AVID News
Starting the first day of school, all freshman students begin the GPA/Class Rank race. AVID stresses the importance of grades and hard work because they are the determining factors of where each student will finish in the race. The place they earn will have a direct correlation on their options for college. The higher the GPA, the more options students have. You are probably asking yourself, “How does AVID help with GPA and Class Rank?”
The first way to get a head start is to take PAP/AP courses. Our students are required to take rigorous courses in order to be enrolled in AVID. These PAP/AP courses are designed to prepare students for the level of work they will see in college. Students also have the opportunity at North Campus to earn a college credit by taking and passing the AP Human Geography test. When they arrive at South Campus, there will be even more opportunities to earn college credit while in high school by taking other AP courses. Not only do these courses prepare AVID students for college, but they also give them the advantage over their peers in regular courses because you have the opportunity to earn extra points for being successful in an AP/PAP course.
In order for our students to be successful in rigorous courses, we must give them the tools to succeed. Our students learn how to take notes effectively in their classes and how to use the Cornell process to study those notes. All students at North Campus take Cornell Notes in their classes. Our AVID students benefit from the extra instruction they receive in their AVID Elective class on how to use the notes as a study tool.
Another way we help our AVID students succeed in the GPA Race is by utilizing the AVID Tutorial on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the AVID Elective class. Twice a week, AVID students bring in questions from their rigorous courses and have the opportunity to get help from their peers and our AVID tutors. We use a method called collaborative inquiry to assist students with their point of confusion from their question. During tutorials, students present, take notes, and ask each other questions. In order to prepare for tutorials, students are required to complete the Tutorial Request Form (TRF) which breaks down their question and helps them understand exactly where they are confused.
On Fridays, we have a little fun and participate in Team Building tasks. One of our goals in AVID is to promote a family atmosphere where we can all work together and depend on each other. We celebrate each other's successes and lift each other up when we fall short of a goal.
Click here to download a copy of the AVID application.