AVID Community Newsletter

Our belief that every student deserves to live a life of possibility is why we do this work. And we recognize that far too many students enter our education system with experiences many people consider deficits, statistically unlikely to succeed from the day they walk into their very first classroom. Thuan Nguyen was that student. Vietnamese refugee. English language learner. Eight years old when he entered his first classroom. Uncertain and scared. Unfamiliar with the education system. He lived in low-income housing until he was 18 years old.

Today, we introduce Thuan Nguyen to you as AVID’s new CEO. Thuan maintains that he is successful today because he was fortunate enough to have teachers who saw possibilities for him that he never imagined for himself. His teachers saw the assets he brought with him into their classrooms because of his lived experience—they were not swayed by deficit-based thinking. And they built relationships with him. It is the relationships we build with our students and each other that create possibilities for every single one of us.

We can’t wait for you to get to know Thuan and hear his passion for the difference a caring teacher can make in the life of a student. We hope you will join us this summer to answer the question: “What’s possible—for my students, for my colleagues, for me?”

Did you know that Early Bird Member Pricing for AVID Summer Institute and AVID DigitalXP™ ends after May 2? Register now to engage in three days of dynamic learning, either online or at one of our ten summer locations. Together, we will explore what’s possible—for you and for the students you serve—when you tap into your purpose and passion for doing this work.

Still not sure what to expect from AVID Summer Professional Learning? AVID educators agree:

You’ll be inspired. There’s nothing quite like the energy and excitement of an AVID General Session! You’ll hear from AVID leaders and alumni with incredible stories of educator and student agency and will leave feeling recharged and motivated.
You’ll network with educators like you. When educators participate in AVID Summer Professional Learning, many describe the experience as “finding their people” or “coming home to family.” Whether online or in-person, you’ll be surrounded by passionate, engaged educators and district leaders who want to bring out the best in their students and communities.
You’ll find resources for all students. Whether you are a preK–12 educator, district leader, site leader, counselor, or instructional coach, AVID provides solutions for any classroom context: in-person, blended, and virtual.
You’ll have fun! Of course, AVID events aren’t AVID events without the music, the dancing, the laughter, and the joy that our community brings to this work. Whether you’re grabbing coffee with a new friend at a Summer Institute hotel, or playing an online game of GooseChase, you’ll have fun with your AVID family.

Ready to explore what’s possible?
Explore AVID Summer Institute.
Explore AVID DigitalXP.

The AVID Site Team Portal is now live! This new digital space offers AVID Site Teams support to plan, implement, and grow their elementary through secondary AVID College and Career Readiness Systems together. View a video tour.

The Site Team Portal houses a suite of resources designed to provide Site Teams with an intentional year-long experience. The first scheduled professional learning opportunity will occur through AVID Summer Institute and/or AVID DigitalXP™. For those who do not attend summer learning, the Site Team Portal will provide an opportunity to download and engage with the same quality content.

The content has been designed to help Site Coordinators and Site-Based Leadership facilitate the Site Team session at their site, table, or virtual meeting, empowering sites to set goals based on their site’s/district’s data and priorities. Teams will participate in common content around the AVID Site Team to build and sustain collective educator agency and the elements of a highly effective Site Team. You will then have an opportunity for differentiated professional learning, empowering your Site Team to take ownership of your goal-setting process regardless of your entry points—Creating a New Goal, Refining an Existing Goal, or Ensuring the Sustainability of an Achieved Goal.

District Directors may choose to facilitate the common content together before empowering sites to facilitate their own meetings for goal-setting, all while offering support and answering questions. Teams will also have access to Site Team Meeting modules that will support them in using the Continuous Improvement Cycle to guide the development, monitoring, and refining of site goals throughout the year. These modules are aligned with the Site Team Months at a Glance and are designed for use during regularly scheduled Site Team meetings. They can be facilitated by District Directors, Site Coordinators, Site Leaders, or Site Team members. In addition, Site Team Months at a Glance and Site Team Guiding Questions will be included in the 2022 AVID Handbook.

We can’t wait to help you utilize the AVID Site Team Portal and the differentiated content to take ownership and choice to the next level! AVID District Directors, Site Leaders, and Site Coordinators are invited to attend via Zoom any Q&A Sessions that are offered during the spring and summer. See session dates and more information in the AVID Site Teams FAQ.

AVID Student Summer Programs keep students connected to learning and to one another, by providing learning opportunities that are rigorous, captivating, and fun.

This summer, we are thrilled to offer Math, Science, and English Language Development programs for AVID partner districts, as well as AVID STEM Academy, our new option open to all K–8 schools and districts. Not sure which program best suits your students’ needs? Explore all programs here.

Don’t put your summer planning off to the last minute! AVID Summer Bridge programs are available now. AVID STEM Academy goes live May 1. Join us for a summer of exploration, inquiry, and possibility!

AVID’s Summer Professional Learning is approaching! To ensure you and all the educators from your district have a pleasant experience, we’ve included a Technology Checklist for Communities of Practice (Summer Institute, DigitalXP, ElevateXP, and Path to Schoolwide). Please check that your district’s web filter grants access to the listed key learning tools through the district allowlist. In addition, please review the important information the checklist provides about device requirements, updates, and additional items needed in order to have a seamless learning experience.

