AVID

Advancement Via Individual Determination

Helping students become organized, college ready, and successful.

AVID at Watson

Congratulations to Watson for being recognized as an AVID Certified Site again! This status is awarded to sites that have met AVID's implementation expectations and submitted required data documentation that supports program effectiveness and student progress!

We Are AVID

What Is AVID?

What is AVID?

AVID, Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a systemic instructional system for students in kindergarten all the way through higher education (K-16). The AVID College Readiness System is a school-wide transformational effort focused on leadership, systems, instruction, and culture, and is designed to increase the number of students who enroll and succeed in higher education and in their lives beyond high school. AVID-trained educators teach students academic and social skills to help them develop the habits and behaviors needed to succeed in a rigorous curriculum. The AVID College Readiness System is a catalyst for developing a school culture that closes the expectation and opportunity gaps many students face and prepares all students for success in a global society.

AVID is...

Research-based, with proven results of student achievement
A direct support structure for first-generation college-goers
A catalyst for systemic reform and change

AVID...

Develops students as readers and writers
Teaches specific strategies for critical thinking and higher-level inquiry
Provides support, so students can meet high expectations
Influences the belief system, culture and instructional strategies of a campus
Provides meaningful and motivating professional development

What makes an AVID classroom unique?

Peer Tutoring: Students work together to master new content through inquiry-based tutoring. They learn how to ask questions that go beyond memorization and encourage higher-level thinking. Peers ask each other questions that prompt deeper learning, and students know how to articulate their points of confusion.
Focused Note-taking: Students utilize the focused note-taking process to create powerful study tools. They are not just copying down words. Students learn to recognize the most important parts of a lesson, create questions to guide their studying, and revisit and refine their notes to solidify learning.
Collaboration: Students demonstrate a strong sense of mutual respect and support, engaging in rigorous discourse and building on each other’s thoughts. Collaborative activities are structured and graded to promote participation from each student.
Embedded Soft Skills: Students learn soft skills like public speaking, self-advocacy, time management, organization, and more. Students hone their soft skills in an authentic way through a variety of AVID activities.
Classroom Set-up: Classroom arrangement promotes and encourages students to communicate and to work more effectively together.
Teacher Facilitates Learning: AVID teachers design classroom activities that allow students to take ownership of the content. The teacher creates opportunities for students to investigate, talk, explore, and come to their own understanding.
Career and College-Readiness Environment: College banners, posters, and pennants reinforce a college-going culture on campus. AVID classrooms have an atmosphere of high expectations.
Inquiry-Based Activities: Students learn to ask critical questions to clarify their own thinking and the thinking of others.
Higher-Level Thinking: During activities like Socratic Seminar, students focus on content, build on each other’s thoughts, and challenge one another to think deeply.
Reading and Writing To Learn: Students read a variety of texts utilizing AVID’s critical reading strategies and engage in metacognitive discussions of the texts along with reflective writing activities.

PROVEN ACHIEVEMENT. LIFELONG ADVANTAGE.

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