AVID
What Is AVID?
Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID)
AVID, or Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a college readiness system that can be deployed school-wide in K-12 schools & in higher education to ensure that students have the skills they need to be college & career ready. AVID's mission is as follows:
"AVID's mission is to close the opportunity gap by preparing all students for college readiness & success in a global society".
In Cleburne ISD, we combine their mission with our own in efforts to prepare all students for post-secondary success. Currently, AVID is offered at the following campuses:
Smith Intermediate School-AVID Elementary
Wheat Middle School-AVID Elective and AVID Excel
Cleburne High School-AVID Elective
AVID Elementary lays the foundation for building the essential skills for future success, helps close opportunity gaps, and instills a mindset for learning by meeting the diverse needs of all students and enhancing their skills, knowledge, and behaviors by building relational capacity and student agency. Through the implementation of AVID Elementary, students are nurtured to fill their potential, so they can successfully transition to the next level and be prepared for college and career readiness and success in a global society.
AVID Excel is designed to prepare middle school multilingual students to enter high school with the language skills that will enable them to succeed in rigorous coursework by accelerating language acquisition, developing literacy, and placing AVID Excel students on the path to high school AVID and college preparatory coursework. By integrating scaffolds and instructional routines into classroom instruction, AVID Excel scholars receive the support and guidance they need to progress from their current level of English proficiency to the sophisticated and nuanced academic language needed for rigorous college preparatory classwork.
The AVID elective focuses on providing students the academic & systemic supports needed to achieve their post-secondary dreams. Special consideration is given to students who are first-generation college students. Students in the AVID elective receive the additional academic, social, and emotional support that will help them succeed in their school’s most rigorous courses including on-going instruction in areas such as growth mindset, note taking, school materials organization, goal setting & college research. Within the AVID elective class, students hone their note-taking skills, organize a comprehensive student binder & engage in collaborative activities designed to prepare students for post-secondary educational environments. Students also have the opportunity to attend college visit field trips every semester in the AVID elective class.
Students enrolled in the AVID elective are required to enroll in at least one Advanced Academics course each year. Students may enroll in Pre-AP, AP, Dual Credit & OnRamps courses in the area(s) of their choosing. In addition, AVID elective students participate in small group tutorials in the AVID elective course. In order to be prepared for tutorials, students must complete a Tutorial Request Form (TRF) prior to the start of class on tutorial days.
To learn more about AVID & what they do, please visit the AVID Website.
The AVID Effect
Adding AVID to a campus is proven to have positive benefits for the students & teachers on that campus as it pertains to post-secondary success, but also in relation to attendance rates, test scores, graduation rates & state accountability.
To learn more about all of the ways AVID positively impacts your student, please click the links below!
AVID Is Limitless
AVID People Like Me
AVID Resources
AVID & WICOR
WICOR represents the components of effective classroom instruction. Teachers writing WICOR lessons and students experiencing WICORized lessons will engage in:
WritingStudents will engage in writing to learn strategies that guide them through the entire writing process from drafting to peer editing and revising. Class may begin or end with Quick writes to frame lessons. Students write reflections on their learning both in class & in their notes. Students may also log their learning through the course to track new concepts & identify gaps in learning.
Inquiry
Based on Costa's Levels of Thinking, inquiry should be student initiated and deeper level. Teachers model inquiry through essential questions in their lesson planning & deeper level questioning in their classroom discussions.
Collaboration
Students engage in elements of small group instruction, think-pair-share, & whole group discussion. Students are encouraged to problem solve in groups & direct instruction is limited. Students may experience activities such as World Cafe, Socratic Seminars or Philosophical Chairs.
Organization
Student organization encompasses student binders, agendas/planners, goal setting for classes & post-secondary & backward mapping. Students will also experience organization in class through the use of notes and/or graphic organizers as they move through the focused note-taking process.
Reading
Critical reading is paramount in the AVID College Readiness System. Students engaging in critical reading organize their reading material by numbering paragraphs, identifying keywords, underlining author positions/arguments & annotating the margins to ask deeper level questions (Costa's) & make observations about the reading. Critical reading often builds into collaborative activities such as Philosophical Chairs or Socratic Seminars.
