Welcome to Muscatel AVID

AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a proven national program designed to support and assist all students to succeed in a college preparatory path for admission to universities and colleges. Our goal is to provide all students with the essential resources needed to be successful in rigorous courses and to promote an awareness of the significance of higher education, as well as the limitless opportunities for their futures. As an academic support elective, AVID seeks to prepare students for college eligibility and empowers them to strive for academic excellence.

In the AVID class, students are educated on the numerous skills required to achieve academic success. Students receive daily instruction in note-taking, time management, organization, reading, writing, and study skills, and receive additional support twice a week through collaborative tutorial groups with peers and AVID-trained tutors. Students also learn about colleges and universities (the application and financial aid processes) through college field trips and are encouraged to explore career opportunities through curriculum, research, and guest speakers. AVID is offered at Muscatel to 7th and 8th grade students.

*Students need to apply and be accepted to this program. 

Characteristics of an AVID Student

• Typical GPA range of 2.0-3.5 when entering AVID
• Little to No attendance or discipline problems
• Are willing to devote themselves to a minimum of one hour of homework each night
• Are willing to commit to enrollment in rigorous college preparatory sequence of courses
• Desire to attend a four year college or university
• Possibly a first generation college student (first member of the family to attend college)
• Voluntarily decision by the student, NOT the parent
• Complete an application and be accepted to this program

AVID Elective

Muscatel Middle School is dedicated to preparing all students for college and career readiness. The purpose of the AVID elective class is to empower all students to maximize their individual potential, by teaching them various strategies to implement, in order to be successful in rigorous coursework and future endeavors. Our objective is to encourage all students to set goals and to be confident in their ability to achieve those ambitions. Students are taught academic vocabulary, using critical thinking skills, engaging in collaborative tutorials, attending college field trips*, listening to guest speakers, taking Cornell notes, and implementing various WICOR (Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading) strategies.

AVID Expectations

• Recommendation of a 2 year commitment in AVID
• Participation in tutorials, collaborative groups*, field trips*, Socratic seminars, philosophical chairs, and motivational activities 
• Maintain satisfactory attendance and citizenship in all classes
• Display positive, respectful behavior in all classes
• Maintain the digital AVID binder with Cornell notes in all classes
• Maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher
• Signed AVID Contract
• Enroll in rigorous classes 

What happens in an AVID class each week?

 Mondays and Wednesdays are AVID Curriculum Days:

• Strategies for success 
• College and careers
• Improving writing and critical reading skills
• Developing communication skills (oral and written)
• Quickwrites and reflections
• Focused note-taking practice and strategies for improvement
• eBinders for organization

Tuesdays and Thursdays are Tutorial Days (Socratic study groups):

• Collaborative tutorial sessions with peer, college, and teacher tutors

 Fridays are Motivational Days:

• eBinder evaluation
• Guest speakers*
• College visits*
• Motivational activities

*All activities with an * will be virtual while in social distancing

What is an AVID Tutorial?

Small group tutorial sessions are held twice a week during the AVID Elective class. Tutorials play an important role in the AVID Elective class, while also benefiting other content classes in a school. As an essential element to the collaboration component of the AVID Program, tutorials are a time and place where students come with complex, higher-level questions from any academic class and receive guided support to address problems and solve them within their own means.

Under the direction of the AVID elective teacher, an AVID-trained tutor facilitates the discussion and work at each group. Using their knowledge and expertise, AVID-trained tutors are able to coordinate collaborative tutorials that lead to increased student success. Trained tutors are able to foster an environment in which students feel secure asking the questions that they might be uncomfortable asking in their core-content classrooms.

AVID Site Team

AVID Site Team Meetings take place on the third Thursday morning of each month. Our AVID Ambassadors (teachers from each content area) are responsible for attending all Site Team meetings, collecting and sharing student work samples, educating their Professional Learning Community (PLCs) members in AVID strategies, assisting with AVID family nights*, AVID Club*, service learning projects*, etc. At these meetings, the school’s administration, the AVID team, and AVID Ambassadors collaborate to ensure the implementation of the four domains, with fidelity, school-wide.

*Some items are not available during social distancing

AVID parents are strongly encouraged to

• participate in AVID Site Team meetings
• participate in School Site Council
• join and participate in PTA