AVID Anecdotals

AVID's mission is to close the opportunity gap by preparing all students for college and career readiness and success in a global society.

Throughout this year, our students have dived deeper into higher levels of thinking. This is utilized in the Tutorial Process as well as Socratic Seminars. Higher-level thinking, elicited by skilled inquiry, should be both teacher- and student-driven. Teachers pose questions and guide students into deeper levels of thought. Students use questioning processes to probe the meanings of texts, solve problems, or design investigations. Ultimately, higher-level thinking is revealed through questioning, analyzing, and constructing of knowledge and understanding.

Using these resources, educators will be able to:

• Use effective questioning techniques in the classroom to promote students’ critical thinking or higher order thinking skills.
• Create a classroom culture that nurtures thinking and inquiry.
• Engage students in using Costa’s Levels of Thinking to think more deeply and broadly.
• Teach students to identify and employ the strategies and skills of successful learners.

Bloom's Taxonomy is often used as a more accurate assessment of how effectively students absorb and understand what they learned in the classroom. The ways that students can test their level of understanding are by remembering basic facts, explaining the fundamental concepts and ideas at play, applying this information, comparing and contrasting the connection between the material, justifying their argument, and creating an original piece of work.

This month, our 6th-grade AVID students have continued to fill in their March goal tracker. During the week of testing, they watched the inspiring movie A Million Miles Away, where students answered questions and took notes to deepen their understanding of determination. As a reminder, their WICOR bingo is due on April 4th. Students have been tasked with tracking their participation and engagement in Writing Inquiry Collaboration Organization and Reading activities across their classes, reflecting their commitment to building essential skills for academic success.

7th graders played "WICOR Bingo" this past month! Students went to each of their classes looking for AVID strategies being utilized. (AVID strategies are used throughout the building, not just in our AVID elective course). Students noticed a strategy happening, wrote a short description of it in the Bingo square, then the classroom teacher signed off on it.

Students completed an exercise in empathy and social awareness. This was easier for some, harder for others! Students had to provide what they thought were their peers' best traits. Ms. McDermott compiled the comments and gave each student their list of positive traits.

Awesome idea Ms. McDermott!!

Also in March, 7th graders started a "TED Talk Tuesday" where students listen to and capture the big takeaways from some transformational TED talks. Students use these notes to discuss the parts of the talks that they agreed with and the parts they take issue with.

This month, 8th‑grade AVID jumped into college readiness: we began our Park School visits and practiced focused note‑taking while exploring the college application process. Students sharpened their note-taking and tutorial‑form skills. Next month, they’ll dive deeper—researching each part of the application (transcripts, essays, recommendations, testing, deadlines)—and teach their classmates what they learned.

On Friday, Dec. 5, our 8th Grade AVID classes launched a new program partnering with Park School in D65. Park School is a public therapeutic day program in D65 committed to serving a wide range of students with disabilities, ages 3 through 22, who are identified within the “low incidence” population. Students found eligible for support and services at Park School typically have an identified disability in one or more of the following categories: moderate to significant Intellectual Disability, Autism, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Visual Impairment, and/or Multiple Disabilities. Park School offers a safe, highly structured environment with a wide range of services and program options to support every child and their specific needs. Before we launched the program, Park teachers came to visit Nichols and shared the many different forms of communication and assistive technology that is used at Park.

Our 8th Grade AVID scholars will be visiting Park School every other Friday for the remainder of the school year. Park School is located very close to Nichols - about an 8 minute walk.

Our AVID scholars have been working on learning sign language to communicate with their Park Pal. They have been designing lessons to do with the Park students, for example lessons on hygiene, reading stories or art projects to connect with their Park Pal. Each Park student varies in how they communicate and our AVID scholars will continue to get to know their Park Pal and focus on designing lessons based on their Park Pal's needs.

Our AVID scholars are working on their leadership and communication skills. As well as planning skills while they are servicing their community.

6th Grade

Favorite thing about AVID: we get to do fun projects

How has AVID helped you as a student: it helps me learn about note taking and is a good class before lunch

Would you rather be the smartest person in the world or the most beautiful person in the world? smartest person in the world so I can finish school early

Favorite thing about AVID: sometimes we get French candy

How has AVID helped you as a student: it helped me be more organized and take better notes

Would you rather be the smartest person in the world or the most beautiful person in the world? smartest so I can figure out a cure for cancer

Favorite thing about AVID: It prepares you for college and it's really good for people's academics

How has AVID helped you as a student: it helps me be successful for life

Would you rather be the smartest person in the world or the most beautiful person in the world? the smartest because I think that knowledge is the key to life

Favorite thing about AVID: it's fun and all my friends are there

How has AVID helped you as a student: it helped me think about advanced questions

Would you rather be the smartest person in the world or the most beautiful person in the world? the smartest but I wish I could choose both

7th Grade

Favorite thing about AVID: My teacher.

