National AVID program expanded to all Utica secondary schools

Lucas Swies is a Malow Junior High School seventh grader with a plan.

He already knows that he wants to be an entrepreneur and own a small business like his parents. To get there, Swies will need experiences that will allow him create a plan, challenge himself and be organized.

Enter Advancement Via Individualized Determination (AVID).

AVID, which has been expanded into Malow Junior High School and Eisenhower High School this year, is a national research-based program that stresses development in key areas of organization, study skills, and critical thinking.

“AVID is important because students are building confidence and lifelong skills to help them become successful in courses, they will take later in their high school years,” said Veronica Tow, the AVID building coordinator at Malow. “In the AVID class we are not only working on curriculum but also skills like teambuilding, critical thinking, collaboration, time management and problem solving.”

Utica Community Schools was the first Macomb County district – and one of only six in Michigan – to offer AVID when it was introduced in 2011.

Based on its success, AVID was expanded over the past few years to other schools and is now part of all 11 secondary buildings. UCS has also expanded professional development opportunities for teachers, including hosting an AVID conference with 150 educators from the region and across the nation. A similar workshop is planned for March.

“The AVID program truly embodies our mission to inspire remarkable achievement,” Superintendent Robert Monroe said. “It has been proven to make a difference in the lives of our students by creating a smaller, family-type atmosphere with a strong network of support.”

There are currently 748 UCS students this year in the 36 sections spread across district secondary schools.

A key part of the AVID success is that students remain together throughout their secondary years to build a supportive community.

As members of the inaugural class at Malow Junior High School, the 20 students in Tow’s class will remain together until they graduate from Eisenhower High School in 2030.

“The goals for our first-year AVID students are to build strong connections with their peers both inside and outside of the classroom,” Tow said. “We are working with students on how to become a leader and incorporate WICOR (Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading) strategies in all of their classes.”

For a recent project, the Malow students worked together to create a tower out of balloons and masking tape. The balloons could not be held up by taping them to the table or a wall.

The project gave students experience in skills that are central to AVID and those sought by employers: organization, teamwork, problem-solving and innovation.

A student who took part in the project, seventh grader Leonora Dedvuka, said she liked the unique nature of the program and its focus on helping her achieve her career goal of becoming a therapist.

“I think of AVID as a new adventure,” she said. “I think it will be a place where I can help if I struggle throughout the next few years until graduation.”

Cutline - Malow seventh graders Leonora Dedvukaj, Lucas Sweis and Jonathon Skorupa take part in a teambuilding program as part of their first year in the Advancement Via Individualized Determination (AVID) program.

Source: Utica Community Schools

Http://www.uticak12.org

Superintendent of Schools Robert Monroe