AVID: Advancement Via Individual Determination

Woodbury Senior High School will be implementing the Advancement Via Individual Determination program (AVID) for a second school year. Last year, Woodbury brought this national program to the district with the help of a grant from the Center for Essential Schools; one class of twenty freshmen began as the first AVID Class in Woodbury.

For the 2006-07 school year, the majority of these students will continue as AVID students in their sophomore year. In addition, two new groups of freshmen will be involved in this year's program. In this short period of time, over ten percent (10%) of the high school population will now be active participants in AVID.

AVID is a college preparatory program for students who are determined to achieve during their high school years. Through the AVID elective program, students find support to achieve good grades in honors and advanced classes. These high school students succeed in rigorous curricula, enter mainstream activities in school, and increase their opportunities to enroll in four-year colleges.

Developed in 1980 by Mary Catherine Swanson, AVID has seen steady growth nationally and internationally in the last twenty-five years. The program has a proven track record for students, measured in the numbers of students who succeed in Advanced Placement classes in high school and finish four-year college educations within five years after graduating from high school.

We have had the majority of Freshman and Sophomore class teachers trained over the course of the last two summers -- volunteering their time during week long training sessions specifically geared to understanding the AVID essential elements and how AVID teachers can increase student motivation and achievement through the use of proven teaching and learning strategies. Every staff member and student joins the program on a strictly voluntary basis. In addition, other Woodbury faculty has been involved in training that takes place during the school year.

This year, the following educators were involved in the summer AVID training:

Anne Baney
Regina Bosworth
Donna Cohen
Denise Dunham
Colleen Fitzgerald
Jim Hilferty
Maria Lario
Carmen Nigro
David Snelling
Michelle Sokolovic

Other educators who participated in training the previous summer (2005) include:

Paula Swan
Barbara Castleberry
Gloria Goode
Josh Bowe

In addition, a number of our faculty has had the opportunity to attend sessions throughout the school year that help to introduce AVID to an even broader group of educators in our school. These include:

Cheryl Federline
Liseidy Diaz
Mickey Kiser
Yael Emenecker
Terry Stebich.

This program is directed by Mrs. Donna Cohen. She can be reached at dcohen@woodburysch.com, if you have specific questions. Or, you can call her at 856-853-0123 (ext. 241).

This link is for the national AVID site:

AVID