Closing the Achievement Gap
with the AVID College
Readiness System
Dr. Wendell J. Brown, Texas State Director
Who is in the Middle?
Think about students with whom you have
been associated that you consider to be
“in the middle.”
What is it about these students that puts
them “in the middle?”
Who are they?
B, C, and D Students
Falling short of their potential
Capable of completing rigorous curriculum
First in family to attend college
Historically underrepresented in four-year colleges
and universities
Economically disadvantaged
Students in the academic middle
Challenges and Choices:
Raising Achievement and Closing
Gaps
5
Underlying Everything Is the Cycle of
Low Expectations
Poor Test
Results
Low Level
Assignments/
Instruction
Low
Expectations
Less
Challenging
Courses
6
National Rates
National Graduation Rates by Race, Ethnicity,
and Disability
100
Percentage
80
National Rates
77
60
75
50
40
53
51
56
20
0
Asian/PI
White
Black
Hispanic
Native American/Alaskan
Disability
Race and ethnic graduation rates based on the Urban Institute’s Cumulative Promotion Index.
Disability graduation rate is from National Council on Disability, 24th Annual Report to Congress.
Realize the Dream, National Report Card on Education and Equal Opportunity,
accessed 10/3/2005:
http://realizethedream.civilrights.org/scorecards/national.cfm
Of 100 Kindergarteners…
100
93
87
90
80
70
65
63
60
Graduate from high
school
50
Complete at least some
college
Obtain at least a
bachelor's degree
50
40
33
32
30
18
20
11
10
0
White
African
American
Hispanic
U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. March Current
Population Surveys, 1971-2001, In The Condition of Education, 2002.
College Graduates by Age 24
Young people from High
Income families
75%
Young people from Low
Income families
9%
Tom Mortenson, Postsecondary Educational Opportunity.
The Reality...
Nearly 75% of high school graduates enter
colleges,
• but only 12% of these students have
completed a significant college-prep
curriculum.*
Consequences:
• High percentages of students requiring
remediation
• Low bachelor’s degree completion rates
Kati Haycock, Closing the Achievement Gap, Educational
Leadership, 2007.
Students Who Require
Remediation Are Less Likely to
Earn a Degree
Earned BA
No Remedial Courses
54%
One Remedial Course
45%
Three Remedial Courses
18%
More than Two
Semesters of Reading
9%
Cliff Adelman, Cliff in Crosstalk. Vol. 6 No.3, Summer
1998.
Challenging Curriculum Results in Lower
Failure Rates, Even for Lowest Achievers
Ninth-grade English performance, by high/low level
course, and eighth-grade reading achievement quartiles
SREB, “Middle Grades to High School: Mending a Weak
Link”. Unpublished Draft, 2002.
In the end,
we have to make different choices.
Achievement and opportunity gaps come from
choices that educators and policymakers make.
Choices about:
 How much to spend on whom
 What to expect of different schools and students
 Who teaches whom
 How to organize classrooms and schools
Change Sought...
To develop an equitable
College-Going Culture in secondary
schools…
“College by design, not by chance”
Meeting the Challenge
To help all students do rigorous work and meet
or exceed high standards in each content area,
we must help students:
 Develop as readers and writers.
 Develop deep content knowledge.
 Know content specific strategies for reading,
writing, thinking and talking.
 Develop habits, skills, and behaviors to use
knowledge and skills.
Academic Preparation
Transcript Study:
“the single biggest predictor of college
success is
the quality and intensity of
students’ high school curriculum”
Cliff Adelman, Answers in the Tool Box, U.S.
Department of Education, 1999.
What is Academic Rigor?
Rigor is the goal of helping students develop
the capacity to understand content that is
complex, ambiguous, provocative, and
personally or emotionally challenging.
Taking rigorous courses opens doors!
Teaching What Matters Most; Standards and Strategies for Raising
Student Achievement by Strong, Silver and Perini, ASCD, 2001.
What Rigor Looks Like for ALL
Students…
qualitatively different academic environments
no predetermined limits
development of deep understanding
consistent engagement in sophisticated
investigations
building inquiry-based learning communities
What Rigor Looks Like for
ALL Students…
building upon interests, strengths and
personal goals
teachers and students as risk-takers
creation of life-long learners and thinkers
encouragement of independent investigation
acceptance of responsibility
Academic Preparation
Academically wellprepared students
are likely to
graduate from
college regardless
of their social
background.
Unprepared
students of all
backgrounds are
not likely to do so.
Adelman, 1999
American Educator, 2004
AP and College Success
Students who
take AP courses
and exams are
much more likely
than their peers
to complete a
