Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID), an educational nonprofit that was established in 1980, is a proven college-readiness system with a mission to close the opportunity gap for all students.

AVID accelerates student learning, uses research-based methods of effective instruction, provides meaningful and motivational professional learning, and acts as a catalyst for systemic reform and change. AVID is implemented in more than 7,400 PreK-12 schools across the United States, plus schools in the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), the U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada, and Australia. 

The Capital Metropolitan Area AVID team, operated by the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE), supports TK–12 AVID implementation throughout CCESSA Region 3. Support is provided through instructional coaching, classroom observations, professional learning opportunities, program certification, and technical assistance.

Program Components

AVID supports student success through a layered approach that can be visualized as a funnel. At the broadest level is the College and Career Readiness Framework, which sets the vision and outcomes. This framework is then operationalized through the four Domains of AVID Schoolwide, narrowing the focus to systems, leadership, instruction, and culture. At the most targeted level, AVID comes to life in the classroom through WICOR-based instruction, where students experience daily strategies that build college and career readiness skills.

No matter what postsecondary path high school graduates choose, students must develop certain essential skills to design their own futures: critical thinking, collaboration, reading, writing, and relationship building. The development of these skills is rooted in a belief in self. If students believe they are capable, there is foundational confidence to learn and resiliency to overcome setbacks. When educators believe in students, learning and confidence are activated. With teacher support for developing a growth mindset and the academic skills they need for future success, students grow to see their capabilities and find their own way.

Over 45 years, we have seen that when school leaders focus on rigorous instruction, insist on access for all students, align work to a common vision, and believe in students’ potential, student outcomes improve. In addition to graduating more college-bound and career-ready students, schools are equipping their students with the social and emotional faculties they need for life and career success.

By placing students in a learning setting that engages them in rigor with support, opportunities to explore their future pathways, and deliberate instruction in self-management and leadership, students develop the agency and skills that will serve them for life. With AVID, students excel regardless of their circumstances, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, or English proficiency.

Beyond the secondary Elective, AVID strategies are integrated schoolwide. Teachers receive training to implement research-based practices that boost student engagement and achievement. As AVID expands, it fosters a culture of rigor and support across all classrooms.