2025-2026 HHS AVID
APPLICATIONS OPEN UNTIL FEB 7th!
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AVID at a Glance
AVID is a college preparatory system that works with students to engage them in learning and support them in rigorous coursework throughout high school.
What AVID is...
AVID is an acronym that stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination.
AVID is an in-school academic support program for grades 5-12 that prepares students for college eligibility and success.
AVID places academically average students in advanced classes.
AVID is for all students, but it targets those in the academic middle.
AVID is implemented schoolwide and districtwide.
What AVID isn't...
AVID isn't a remedial program.
AVID isn't a free ride.
AVID isn't a niche program.
AVID isn't a college outreach program.
The AVID program is tailored to the needs of this diverse group of students, and it works for them because
AVID accelerates underachieving students into more rigorous courses, instead of consigning them to dead-end remedial programs.
AVID offers the intensive support students need to succeed in rigorous courses.
AVID uses Socratic methods and study groups that specifically target the needs of under-achieving students.
AVID is a schoolwide initiative, not a school within a school.
The role of teacher is redefined from lecturer to advocate and guide. The role of counselor changes from gate-keeper to facilitator.
AVID creates site teams of administrators and educators from different content areas, encouraging communication and sharing among teachers, counselors, and principals.
All AVID strategies are based on research on tracking — the process by which some children are channeled into challenging courses and others are relegated to remedial ones — and peer influences in student achievement.
The AVID Elective
Not only are students enrolled in their school's toughest classes, such as honors and Advanced Placement, but also in the AVID elective. For one period a day, they learn organizational and study skills, work on critical thinking and asking probing questions, get academic help from peers and college tutors, and participate in enrichment and motivational activities that make college seem attainable. Their self-images improve, and they become academically successful leaders and role models for other students
Professional Development
The AVID elective class is led by a teacher who's been trained in the program's methodologies. AVID's professional development, however, goes further than that. Teachers and administrators from throughout the school and district attend AVID's Summer Institutes, where they all learn techniques for bringing out the best in average students. In this way, AVID students are supported in content-area classrooms as well as in the AVID elective, and even more students can benefit from the AVID program
Curriculum
The AVID curriculum, based on rigorous standards, was developed by middle and senior high school teachers in collaboration with college professors. It is driven by the WIC-R method, which stands for writing, inquiry, collaboration, and reading. AVID curriculum is used in AVID elective classes, in content-area classes in AVID schools, and even in schools where the AVID elective is not offered
Teaching Methodologies
WICOR — or writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization and reading — forms the basis of the AVID curriculum. It gives students the skills they need to succeed in college-preparatory classes, like Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate.
Writing to learn. AVID emphasizes writing in all subjects, with a focus on clarifying and communicating their thoughts and understanding material.
Emphasis on inquiry. AVID is based on inquiry, not lecture. Many activities, from Cornell note taking to tutorial groups, are built around asking questions, which forces students to clarify, analyze, and synthesize material.
A collaborative approach. The AVID classroom is not a traditional one in which a teacher lectures to passive students. An AVID teacher is a facilitator and an advocate. But students, not teachers or tutors, are responsible for their learning.
Organization - the AVID binders and time management skills
Critical reading. AVID students don’t merely read words on a page. They are taught to analyze, question, critique, clarify, and comprehend the material.
These techniques turn students from passive learners into active classroom contributors and critical thinkers, an approach that's necessary for college admission and success.
Recommendation forms and applications are available online. Each student must complete an application packet, interview with HHS’s Site Team, and meet the recommendations set out by the AVID program. Space is limited in the AVID program, so interested students should plan early to pick up application packets.