AVID - Grades 9 to 12
AVID stands for "Advancement Via Individual Determination" and is a program designed to help students focus on skills that will help in college, career and life.
Highlights of the AVID program:
College tours and field trips
Help with college application, financial aid applications and scholarships
Presentations by college representatives and career guest speakers
Research and projects related to college and future careers
Weekly help from college tutors in collaborative tutorials
Focused notes, binder and planner checks with SMART goal setting
A-G approved course for CSU and UC colleges
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a nationally recognized program that prepares students for college and career readiness. It is designed for students who have the motivation to attend college and are often are first-generation, in the academic middle, and/or students who need additional academic supports.
Students utilize WICOR strategies (Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading)to support their academic and personal growth. Academic support is provided by college tutors during weekly tutorial study groups. Students also complete focused notes for their academic classes, maintain organized binders and planners, and perform regular grade checks to ensure they are performing well in their classes throughout the school year.
For college and career exploration, AVID students tour college campuses each semester through field trips, attend the out-of-state college fair, complete projects researching career options and different types of colleges, and also attend presentations from college representatives and career industries.
AVID is for all grade levels (9 to 12) as an elective class. The expectations for AVID students at Esperanza include:
earning a "C" or better in the AVID elective class
maintaining a minimum GPA of 2.5 for each semester
completion of courses that meet the A-G requirements of CSU and UC colleges
completion of at least one advanced placement (AP) class, dual enrollment course OR a CTE pathway before graduation
participation in a school activity, club or sport on campus
Academic decathlon is a high school competition with ten academic events. All students in all grade levels with any GPA is welcome to join our team.
Highlights of Academic Decathlon:
Team building and collaborative learning in a positive academic environment
Improve interview skills and public speaking with speech events
Learning outside the traditional classroom curriculum with a new theme each school year
Earn individual subject medals, scholarship money and team awards
Elective that helps students stand out to colleges
Earn one semester of credits that is A-G approved for CSU/UC colleges
Academic decathlon is a high school competition where students compete in ten academic events to earn individual medals, school team awards and scholarship money. Students are enrolled in a 7th period class (A-G approved) for fall semester to help study and prepare for the competition that takes place in January. There is collaborative learning in a positive academic environment that welcomes all students with any GPA. The competition takes place at the county, state, and national levels with a new theme to study each year.
The ten academic events include:
Art
Economics
Literature
Math
Music
Science
Social Science
Essay
Speech
Interview
Students gain study and test-taking skills, improve their speaking skills, practice interview questions, acquire knowledge in subjects outside the standard classroom curriculum and learn with students of different grade levels and backgrounds as a team. There are many benefits to joining the academic decathlon team that students continue beyond high school.