DIXON, CA (MPG) - We have referred to our District-wide implementation of AVID several times in the Weekly Update and will continue to provide information regarding the program throughout the rest of the year.

AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a college and career preparation program that begins in Kindergarten and runs all the way through 12th Grade. It has a number of key components, four of which will be highlighted today. These domains, or areas of focus, are the framework for how we can transform our schools, integrating the AVID philosophy and methodologies into everything that we do. By providing the AVID experience to every student in the District, we are attempting to prepare every student for whatever college and career path they choose to pursue.

The Four Domains of AVID
INSTRUCTION: Students will not reach the necessary levels of preparation if classroom instruction is not rigorous and properly designed to meet the needs of all students through a variety of strategies and practices. Central to instruction in AVID are WICOR tools. WICOR stands for Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading. We will further explain these components in detail in a future update. Staff properly use WICOR strategies when they have been adequately trained and are supported to do so. The District has invested a very large amount of time and funding in professional development for our staff, and evidence of WICOR practices can be seen across the District.

SYSTEMS: Systems provide structures that support the full implementation of AVID at every site. They provide organization, planning, implementation, and monitoring of how AVID is being embedded at each school site and across the District. Systems help to ensure the successful development of AVID and its benefits for every student in the District.

LEADERSHIP: Leadership sets the vision and tone that promotes college and career readiness, and high expectations for all students. While school site and district administrators have a large and important role as leaders, the development of effective AVID Leadership Teams with a variety of staff members on it is the most important part of ensuring strong leaders at each campus. Each school has an AVID Site Team that plans and supports implementation of the program. We could not become an AVID District, with certified AVID schools without strong leadership teams.

CULTURE: One of the underlying principles of AVID is that culture trumps strategies every time. In other words, if a school or the District does not have a shared vision, common beliefs and behaviors, and the effective inclusion of all members of the school community – students, families, and staff – the plans that contain strategies, plans, and various activities cannot be successfully implemented. The culture must include principles such as every student can learn and benefit from AVID, all stakeholders agree that AVID is the foundation of how we will do our work, and that we must look past the awarding of a high school diploma and prepare students for their futures, whether that includes an immediate career, or college or other training before starting a career.