AVID Program
Windsor Charter Academy is an AVID National Demonstration School!
What is AVID?
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a nonprofit that changes lives by helping schools shift to a more equitable, student-centered approach. AVID trains 70,000 educators annually to close the opportunity gap so they can prepare all students for college, careers, and life.
AVID’s Mission:
AVID’s mission is to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society.
AVID Elementary:
AVID Elementary teachers create a ripple effect in later grades by teaching and reinforcing academic behaviors and higher-level thinking at a young age. Elementary students develop the academic habits they will need to be successful in middle school, high school, and college in an age-appropriate and challenging way. Children learn about organization, study skills, communication, and self-advocacy. AVID Elementary students take structured notes and answer high-level questions that go beyond routine answers.
The strong college-going culture on an AVID Elementary campus encourages students to think about their college and career plans. Schools cover their walls with college pennants and banners, and educators speak about their college experiences. College and careers are no longer foreign concepts, and teachers provide the academic foundation students need to be on a path for college and career success. AVID Elementary closes the opportunity gap before it begins.
AVID T-Shirts
Windsor Charter Academy is proud to be an AVID school! To help promote the importance of AVID with our students, parents are invited, but not required, to purchase an AVID t-shirt for their student. Students can use their same AVID t-shirt throughout their elementary school experience. Please click here to order a t-shirt.
AVID Secondary:
AVID Electives:
Our nation’s schools are full of students who desire to go to college and are willing to work hard, but many of them do not truly have the opportunity to be college-ready. These are often the students who will be the first in their families to attend college and are from groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education. AVID Secondary equips teachers and schools with what they need to help these students succeed on a path to college and career success.
To address this need, AVID has developed the AVID Elective course. Students receive additional academic, social, and emotional support for one period a day to help them succeed in their school’s most rigorous courses. Windsor Charter Academy currently offers our 6th through 9th graders the AVID elective class. Students must complete the application and interview process to be enrolled in the elective. A teacher recommendation letter is required for all incoming 6th-grade students. To apply, click the link below to access the application:
AVID Schoolwide
Schoolwide AVID at the secondary level doesn’t mean all students are enrolled in an AVID Elective class. What it does mean is that all students thrive in an environment where academic expectations are held high, inquiry-based pedagogy and collaboration are evidenced in all classrooms, systems and structures focus on students' needs, and campus leadership has cultivated a culture of college readiness and success for all students.
When stepping onto a campus where AVID is schoolwide, it is not uncommon to see all students taking focused notes, using some form of binder, agenda planner, or other organizational tool, and engaging in collaborative, dynamic academic activities in classrooms facilitated by AVID-trained teachers. Students can access rigorous courses like honors, advanced math, Advanced Placement®, International Baccalaureate®, and dual enrollment. Moreover, academic support structures are often offered throughout the school day so that all students have opportunities to thrive.
AVID Website: https://www.avid.org/