What is AVID?
AVID is an acronym that stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination.
AVID at Rock Bridge High School is an elective class that uses the familial environment to support students. Our students take challenging classes and are taught strategies to prepare them for the rigors of college.
Our curriculum utilizes strategies based around the five main categories of Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading. We refer to this as WICOR. These strategies are also being taught school wide to ensure all students improve comprehension and understanding.
Learn more about AVID here at AVID's official website.
Mission
AVID's mission is to close the opportunity gap by preparing all students for college and career readiness and success in a global society.
More than 7,000 schools world wide and over 2,000,000 students
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a nonprofit that changes lives by helping schools shift to a more equitable, student-centered approach. AVID trains 85,000+ educators annually to close the opportunity gap to prepare all students for college, careers, and life.
Why the AVID Elective works?
Relationships
The foundation of AVID's success stems from the relationships and supports that are created within the classroom. Our AVID students get the opportunity to "loop" with their teacher and classmates. This means many of our students (when starting AVID their freshmen year) are together all four years of high school. Students get the chance to grow together and truly know one another.
Team Building
Games & activities have allowed our students to get to know one another, support one another, and most importantly, laugh with one another.
AVID students remain with the same group throughout their high school years. Some were even together during middle school. By the time graduation comes around, these students know each other very well.
Then when things get challenging, your AVID friends will still stand beside you and cheer you on.
Community Service Activities
Our students greatly enjoy our community service projects throughout the year. They get the opportunity to give back to the community and work together in this effort.
These are great ways to develop the skills of leadership and collaboration. In addition, it gives students activities to include on a college resume or application. And many times, these experiences lead to topics for college essays.
We have spent a great deal of time picking up trash and volunteering at The Food Bank. Students always look forward to these activities. Doing something nice for someone else always makes you feel good about yourself.
Rigorous Coursework
Our AVID elective students are asked to take on at least one course of rigor each year. This could be a world language, honors, advance placement or Project Lead the Way course. AVID students are supported in these challenging courses through tutorials; monitoring grades and setting goals; accountability for organization, note-taking and assignment completion; and general overall motivation.
Many of our students say this is the hardest part of the AVID elective expectation. However, this one expectation not only prepares you for the challenges you may experience in college, but the challenges you will face in life. Learning how to learn when content is difficult is a valuable skill.
College Visits
Our students get the opportunity to learn and bond away from the school. The get to visit colleges and experience something new together.
These field trips take place on a school day. We hear a presentation from the admissions department, talk with college students, tour the campus including residence halls, and eat in the dining hall. The following class periods include lessons to process what they liked and didn't like about the visit. All students walk away from these experiences thinking either "I could see myself going to a school like that" or "I wouldn't want to go there". Both observations are valuable.
Our goal is to visit at least two colleges in Missouri each year. By the time an AVID student is a senior, they have been on up to eight different campuses and have really formulated what they desire in a college experience.
ACT Preparation
Our AVID teachers use class time to prepare their students for high-stakes exams like the ACT. Guest speakers from different content areas present tips and strategies. Our AVID students take many practice tests before they do the real thing.