bachelor’s degree
in four years or
less.
Camara, Wayne (2003). College Persistence, Graduation, and
Remediation. College Board Research Notes (RN-19). New York,
NY: College Board.
Impact of AP on
5-Year College Graduation Rates
Chrys Dougherty, Lynn Mellor, and Shuling Jian, The Relationship
Between Advanced Placement and College Graduation (National
Center for Educational Accountability, 2005)
Advancement
Via
Individual Determination
[L. avidus]: eager for knowledge
Superman vs. Batman
Superman – Gifted & Talented
Superman is naturally Gifted & Talented.
He does not need any special help or toys and gadgets
to be successful.
He just flies and is blessed with powers naturally.
Batman – AVID Students
Batman is just as capable as Superman, but he needs:
 Alfred the Butler (AVID Teacher),
Special toys and gadgets (AVID Classroom and WICR), and
Robin (AVID tutors and peers)
AVID College Readiness System
Components
 Classroom curriculum
 Academic instruction
 Instructional tools
 Tutorial support
 Student connections
 Professional development
The AVID Elective Curriculum
Academic Instruction
WICR
Writing to learn
Inquiry
Collaboration
Reading to learn
Study Skills
Instructional Tools
Cornell Note Taking
Planners/Time Management
Binders/Organizational Skills
AVID Curriculum Library
Tutorial Process
Collaborative Tutorial
Socratic method
Costa’s levels of thinking
1 trained tutor for every 7 students
AVID
Support
Staff
Colleges
and
Universities
Community
Parents
AVID
Coordinator
(AVID Elective
Teacher)
Student
Student
Administration
Tutors
Subject
Area
Teachers
Counselors
Collaborative Support for the Success of Students
Student Connections
Teacher/adult advocate
Supportive peer groups
Community service activities
Extracurricular activities and leadership opportunities
Motivational activities
Career and college exploration
Professional Development
Summer Institute
District Director training
Content area PATH trainings
Tutor training
Regional workshops
Teachers benefit from...
 Involvement in a systemic and
curricular approach
 Initial in-depth staff development and ongoing
support in regions and districts
 Focus on results
 Accountability
 Site team work
 Increased leadership
AVID and
Classroom Instruction That Works
Effective Instruction by
Meta-Analysis
examines average effect of 1251 experimental studies
focuses on instructional strategies with high probability of
success for all pupils, K-12, in all subjects
expresses results as effect size
(An effect size of 1 = 34 percentile point gain)
Classroom Instruction That Works (2001, ASCD) , Marzano,
Pickering, & Pollock, page 4-7.
Categories of Instructional Strategies That
Affect Student Achievement
Identifying similarities and differences
45%*
Summarizing and note-taking
34%
Reinforcing effort & providing recognition
29%
Homework and practice
28%
Nonlinguistic representations
27%
Cooperative learning
27%
Setting objectives & providing feedback
23%
Generating and testing hypotheses
23%
Questions, cues, & advance organizers
22%
*Increase in achievement (percentile) of the experimental group compared to the control group
Classroom Instruction That Works (2001, ASCD) , Marzano,
Pickering, & Pollock, page 7.
Why AVID Works
 Accelerates under-achieving students into more
rigorous courses
Teaches academic skills not targeted in other
classes
 Provides intensive support with in-class tutors
and a strong student/teacher relationship
 Creates a positive peer group for students
 Develops a sense of hope for personal
achievement gained through hard work and
determination
AVID Teaches the “Hidden”
Curriculum
In AVID students are challenged with rigorous
curriculum, but they are also taught:
Leadership Skills
Study Skills
Organizational Skills
Goal Setting
Student Success Skills
Social Skills
AVID Strengthens
 Elementary/middle school/high
school/post-secondary articulation
 Accountability
 Comprehensive professional development
 A district-wide focus on results
How AVID Supports School Wide
Change
Builds Partnerships:
•Collaboration with College Board/International
Baccalaureate Organization
•Partners in state and federal grants
•Partners with community organizations
•Partners with parents
•Partners with counseling programs
•Collaboration with college outreach programs
How AVID Supports School
Wide Change
Creates a College Going Culture:
•Site team focused on a college-going culture
•College field trips and research projects
•College tutors as role models
•College going data to guide district plan
•Guest speakers
•Increased AP and Pre-AP participation, IB and Pre-IB, and
Duel Enrollment courses especially for minority students
•Implements research based, best instructional practices for
all students in the school
The success of AVID persists
despite differences in:
school location
school ethnic distribution
school poverty level
AVID
A student’s
perspective
AVID in Texas

