AVID is a college-readiness system designed to increase the number of students who enroll in four-year colleges. Although AVID serves all students, it focuses on the least served students in the academic middle. The formula is simple - raise expectations of students and, with the AVID support system in place, they will rise to the challenge.

Today, AVID has been adopted by nearly 4,500 schools in 45 states, the District of Columbia and 16 countries/territories, and serves approximately 400,000 students, grades 4-12. Schools and districts have taken methodologies and strategies from the elective course and implemented them schoolwide and districtwide to impact their entire communities and create articulated programs for college success.

 

At the high school and middle level, AVID students are enrolled in their school's toughest classes, such as Advanced Placement®, and receive support in an academic elective class - called AVID - taught within the school day by a trained AVID teacher. In the accelerated elective class, AVID students receive support through a rigorous curriculum and ongoing, structured tutorials. AVID elective teachers support AVID students by providing academic training, managing their tutorials, working with faculty and parents, and by helping students develop long-range academic and personal plans.

 

Schoolwide achievement results from the professional development received by subject area teachers, counselors, administrators, district administrators, and especially through the success of the students targeted for the AVID elective. Use of AVID methodologies, such as Cornell note-taking and group collaboration, in all classes helps create a college-going culture across the campus.

 

AVID Elementary is a foundational program for elementary sites (grades 4-6), designed as an embedded sequential academic skills program. It is intended for non-elective, multi-subject, multi-ability level classrooms. This is the newest part of building a districtwide pipeline to create college-ready students.

 

What differentiates AVID from other educational reform programs is its astounding success rate. Since 1990, more than 65,300 AVID students have graduated from high school and planned to attend college. Of the 2009 AVID graduates, 92 percent planned to attend college; 60 percent to a four-year college and 32 percent to a two-year college.

 

This description comes from the AVID web site.