- Cleburne ISD AVID Elective
- Cleburne ISD AVID Elective Course Descriptions
- 7th Grade AVID Elective Standards
- 8th Grade AVID Elective Standards
- 9th Grade AVID Elective Standards
- 10th Grade AVID Elective Standards
- 11th Grade AVID Elective Standards
- 12th Grade AVID Elective Standards
Cleburne ISD AVID Elective
The AVID elective course is a course that begins in Cleburne ISD in the 7th grade. Students accepted into the AVID elective are expected to take at least one advanced course & maintain good grades & conduct. Students who enter the AVID elective course are expected to remain in the AVID elective until graduation from high school as the focus of the course is different for each grade level.
The grade-specific course descriptions are listed below & the AVID elective standards can be found in the links at the bottom of this page.
Cleburne ISD AVID Elective Course Descriptions
The 7th grade elective course is an introduction to the AVID philosophy. Students participate in activities that incorporate strategies focused on writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization & reading as well as their academic growth. Students will engage in activities centered around exploring college & career opportunities, building self-confidence & communication skills. Students will set short & long-term goals &, as a result, understand the value in taking charge of their actions. Students will take an active role in their learning, understanding the roles of all members in assignments & collaborative lessons. Students will also develop skills regarding note-taking in relation to studying & test preparation.
The 8th grade AVID elective course is the year of preparation for high school. Students will refine previous goals, focusing on their transition to high school as part of a college-preparatory path. Students will transition from active learners to leaders. Other areas of focus include increasing the use of technology & building upon test-preparation & test-taking knowledge. Students will participate in college preparatory testing.
The 9th grade AVID elective course will serve as a review of the AVID philosophy & strategies. Students will work on academic & personal goals & communication, adjusting to the high school setting. Students will increase their awareness of their personal contributions to their learning as well as their involvement in school & community.
The 10th grade AVID elective course will refine AVID strategies to meet their independent needs & learning styles. Students will continue to refine & adjust their academic learning plans & goals, increasing awareness of their actions & behaviors. Students will expand their vocabulary use, continuing to prepare for college entrance exams. Text analysis will focus on specific strategies to understand complex texts. Lastly, students will narrow down their colleges & careers of interest based on their personal interests & goals.
The 11th grade AVID elective course is the first part in a Junior/Senior seminar course that focuses on skills expected of first-year college students. Students participate in college bound activities & confirm their post-secondary plans.
The 12th grade AVID elective course is the second part in a junior/senior seminar course that focuses on the writing & critical thinking expected of first & second-year college students. College-bound activities, methodologies, & tasks that should be achieved during the senior year that support students as they apply for college & confirm their post-secondary plans. Seniors will develop & present a portfolio representing their years of work in the AVID program.
7th Grade AVID Elective Standards
In the 7th grade AVID Elective, students will be able to:
**Standards in bold font are safety net standards**
Student Empowerment
- Explore & experience extra-curricular & community service activities
- Evaluate the impact of decisions in their lives
- Identify areas that need attention & develop goals to address areas of need
- Develop a support network that includes peers & adults
- Determine personal levels of grit & perseverance
Leadership to Others
- Identify traits connected to responsibility, integrity & ethical interactions
- Pursue leadership opportunities
- Identify personal conflict-management style
WICOR
- Compose first drafts using ideas & information gathered during pre-writing
- Write multiple drafts with increasing depth based on feedback
- Take notes with an emphasis on recording main ideas
- Take notes with an emphasis or condensing information by using symbols, abbreviations & paraphrasing
- Summarize notes by pulling important information related to the Essential Question
- Develop inquiry skills through focused observation
- Identify the specific point of confusion related to a misunderstood concept
- Reflect on learning strategies that were employed, whether those strategies were effective, & how methods could be adjusted in the future
- Determine the relevance, validity & reliability of information found within sources
- Hold self & peers accountable for following group norms
- Deepen relational capacity with classmates
- Establish norms & expectations around respectful interactions
- Ask clarifying questions to group members to facilitate understanding
- Demonstrate active listening skills
- Develop usage of organizational tools (i.e. binder, agenda, learning logs, goal setting forms)
- Demonstrate the process of backward mapping
- Identify the steps necessary to accomplish a goal
- Use tools to deepen understanding of vocabulary
Advancing College Preparedness
- Define key attributes for academic, social & financial fit related to college
- Explore the significance of GPA in academic success
- Explore college options & terminology
- Explore district opportunities to earn college credit while in high school
- Prepare for college entrance exams (PSAT, SAT, ACT)
Building Career Knowledge
- Explore career fields & career pathways based on academic, social & financial fit
8th Grade AVID Elective Standards
In the 8th grade AVID elective, students will be able to:
**Standards in bold font are safety net standards**
Student Empowerment
- Explore & pursue leadership opportunities & community service activities
- Effectively manage stress & anxiety levels in test-taking
- Maintain a strong support network for academic & career success
- Identify mentors to influence, support, & guide future transitions & success
- Strengthen ability to self-advocate
- Recognize & overcome obstacles that could hinder future success
- Apply self-awareness strategies & skills with a variety of academic challenges
Leadership to Others
- Assess personal traits connected to integrity & ethical leadership
- Reflect on conflict situations to strengthen ability to deal with emotions
WICOR
- Compose first drafts with a focus on establishing clear purpose
- Independently create & execute a plan for revision
- Take notes with an emphasis on selecting the appropriate format for note-taking
- Take notes with an emphasis on using strategies to organize notes (i.e. indentation, bullets, color-coding, etc.)