San Antonio ISD implemented AVID in1997.

In 2009/2010, AVID is in more than 105 school districts
and charter programs, serving approximately 800
campuses.

The Texas AVID program is the second largest in the
nation.

AVID is a state approved, innovative elective course with
PEIMS numbers for AVID I – IV.

AVID Professional Development trainings have been
approved to receive continuing professional development
credit by the Texas State Board of Educator Certification.
AVID Results in Texas
AVID seniors had a 97.7% graduation rate.
 AVID seniors boasted an SAT and/or ACT taking
rate of 86.2%.
 91.8% of AVID graduates completed four-year
college entrance requirements.
 77.5% of seniors who applied to 4-year college
and were accepted. (n = 1680)
Data gathered in 2008-09 about AVID’s 2009 seniors.
n = 1680
AVID in Texas (2007-08)
with AVID 2008-09
2008-09 AVID
21%
62%
State of Texas Demographics
14%
61.5%
AVID Student Demographics
AVID Results in Texas
In August of
2007,
Northside ISD,
in San Antonio,
implemented
AVID at the
middle school
level.
AVID Results in Texas
In just one year,
Northside AVID
students have
shown
tremendous
gains in the
number of
students scoring
“Commended”
on the TAKS
Reading Test.
AVID Graduates Nationally
99% plan to enroll in a college or university
69% plan to enroll in a four-year university
30% plan to enroll in a two-year college
59% of parents had no college level
experience
AVID Center Data Collection System, 2006-2007
Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole percent
Section 39.114 High School Allotment states that
districts and campuses must use funds to:
Implement college readiness programs to prepare
underachieving students for college
Implement programs that encourage students toward
advanced academic opportunities, such as dual
credit and AP
Implement programs that give students opportunities
to take academically rigorous course work,
including four years of math and science
Using High School Allotment Funds
Section 39.114 High School Allotment states that
districts and campuses must use funds to:
Implement programs that align the curriculum for
grades 6 through 12 with postsecondary
curriculum
Implement other high school completion and success
initiatives in grades 6 through 12 as approved by
the commissioner
AVID meets ALL HB1 requirements
Using High School Allotment Funds
AVID: The Cost
One-time Costs:
AVID Library
District Director training (over a 2-year period)
Ongoing Costs:
College tutors
AVID membership fees
Summer Institute registration and travel
Continuing professional development
See projected AVID program cost handout
AVID: The Support
Regional trainings and meetings:
Tutor Trainings
Coordinator/Elective Teacher Meetings and Professional Development
Administrator/Counselor Meetings and Professional Development
District Director Meetings
Yearly Curriculum Updates
State District Director Meetings
Regional PATH Trainings
AVID Support
Texas AVID Research
Watt, Yanez, & Cossio (2003): AVID: A Comprehensive School Reform
Model for Texas. National Forum Journal
Watt, Powell & Mendiola (2004): Implications of One Comprehensive
School Reform Model for Secondary School Students
Underrepresented in Higher Education. JESPAR.
Watt, Powell, Memdiola & Cossio (2006): School-wide Impact and AVID:
How Have Selected Texa High Schools Addressed the New
Accountability Measure? JESPAR.
Watt, Huerta & Cossio, 2004. Leadership and Comprehensive School
Reform: Implementation of AVID in Four South Texas Border
Schools. The Catalyst.
All reports are available on the Texas AVID Website at:
http://avid.panam.edu
Never doubt that a small group
of thoughtful, committed people
can change the world; indeed, it
is the only thing that ever has.
Culture and Commitment, Margaret Mead, 1996
Contact Information:
Dr. Wendell J. Brown
State Director
wbrown@avidcenter.org
Patrick Briggs
Assistant State Director
pbriggs@avidcenter.org
Rachel Henley
Program Manager
rhenley@avidcenter.org
Pamela Kirschner
Program Manager
pkirschner@avidcenter.org
Ben Solomon
Program Manager
bsolomon@avidcenter.org
AVID Texas State Office Phone: 972-591-2550