Are you a district leader or superintendent embarking on your AVID journey or looking to enhance your implementation districtwide? This summer, we invite you to convene with district leaders from all over the nation in the One-Day District Leadership Community of Practice—focusing on the direct impact of district leadership on high-quality AVID implementation.

Whether you’re joining us in person as part of an AVID Summer Institute, or virtually via AVID DigitalXP, you’ll explore district practices that support AVID’s four Schoolwide Domains—Instruction, Systems, Leadership, and Culture. Participants will also engage with colleagues throughout the school year to deepen their learning through Extended Learning Pathways, On-Demand Learning, and professional discourse.

Learn more about the One-Day District Leadership Community of Practice at Summer Institute and explore AVID DigitalXP participation options using the links below. And don’t forget to invite your educator friends and colleagues—learning is always more fun with the AVID community!

Sign up to attend one of our upcoming virtual AVID Showcases and experience an AVID classroom firsthand. Join us to gain insights from fellow teachers about collective educator agency, best practices for instruction, and building a culture of college readiness.

Wednesday, April 27 – 3:00 pm PT
AVID Western Region
AVID Framework and Power of Collective Educator Agency
Wednesday, May 4 – 3:00 pm PT
Kino Junior High School, Mesa, AZ
Adelante – “We didn’t come this far to only come this far.”
Wednesday, May 18 – 2:30 pm ET
New Town Elementary School, Baltimore County, MD
AVID Culture Is the Key

View past Showcases here.

Bring AVID strategies to students outside of the AVID Elective with AVID Schoolwide Advisory Resources! These new resources will be available to all AVID Secondary partners on August 1, and our Teaching and Learning team is recruiting partners who are interested in providing us with timely and honest feedback to inform the evolution of this new offering. If you sign up to provide feedback, you will receive advance notifications and information as newly curated resources are posted throughout the fall.

To join our interest list, please complete the AVID Secondary Advisory Open Pilot Interest List. We will then reach out with more details and next steps. We appreciate your partnership!

Learn more about this exciting new offering.

If you have questions, please contact Ben Solomon, Manager, Learning Programs, Products, and Services.

AVID Elective students in grades 9–11 can now earn an AVID Student digital badge for building skills in key areas of the AVID College and Career Readiness Framework—the rigorous academic preparedness, student agency, and opportunity knowledge they achieve through their AVID class.

In the Framework Fridays section of the Weeks at a Glance, access lesson plans designed to help students define the ‘why’ behind digital badging and show evidence of their learning. Teachers will award badges to students in grades 9–11 through AVID Digital Badging (Tip Sheet). For the steps of this process, please view the informational video.

AVID seniors will continue to opt in and enter their personal email for AVID Graduate badge delivery when they submit their Senior Data—there is no change to this process. Information about the process for seniors can be viewed on Day 151 of the Weeks at a Glance.

We believe literacy unlocks the meaning of language and illuminates our students’ paths, providing them with the confidence to learn. Students who read, write, and think across disciplines hold the key to opening any door in their future. When students possess these skills and the belief in their abilities, they become empowered learners who take action in the world, build strong relationships, and utilize their knowledge in academic, social, emotional, and professional experiences. They are able to self-advocate and shape the path they are on rather than walking one that has been shaped for them. Literacy builds student agency.

We grow as learners, starting with the foundation for literacy skills by learning how to read and decipher meaning from various texts (charts, graphs, maps, art, etc.). Often, instruction around literacy stops here with the assumption that all students can now decipher texts within disciplines, and the persistent literacy gap among students widens. The skills necessary to analyze a poem, a graph, a film, a word problem, and an infographic are different. Whether you teach math, biology, or English language arts, one vital way to help learners gain understanding is by utilizing AVID’s Critical Reading Process. Each time you take students through this process you are creating opportunities to cultivate the skills necessary for them to flourish as readers. The content we teach is the vehicle for intentionally developing disciplinary literacy skills and increasing agency within all learners.

We thrive when we are intentional about the texts we use in our classrooms. Engaging with a variety of texts allows learners to see themselves in what they read, glimpse into the lives of others, and offers a powerful and transformative opportunity to build empathy, understanding, and compassion for the world around them. Consider what barriers may exist to access for all learners. By examining some of the barriers in education today, we can decide how best to face these challenges in our classrooms and ensure every student is equipped for a life of possibility. For resources and strategies, log into My.AVID.org and explore the AVID Reading for Disciplinary Literacy resources.

AVID Center Welcomes New CEO, Thuan Nguyen

AVID Summer Professional Learning Early Bird Deadline Is Approaching

Introducing the New AVID Site Team Portal!

Discover AVID Student Summer Programs

Technology Checklist for Summer Learning

Take Your District to the Next Level With the AVID One-Day District Leadership Community of Practice

Experience AVID at a Virtual Showcase This Spring

NEW! AVID Schoolwide Advisory Resources – Available August 1

AVID Student Badges Are Now Available for Grades 9–11

Instructional Spotlight – Planting the Seeds of Literacy and Cultivating Student Agency