How has AVID helped you as a student: do better in other classes because of the TRFs.

Would you rather be the smartest person in the world or the most beautiful person in the world?: Smartest.

Favorite thing about AVID: My friends and I like some of the work.

How has AVID helped you as a student: I think its helped me write better and keep my notes more organized.

Would you rather be the smartest person in the world or the most beautiful person in the world?: Both. Smartest because I could get rich and buy stuff to make me beautiful!

Favorite thing about AVID: The environment is calming to do work.

How has AVID helped you as a student: I have done more diving into my career and passions.

Would you rather be the smartest person in the world or the most beautiful person in the world?: Smartest person so I can make my mom proud.

8th Grade

Favorite thing about AVID: How it encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone.

How has AVID helped you as a student: Helped me be more confident and make my voice heard.

Would you rather be the smartest person in the world or the most beautiful person in the world?: Beautiful because I just feel like I would have more advantages, people will always think you are kind.

Favorite thing about AVID: My classmates/friends.

How has AVID helped you as a student: Makes me review my organization.

Would you rather be the smartest person in the world or the most beautiful person in the world?: Smartest because it could make me money.

Favorite thing about AVID: Being able to connect with my peers.

How has AVID helped you as a student: Helped me solve problems during class and I'm kind of ahead than my other peers because I have teachers come and explain things to me.

Would you rather be the smartest person in the world or the most beautiful person in the world?: Smartest because if I do that I could be happy the way I am.

Favorite thing about AVID: Field trips and being with friends and the community.

How has AVID helped you as a student: Kept me organized and made me take responsibility.

Would you rather be the smartest person in the world or the most beautiful person in the world?: Smartest because beauty doesn't really mean anything. You really need education for a lot of things.

Do you know any rising 6th graders or current Nichols students who are not yet in AVID? Click on the link below to view the AVID registration form and pass it along!

AVID focuses on academic, organizational, and personal development.

😀 Students receive instruction in writing, notetaking, studying, test-taking and organizing.

😀 Students receive academic support through collaborative tutorial groups.

😀 Students are motivated to pursue academic excellence through goal setting, cultural and college field trips, classroom guest speakers, and AVID team building.

Students are expected to take the AVID elective class for all three years in Middle School (6th, 7th, and 8th).

AVID is an elective class in place of Advisory or Spanish for Spanish Speakers in 6th grade. For 7th Grade and 8th grade, AVID is in place of the Spanish or French world language class.

Attendance is an important part of student success. Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year. An absence has the same results, whether it's "excused", "unexcused" or due to legitimate health reasons. Check out the handout below for more information.

Attendance Handout (English)

Attendance Handout (Spanish)

"Attendance Works" is a national and state initiative that pushes for better policy and practice to improve school attendance. Find additional resources on their website: www.attendanceworks.org

Why is attendance and getting to school on-time so important?

Being in school, on-time, positively impacts...

💢 Social, emotional and cognitive development

💢 Habits

💢 Class Culture

💢 Reading

💢 Future preparedness

💢 Relationships with peers

Occasionally we get questions about the AVID process (when/how to apply, how/should I transfer out of AVID, can I re-enroll, etc.). Here is some information to help in your decision-making surrounding AVID:

Timeline for AVID

😎 During 6th and 7th grade, students can transfer out of AVID at any time prior to November 1 of each respective year per parent request. No mid-year course changes after November 1 will be allowed.

😎 Students entering 7th grade can apply for AVID. Students may also be recommended for AVID by their school counselor and/or language arts teacher and asked to consider applying.

😎 8th grade students may not transfer out of AVID since only Spanish II or French II are available for 8th graders and students will not have taken the prerequisite Spanish I or French I.

😎 Students who are enrolled in AVID are expected to take the AVID elective class through the 8th grade.

Process for Transferring out of AVID

If a family inquires about transferring out of AVID, the counselor, school leader, AVID teacher, and grade level team will review the request to assess how high school ready the student will be by the end of 8th grade in terms of organization, questioning, listening, social, reading, and writing skills as well as academic grades, MAP scores, and attendance. For students who are not exhibiting these characteristics, we generally encourage them to remain in AVID to continue to hone in on the skills/preparedness for high school success.

6th Grade AVID Teacher

lopezv@district65.net

7th Grade AVID Teacher

mcdermottmeg@district65.net

8th Grade AVID Teacher

stonec@district65.net