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AVID PROGRAM

AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a national program that began in 1980 as a means of providing under-performing students with the support and academic skills needed to succeed in school and enroll in postsecondary education. AVID's mission is to ensure that students with average to low grades with the desire to go to college, and willingness to work hard, will successfully complete college. Students take academically rigorous courses and an elective course where they receive tutoring, self-image coaching, critical-thinking and organizational skill development, and leadership training.

Chicago Public Schools is the largest urban school district in the country implementing AVID. AVID serves over 2,700 schools and over 167,000 students across the United States. Nationally, the program is administered by the National AVID Center, which monitors and certifies schools that meet implementation standards. It also provides a summer training institute for teams of teachers, counselors, and principals in AVID schools.



Program Goals and Activities
The core of AVID is a daily elective class taught by a teacher trained in AVID methods. The class uses a curriculum designed to enable program participants to develop a foundation of academic skills that will help them improve their learning and performance in rigorous courses. The class is also structured to provide students with the information and guidance they need to navigate the college search and application process. Together, the AVID elective class, enhanced by the relationships students develop with their AVID elective teacher and tutors, are meant to facilitate success in postsecondary education.



The AVID/DePaul Partnership
DePaul has partnered with CPS AVID programs by offering special campus events for AVID students, and by working with the CPS Department of Postsecondary Education and Student Development to host staff development programs for AVID counselors and administrators.  The DePaul's Office of Admission has designated an admission counselor with special responsibility for AVID students and tracks the performance and  progress of AVID program graduates enrolling at DePaul.



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