AVID 11

Course Description + Expectations

What Is AVID Secondary?

At the secondary grade levels (grades 6–12), AVID is an approved elective course taken during the school day. Students are usually selected to enroll in an AVID class after an application process. For one class period each day, they learn organizational and study skills, develop critical thinking by asking probing questions, get academic help from peers and tutors, and participate in enrichment and motivational activities that make college and career success attainable. Students enrolled in AVID are typically required to enroll in at least one of their school’s most rigorous academic classes, such as Advanced Placement or Honors, in addition to the AVID Elective. As students progress in AVID, their student agency improves, and they become academically successful students, leaders, and role models for other students. 

AVID Schoolwide 

Even in the early days of AVID, a goal of AVID—beyond academic achievement for AVID Elective students—was to create or enhance a schoolwide college-going and career-ready culture that supports high expectations and high levels of achievement for all students. AVID is schoolwide when a school is systematically and intentionally using AVID approaches across the entire building to benefit all students and educators, setting the foundational transformation of a school through its Instruction, Systems, Leadership, and Culture to ensure college and career readiness for all students.

The AVID Elective Student

The AVID Elective class targets students who have the desire to attend college and are capable of completing rigorous courses, but need support to realize their full potential and would benefit from AVID Elective support for college and career readiness. Typically, these students are underserved students in secondary institutions. AVID places these students in Advanced Placement or Honors courses with support.

The AVID Curriculum

The AVID curriculum, based on rigorous standards, is developed by middle and senior high school teachers in collaboration with college professors. It is driven by the WICOR methodology (Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading). WICOR instructional strategies

engage students and scaffold instruction to make challenging content accessible.

The AVID Site Team

One key to successful AVID implementation is the AVID Site Team. The AVID Site Team is a voluntary team of administrators, counselors, teachers, and others who work together to close the opportunity gap and provide college and career readiness for all students by implementing AVID across their school site.

The 11th Grade AVID Elective Class

This course is the first part in a junior/senior seminar course that focuses on writing and critical thinking expected of first- and second-year college students. In addition to the academic focus of the AVID seminar, there are college-bound activities, methodologies, and tasks that should be undertaken during the junior year to support students when they apply to four-year universities and confirm their postsecondary plans.

Expectations for Mr. Rippon’s AVID 11 Class

In my class and across campus, I expect my students to be exemplary in conduct and performance. Students need to take full advantage of the support and enrichment that AVID provides so that they are optimistic and engaged in their classes and among their peers. Students will stay organized by managing digital files and folders on Google Drive. They will show preparation by maintaining a student planner. They will collaborate once a week in tutorial sessions. They will reflect on their learning through learning logs. Additionally, there will be a full year of AVID curriculum that addresses self-assessment and reflection, career and college exploration, project management, community service, writing scholarship essays and personal insight questions, college-level research and writing, and college-level discussions through Socratic seminars.

Class Rules

1. Be in your seat and reading silently or doing homework within two minutes after the tardy bell.

2. Your phone must be in your backpack at all times.

3. Do not have earbuds in or near your ears.

4. Do not talk while another person is speaking to the class.

5. Do not have any open food or drink (water is an exception).

6. Do not do your make-up (Chapstick is an exception).

7. Do not insult anyone or anyone’s work.

8. Do not throw anything.

9. Do not distract the class or any single student from the quest for knowledge.

10. Consequences:  Lunch detention with me for breaking a rule + confiscation of phone or earbuds.

Attendance + Make Up Work

I expect you to attend class daily and participate actively. 

When you miss class, you miss work, and it is your responsibility to ask about what you missed and make arrangements to make up the work. If you miss class, perform any routine activities from class, and check the calendar on our "Home + Calendar" Google Site linked in Aeries for any new assignments and give it your best shot. If you cannot figure out what to do, be resourceful: Google it or message a friend. Then, see the teacher for clarification if needed. In accordance with AUHSD policy, you will have one day per day of absence to make up work for verified absences due to illness or injury.

Late Work

I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE WORK. 

If you have any trouble completing an assignment because of circumstances beyond your control, see me BEFORE the due date to devise a plan to complete the assignment. If your assignment is incomplete at the due time, turn it in. If you miss a due date, you will not be able to submit later. The only way to improve your score is to perform very well on the next assignment.

Academic Honesty + Plagiarism

The academically honest student produces work representative of his/her own efforts and abilities, whereas the academically dishonest student attempts to show knowledge and skills he/she does not possess by claiming it as his/her own. Academic dishonesty may take many forms, moreover, the practice of academic dishonesty undermines the purposes of education and denies the student his/her right to personal and academic integrity. 

Students submitting assignments that is not their own, genuine work, will receive a zero on the assignment, plus further discpline as outlined in the AUHSD Academic Honesty Policy.

I do not grade robots. AI-generated material and AI-"corrected" material will not be graded and will receive a zero for the assignment; and the student will be denied Honors distinction. This includes "assistance" from Grammarly.