The Bakersfield Voice

AVID Interest in College

By: Clarice Poblete and Camilo Garcia

Topics: college, Education, preparation

Stonecreek Junior High made history by being selected to be an AVID National Demonstration School in April. AVID, Advancement Via Individual Determination, is an academic program that provides students with the tools to prepare themselves for college.

            On April 17, a group of national AVID officials came to Stonecreek to see if the school was AVID material. At the end of the day, they announced the best news! Stonecreek was approved as an AVID demonstration school, meaning it can help other schools implement the program or provide support for AVID schools.

          In the summary of finding, the visitors wrote, “…we saw students engaged and focused, AVID strategies as the basis for instruction, and smooth transitions and pacing in the curriculum lessons.”      

Students praise the one period elective class for its support. “It helps me with problems in my core classes and informs me on the characteristics and requirements of college,” eighth grader Roxanne Esparza says. The program allows students to collaborate with other students to receive extra help with their academic classes and accelerates student learning school wide.

            It wasn’t only the students who made Stonecreek an AVID demonstration school; parents, teachers and administrators helped the school reach its goal. Teacher Mandy Howland describes AVID as “providing support and strategies to help students be successful in rigorous classes, thus preparing students for success in college.”

The program focuses on writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization and reading.

            Stonecreek will do a great job of modeling the effective practices to be an AVID school.

Clarice Poblete and Camilo Garcia are AVID students who plan to go to college.