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AVID program credited with college preparation; seniors report $2.3 million in scholarship applications so far
Summary
Columbia Heights staff told the board AVID electives and school‑wide strategies have expanded across the district and that seniors had applied to roughly 232 scholarships totaling about $2.3 million so far.
Columbia Heights teachers and students told the school board on May 27 that the district’s AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program has expanded across grade levels and is supporting students’ college and career preparation, academic skills and scholarship applications.
AVID teachers and coordinators said the district now offers eight elective AVID sections at Columbia Heights High School (two sections at each grade, 9–12) and multiple AVID elective sections at Columbia Academy and school‑wide AVID strategies at elementary schools. Coordinators reported 186 high‑school AVID students and 109 AVID students at Columbia Academy this year.
AVID teacher Darcy Hedin described WICR‑based instruction (writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, reading), group tutorials, college campus visits and career exploration as core program elements. Hedin said participating students demonstrate higher attendance rates, greater enrollment in rigorous coursework and higher rates of postsecondary enrollment in district data.
Student senior Fernanda Mendez Chamba told the board AVID helped her learn the college application process, prepare for standardized tests and set and track SMART goals. “I was wrong, totally wrong” about how college applications work before AVID, she said, and described using tutorials, writing practice and scholarship databases as concrete benefits.
AVID staff said seniors had already applied to about 232 college scholarships totaling roughly $2,300,000 as of the prior week; that figure does not include FAFSA or Dream Act funding. The high school also visited multiple campus partners and ran an e‑mentor program with UnitedHealth Group for juniors.
Teachers said staff professional development this year included four days of AVID training for Columbia Academy and high‑school teachers focused on academic language, literacy and application of AVID strategies school‑wide. Board members praised the student testimony and asked staff to continue linking AVID work to parent communications and earlier grade levels’ planners.
Why it matters: AVID is a district strategy to close opportunity gaps by giving students organizational, academic‑language and college‑readiness skills; staff and students described measurable outputs (applications, campus visits, scholarship activity) and sustained staff professional development.
What’s next: AVID coordinators plan to continue college and career visits, scholarship supports and expanded parent‑facing communications about AVID strategies implemented in elementary and middle school classrooms.
