Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the K 12 Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Desert Sands board hears AVID presentation highlighting districtwide expansion and student outcomes
Summary
District AVID leaders told the board the program now enrolls more than 2,500 elective students and reaches 10,253 students districtwide in 2024–25, citing improved attendance, AP/IB participation and college persistence for AVID participants.
Desert Sands Unified School District officials presented the board with an update on the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) college-and-career readiness program Wednesday, saying the program now operates at all but four elementary schools and serves more than 2,500 elective students in 2024–25.
The presentation from AVID district leaders Carrie Penny and Veronica Amezcua said AVID’s footprint in the district reached 10,253 students this school year and emphasized professional development for teachers, AVID routines in classrooms, peer tutoring and increased access to AP, IB and dual-enrollment coursework.
“The AVID elective…is the catalyst for college and career readiness,” Penny said, adding that AVID-aligned professional development and weekly goals help prepare students for rigorous coursework. The presenters said 42 in-house trainings were delivered this year and that AVID training reached elementary teachers at a 97% rate over five years; secondary training stood at 64%.
Board members and district leaders pressed AVID presenters on measurable outcomes and praised the work. Trustee Forrest Duran said he had visited demonstration schools and called the program’s positive effects “the key difference.” Trustee Porras and others commended the training and student supports reflected in the data.
AVID staff presented multiple outcome measures they said indicate program impact: higher attendance in AVID middle-school cohorts compared with peers, increases in underrepresented student enrollment in AVID electives (African American enrollment from 6.5% to 10%; homeless students from 5% to 9%), greater likelihood of AVID students taking and passing AP/IB exams, and a higher persistence rate for first-year college enrollment for the class of 2024.
Presenters highlighted site-level initiatives such as career days and 30-plus college trips that they said improved “opportunity knowledge” for students. Penny pointed to individual successes, including students who earned a perfect IB score and a district graduate who won a Dell scholarship.
The board and presenters closed with recognition from AVID Riverside County and the AVID Center; board members expressed appreciation for the program’s professional development and its role in raising student aspirations.
AVID leaders did not request a board vote; the presentation was informational and was followed by board comments and applause.
