Lansdowne High School AVID Program
AVID’s mission is to close the achievement gap by preparing ALL students
for college readiness and success in a global society.
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a proven national program designed to support and assist all students to succeed in a college preparatory path for admission to universities and colleges. At Lansdowne High School our goal is to provide all students with the essential resources needed to be successful in rigorous courses and to promote an awareness of the significance of higher education, as well as the limitless opportunities for their futures. As an academic support elective, AVID seeks to prepare students for college eligibility and empowers them to strive for academic excellence.
At Lansdowne High School, in the AVID class, students are educated on the numerous skills required to achieve academic success. Students receive daily instruction in notetaking, time management, organization, reading, writing, and study skills, and receive additional support twice a week through collaborative tutorial groups with peers and AVID-trained tutors. Students also learn about colleges and universities (the application and financial aid processes) through college field trips and are encouraged to explore career opportunities through curriculum, research, and guest speakers.
*Students need to apply and be accepted to this program.
Characteristics of an AVID Student
- Typical GPA range of 2.5-3.5 when entering AVID
- Little to No attendance or discipline problems
- Are willing to commit to enrollment in rigorous college preparatory sequence of courses
- Desire to attend a four-year college or university, trade, or military track
- Possibly a first-generation college student (first member of the family to attend college)
- Complete an application and be accepted to this program
AVID Elective
The purpose of the AVID elective class at Lansdowne High School is to empower all students to maximize their individual potential, by teaching them various strategies to implement, in order to be successful in rigorous coursework and future endeavors. Our objective is to encourage all students to set goals and to be confident in their ability to achieve those ambitions. Students are taught academic vocabulary, using critical thinking skills, engaging in collaborative tutorials, attending college field trips*, listening to guest speakers, taking Focus Notes, and implementing various WICOR (Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading) strategies.
AVID Expectations
- Participation in tutorials, collaborative groups*, field trips*, Socratic seminars, philosophical chairs, and motivational activities
- Maintain satisfactory attendance and citizenship in all classes
- Display positive, respectful behavior in all classes
- Maintain the digital AVID binder with Focus Notes in all classes
- Maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher
- Signed AVID Contract
- Enroll in rigorous classes
What happens in an AVID class each week?
- Strategies for success
- College and careers
- Improving writing and critical reading skills
- Developing communication skills (oral and written)
- Quickwrites and reflections
- Focused note-taking practice and strategies for improvement
- eBinders for organization
- Collaborative tutorial sessions with cross age tutors
- eBinder evaluation
- College visits
- Motivational activities
What is an AVID Tutorial?
Small group tutorial sessions are held weekly during the AVID Elective class. Tutorials play an important role in the AVID Elective class, while also benefiting other content classes in a school. As an essential element to the collaboration component of the AVID Program, tutorials are a time and place where students come with complex, higher-level questions from any academic class and receive guided support to address problems and solve them within their own means.
Under the direction of the AVID elective teacher, an AVID-trained tutor facilitates the discussion and work at each group. Using their knowledge and expertise, AVID-trained tutors are able to coordinate collaborative tutorials that lead to increased student success. Trained tutors are able to foster an environment in which students feel secure asking the questions that they might be uncomfortable asking in their core-content classrooms.
Monica Jett, AVID Coordinator AVID 9 and 12 Elective Teacher
Amy Horrigan, AVID 11 Elective Teacher
Tracey-Ann Smith, AVID 10 Elective Teacher
Joshua Grubka, AVID Counselor
Christopher Bunn, AVID Assistant Principal
AVID Student Application
Please click here for the student application to the AVID program.