- Reflect on how notes meet the learning objective
- Use questioning techniques to think critically about content & concepts
- Generate questions based on a misunderstood concept or problem
- Determine the perspective, validity, & reliability of information found within sources
- Construct written claims & support them with reasoning & evidence
- Negotiate roles within a collaborative group through the adoption of effective elements of collaboration
- Integrate multiple perspectives into group products
- Demonstrate active listening by asking clarifying questions
- Develop efficient, individualized routines related to using organizational tools (i.e. binder, agenda, goal setting forms, etc.)
- Understand & demonstrate the concepts & practices of backward mapping
- Create short & mid-range goals that support achievement of long-term goals
- Modify goals & actions appropriately based on progress
- Create text dependent questions while reading that align with the reading purpose
Advancing College Preparedness
- Refine key personal attributes for academic, social & financial fit related to college
- Reflect on current GPA & how it relates to choosing a college
- Compare various college campus structures & opportunities
- Produce long-term academic plans that align with goals
Building Career Knowledge
- Develop an authentic & personal definition of success
- Gain awareness of how academic performance links to career performance & success
- Identify best-fit career fields based on academic, social, & financial fit to develop short & long-term career pathways
9th Grade AVID Elective Standards
In the 9th grade AVID elective, students will be able to:
**Standards in bold font are safety net standards**
Student Empowerment
- Determine their personal interest in extracurricular & community service activities within the school & community
- Explore the importance of healthy, balanced lifestyles, including aspects such as good sleeping, eating & exercise habits
- Understand concept-specific vocabulary related to personal finance
- Identify characteristics of positive, healthy relationships
- Gain awareness of motivators that positively impact performance
- Diagnose areas of academic, personal, social-emotional need
- Explore the relationship between grit & performance
- Identify skills that promote self-awareness
Leadership of Others
- Identify traits connected to personal integrity & ethics
- Identify leadership opportunities in school & in the community
- Determine formal & informal opportunities for leadership
- Select tools to analyze a conflict & identify a positive solution
WICOR
- Develop writing skills
- Gather & analyze feedback from peers & instructors
- Analyze the organizational structure of writing
- Take notes with an emphasis on identifying & recording note-taking Essential Question
- Create questions based on Costa’s Levels of Thinking
- Analyze a research prompt
- Locate sources that are relevant to the topic & support the purpose of the research assignment
- Distinguish between primary & secondary sources
- Establish norms & expectations around shared responsibility among group members
- Develop foundational familiarity & comfort with classmates
- Identify respectful & disrespectful actions of self & others
- Utilize technology to collaborate with classmates
- Apply a basic understanding of public speaking
- Describe the characteristics of effective listening, such as eye contact & mirroring
- Begin implementation of organizational tools (i.e. binders, agendas, learning logs, goal setting forms)
- Set personal, academic & career goals
- Monitor progress toward goals
Advancing College Preparedness
- Identify personal interests & skills related to future college aspirations
- Know how to determine GPA
- Develop familiarity with college terminology
- Understand scholarships & the role they play in college finance
- Understand the different college entrance exams: PSAT, ACT, SAT
Building Career Knowledge
- Identify personal interests & skills related to future career aspirations
- Distinguish between jobs, careers & career fields
- Explore the net cost of attending college
10th Grade AVID Elective Standards
In the 10th grade AVID elective, students will be able to:
**Standards in bold font are safety net standards**
Student Empowerment
- Evaluate the impact of decisions on the environment
- Identify activities that assist with self-care & healthy habits
- Increase basic concepts of budgeting & spending
- Determine personal level of grit & perseverance in relation to growth mindset
Leadership to Others
- Pursue leadership opportunities in school
- Identify personal conflict-management style
WICOR
- Develop writing skills related to argumentative writing
- Take notes with an emphasis on recording main ideas & important information
