Oswego High School

AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the opportunity gap by preparing all students for college, career, and life. In junior high and high school, AVID is offered as an elective in addition to what students are receiving in the content area classrooms. For more information visit www.avid.org.

The AVID system of supports is implemented at all CUSD308 buildings in grades Kindergarten through 12th. Our goal is to teach academic skills that will become academic habits in order to best prepare all students for their secondary schooling both in 308 and later in life. AVID is not a separate time of the day, but instead, it is the system of how we do school in 308. Teachers are implementing AVID strategies within each content area in order to build rigor, collaboration, and relational capacity with all students.

Goal setting (SMART goals and backwards mapping)
Collaboration with peers while practicing verbal and non-verbal communication skills (Academic Language Scripts, collaborative structures)
Higher levels of thinking and questioning as a class and as individuals responding to what they learn
Organization of learning in order to best retain information (note-taking skills)
Reflection and analysis of learned information (DLIQ, Stretch Journal, One-pager)
Trust and community building within the classroom (collaborative structures)
A culture of high expectations for all students

AVID Elective students are often the first in their family to attend college and are traditionally underrepresented and underserved in higher education.The AVID Elective seeks to identify students who possess the skills, desire, and drive to become successful in college, career, and life post graduation. AVID students receive additional academic, social, and emotional support that will help them succeed in their school’s most rigorous courses. Students are selected for the elective through a process of nomination, recommendation, and interview.