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AVID

College & Career Readiness

Lawrence Public Schools partners with AVID as part of our district's mission to support all students in achieving at high levels and graduating from high school prepared for college, careers, and life.

AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a global nonprofit organization intent on closing the opportunity gap by preparing all students for postsecondary readiness and success in a global society. No matter what postsecondary path high school graduates choose, AVID believes that students need certain essential skills to determine their own futures: critical thinking, collaboration, reading, writing, and relationship building.

AVID's Website

AVID has personally impacted me by keeping me organized, by motivating and preparing me for college, and by boosting my academic confidence.

Lawrence High School graduate

The AVID program operates under the guiding principle that if we hold students accountable to high standards and provide social and academic support, students will rise to the challenge. Across all content areas, AVID's curriculum and research-based strategies help develop students' academic skills in reading, writing, and critical thinking. AVID also emphasizes academic behaviors, including organization, time management, and goal setting.

Excellence in AVID

Sunflower Elementary School is one of only 45 schools in the country to be recognized as a certified AVID School of Excellence. What makes AVID's implementation at Sunflower and throughout Lawrence Public Schools so exceptional? Watch this video to find out.

  

WICOR: AVID Strategies

The program's proven learning support structure, known as WICOR, incorporates teaching/learning methodologies in 5 critical areas:

  • Writing to learn
  • Inquiry
  • Collaboration
  • Organization
  • Reading to learn

WICOR provides a learning model educators use to guide students in comprehending material and articulating ideas at increasingly complex levels. Driven by the WICOR method, and based on rigorous standards, AVID's curriculum supports high levels of academic achievement for all students and aligns to state and national content standards.

AVID Elective Course

While all students can benefit from AVID strategies, middle and high school students can choose to pursue the AVID elective course, which focuses on learners who are performing in the academic middle, yet exhibit high potential, strong determination, and a desire to be the best version of themselves.

The AVID elective has a reputation for creating a culture that motivates all learners to give their best effort and pushes them to reach their full potential. Many students refer to their AVID elective class as a family.