Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Support Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
FCPS expands AVID program to reach more Title I elementary schools; division cites early results for course access
Summary
The school division told the board on April 24 that AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) will expand by 23 schools next year, bringing the total to 76 districtwide. Staff said 21 of the 23 additions are Title I elementary schools; presentation highlighted AVID's tutorial model, college-readiness goals, and measures showing higher rates
Fairfax County Public Schools on April 24 presented plans to expand its AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program, adding 23 schools next year — 21 of them Title I elementary schools — to bring the total number of AVID schools to 76, staff said.
Division staff and the superintendent described AVID as a K–12 college- and career-readiness model that emphasizes organizational strategies, structured tutorials, and reflection. The presentation emphasized that AVID is a schoolwide model when implemented at scale: teacher teams receive training, and schools embed AVID strategies into advisory and classroom instruction, not only through elective AVID tutorial classes at the secondary level.
Dr. Reid said growth is intended to bring foundational organizational and study skills to younger students and to help close opportunity gaps. The presentation cited division-level AVID outcomes: 74% of AVID eighth-graders are enrolled in Algebra I or higher (about seven percentage points above the division average), and 86% of AVID seniors have taken at least one AP/IB/dual-enrollment course; including honors courses raises that figure to 97%.
Staff stressed professional development and summer training as a major component of implementation. Implementation costs were not detailed in the public presentation; staff said the recent expansion relied in part on Title I funding to support training and materials. When asked, staff agreed to provide a written list of current AVID schools and to return with comparative data demonstrating AVID's impact on school outcomes (pre/post comparisons and matched-school comparisons) so the board could measure program effects.
Board members asked about executive-functioning instruction and how AVID strategies are embedded across the school day. Staff and Chief Academic officers said AVID's "WICOR" (writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, reading) strategies are taught in AVID classrooms and are being reinforced through advisory and schoolwide professional learning; staff said the district already embeds executive-function strategies in advisory at every grade level.
The division said it will continue to prioritize Title I expansion for next year but acknowledged expansion requires ongoing funding for training and staffing. Board members requested cost figures for systemwide expansion and asked staff to provide outcome data showing AVID's measurable effects at schools before further roll-out decisions.