- Condense information in notes by using symbols, abbreviations & paraphrasing
- Summarize notes by pulling together most important information & personal connections related to Essential Question
- Develop inquiry skills through focused observation & analyses
- Identify specific points of confusion
- Determine whether similar problems can be solved using the same process
- Determine the relevance, validity & reliability of information found within sources
- Integrate quotes to support claims, citing references for texts
- Hold self & peers accountable for following group norms
- Summarize points of agreement & disagreement
- Depend relational capacity with classmates through effective conflict management
- Refine use of nonverbal communication when speaking
- Refine usage of organizational tools (i.e. binders, agendas, learning logs & goal setting forms)
- Employ backward mapping skills to plan for projects
- Identify the steps necessary to accomplish a goal
- Assess prior knowledge & identify gaps
- Extend beyond the text by evaluating & synthesizing key learning
Advancing College Preparedness
- Explore the significance of GPA at different stages of the academic journey
- Explore college options & terminology
- Explore district opportunities to earn college credit while in high school
- Prepare for college entrance exams
Building Career Knowledge
- Investigate best-fit career fields based on academic, social & financial fit
11th Grade AVID Elective Standards
In the 11th grade AVID elective, students will be able to:
**Standards in bold font are safety net standards**
Student Empowerment
- Explore & pursue leadership opportunities in extracurricular & community service activities
- Effectively manage stress & anxiety levels
- Identify mentors to influence, support & guide future success
- Strengthen ability to self-advocate
- Recognize & overcome obstacles
Leadership to Others
- Assess personal traits connected to integrity & ethical leadership
- Pursue leadership & mentorship opportunities in school & the community
WICOR
- Develop skills in citing information in MLA and/or APA format
- Analyze the language of writing & edit for voice, flow & clarity
- Take notes with an emphasis on selecting the appropriate format for note-taking
- Use questioning techniques to think critically
- Generate questions based on a misunderstood concept or problem
- Develop research questions that effectively address prompts
- Negotiate roles within collaborative groups
- Integrate multiple perspectives into group products
- Deepen relational capacity
- Demonstrate active listening skills
- Speak effectively in front of the class
- Develop efficient, effective routines
- Understand & demonstrate the concepts & practices of backward mapping
- Create short & mid-range goals that support the achievement of long-term goals
- Connect vocabulary within texts to broader concepts in a text
Advancing College Preparedness
- Reflect on current GPA & how it relates to choosing a college & career path
- Research & evaluate scholarship offerings, including FAFSA
- Determine whether additional test prep & testing is needed to reach scholarship goals
Building Career Knowledge
- Develop an authentic & personal definition of success
- Refine key personal attributes for academic, social & financial fit related to career selection
12th Grade AVID Elective Standards
In the 12th grade AVID Elective, students will be able to:
**Standards in bold font are safety net standards**
Student Agency
- Attend to personal health, safety & balance
- Self-monitor & seek help when necessary
- Demonstrate persistence, flexibility & adaptability
Leadership to Others
- Demonstrate integrity & ethical leadership in person & online
- Pursue leadership opportunities & hold leadership positions
WICOR
- Analyze a writing task
- Polish writing through editing & proofreading
- Take notes to meet the note-taking objective
- Make connections between new learning & previous learning, experiences, self, & the world
- Continuously reflect & modify actions to promote learning & academic success
- Share responsibility among group members
- Work productively & effectively in diverse teams with diverse perspectives
- Clearly communicate verbally & nonverbally
- Adapt speech to a variety of contexts & communicative tasks
- Routinely organize systems to access & archive materials efficiently
- Identify & plan for the steps necessary to accomplish various types of goals
- Interact with the text to process information as it is read
Advancing College Preparedness
- Develop an awareness of personal abilities, skills & interests related to college selection
- Plan a path for education & college aligned to personal goals
- Complete the college admission requirements, including testing & application
Building Career Knowledge
- Plan a path for education & career aligned to personal goals