Advancement Via Individual Determination

Recipients:  Middle School and High School Students

AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a fifth- through twelfth-grade program designed to prepare students for four-year college eligibility.  It has a proven track record in bringing out the best in students, and in closing the achievement gap. 

AVID targets students in the academic middle - B, C, and even D students - who have the desire to go to college and the willingness to work hard.  These are students who are capable of completing rigorous curriculum but are falling short of their potential.  Typically, they will be the first in their families to attend college, and many are from low-income or minority families.  AVID pulls these students out of their unchallenging courses and puts them on the college track: acceleration instead of remediation. 

Not only are AVID students enrolled in their school's toughest classes, such as honors and Advanced Placement, but also in the AVID elective.  For one period a day, they learn organizational and study skills, work on critical thinking and asking probing questions, get academic help from peers and college tutors, and participate in enrichment and motivational activities that make college seem attainable.  Their self-images improve, and they become academically successful leaders and role models for other students.

The AVID program improves school wide standardized test scores, advanced rigorous course enrollments, and the number of students attending college.  Since 1990, nearly 40,000 AVID students have graduated from high school and gone on to college. 94.3% of AVID students report enrolling in college, 77.1% in four-year institutions and 17.2% in community colleges.  The national average for four-year college enrollment is 35%.

For more information on AVID go to  www.avidonline.org