AVID is a class most students that attend Landstown High School have probably heard of. Many students assume AVID is a super hard class that will pile a bunch of extra work on you. However, that actually couldn’t be further from the truth.
The name AVID stands for Advancement via Individual Determination. The AVID course was created in 1980 to help students stay organized and to help them succeed in their rigorous academic courses.
At Landstown High School, Mr. Jackson, although many of his students refer to him as Coach Jackson, teaches AVID. He has been teaching for several years now.
“AVID teaches organization and offers support with assignments that cause a point of confusion through tutorials,” stated Coach Jackson.
While taking the AVID course, there are some standards that you have to meet. Maintaining at least a 3.0 GPA is one of the things that you are expected to do. You are also expected to take at least one AP or dual enrollment class at some point during your high school career.
When it comes to assignments and class work in AVID, students should complete two tutorial request forms (commonly referred to as TRFs) a week on a topic from one of their academic classes that they may be confused about along with TRFs two tutorials in a small group where they will present the tutorial request form.
Students in the AVID elective are also expected to keep a well-organized binder. Every week, students have a binder check where the AVID teacher or an AVID tutor will look through the students binder.
AVID binder checks also make sure that the student is keeping track of their assignments using a planner and an assignment log and to ensure they are taking weekly notes in all of their academic classes along with annotating and writing summaries on what they learned.
“Yeah, I think it did help me. In the organization form, I think it really helped me. I think it really helped me stay organized and better with my life,” remarked former AVID student, Naitsy Suarez Colon.
All of these standards and expectations that come with taking the AVID elective course might make it seem intimidating, but these expectations and standards are just in place to set students up for success.
“AVID builds essential college and career readiness skills like critical thinking, organization, writing, and collaboration, preparing you to succeed in rigorous courses and navigate life after high school,” Coach Jackson stated.
The AVID course is able to set students up for success when it comes to college or a future career in many ways. Collaboration skills is one of the biggest things that AVID focuses on. By either participating in tutorials or collaborative study groups, students will learn how to properly work with their peers in a group setting.
Along with tutorial and collaborative study groups in AVID, students also research different colleges and career choices in order to help them decide what they would like to do after high school. In AVID, there will be some research projects where students will either research different colleges or careers depending on the project. This is done so that students are able to research and start thinking about if they want to attend college and if so where they might want to go.
“I would recommend AVID to other people because it helps you grow and you can get ready for college if you want to go,” freshman Elijah Murff, who has been in AVID for four years now, stated when asked why he would recommend AVID to other students.
If you think the AVID course would be beneficial for you, talk to your counselor during course registration.
“Students should join AVID for its proven strategies that build essential skills for college and career success, offering a supportive community, structured routines, and direct help with organization, note-taking, critical thinking, and navigating the complex college application process, boosting confidence and performance in all subjects,” Coach Jackson said.
