12. Students prepare for the writing contest using a timed writing format and persuasive essay prompts. The prompts are borrowed from either the California High School Exit Exam or the California State University English Placement Exam. The contest is scored using a six-point rubric. Here are the winning essays:
Alex Fallman, Crescent Elk Middle School (pdf)
Mason Holt, Windsor Middle School (pdf)
Claudia Alcantra, Roseland University Prep (pdf)
Jesus Cardenas, Cloverdale High School (pdf)
Norma Trejo, Fort Bragg High School (pdf)
Mollie McLoughlin, Del Norte High School (pdf)
Appreciations of AVID: Produced by students Jason Lind and Dan Rebich, this video highlights student comments from a symposium held at Windsor High School (2005)
