Novato High School

AVID

A bee mascot stands in front of a mural that says 'NHS' with a blue sky and clouds in the background.

Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) is an academic elective program that helps students to achieve the necessary requirements and skills to be eligible for university acceptance. AVID’s mission is to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society.

AVID Senior Walk

(YouTube Video): AVID 2017 Senior Walk

NHS AVID Website

The program has two major components:

Tutorials:
The AVID Grade Specific Curriculum:

Tutorials occur 2 times per week. Tutorials are small study groups that are facilitated by college students, adult volunteers, and/ or peer tutors who assist students with their studies. Each AVID student is expected to come prepared for the tutorial with questions from their core or college prep classes. Field trips may be scheduled to visit local colleges and universities, providing students with the opportunity to visit the institutions firsthand.

AVID students are expected to be motivated and determined to achieve university acceptance at the end of their high school career. It will be necessary for AVID students to manage their time so that school and their studies become a top priority. This means that they will need to be responsible for making wise and sometimes difficult choices.

They will be required to:

Maintain a certain GPA
Complete 20+ hours of community service every year
Have good attendance
Have positive behavior in all of their classes

Some of the many topics covered in the 9th-12th grade AVID program include:

Research Skills
Research Papers
Public Speaking (including how-to speeches, informational speeches, and persuasive speeches)
Cornell Notes
Philosophical Chairs
Socratic Seminars
Scholarship & Financial Aid Research
Goal Setting
Self-Discovery & Reflection
Character Development
Tips for Success
Binder Checks
Interpersonal Relationships
Organizational Skills & Projects
College Readiness Skills
Tutorials
College Exploration
Career Exploration
The Process of Getting a Job (including resumes, preparing for interviews, mock interviews, filling out job applications, and thank-you letters)
Study Skills
Community Service Projects
Financial Literacy