McMinnville High’s AVID teachers and students report higher GPAs, college enrollment and scholarship awards

McMinnville High School teachers and students presented an update on the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) elective program at the McMinnville School District board meeting on May 12.

Board members heard from Carly Olsen, AVID coordinator and social studies teacher, and Nicole Long, secondary teaching and learning TOSA who supports AVID and postsecondary programs,along with several AVID students who testified about the program’s impact. The presenters said AVID is a four-year elective sequence designed to help students build academic and college-preparation skills and that AVID students at McMinnville High School outperform the school average on several metrics.

AVID coordinators provided data for the class of 2024 showing 73% of AVID students took a college-credit-now course, 96% enrolled in at least one Advanced Placement (AP) class, 88% took at least one AP exam, and 94% of the cohort were enrolled in at least one course of academic rigor that led to college credit before graduation. Presenters also said AVID seniors in the most recent graduating cohort had an average cumulative GPA of 3.6 and that all of the students in that cohort who applied to two- or four‑year colleges were accepted. The class of 2024 cohort included five recipients of the Ford Family Foundation scholarship, named by presenters as a merit-based, renewable scholarship aimed at first‑generation college students and those from Oregon’s rural counties.

Three AVID alumni and current students — introduced as Jackie (class of 2019 graduate, now a teacher at Newby Elementary), Jesus (class of 2024, attending the University of Oregon and identified as a Ford scholarship recipient), and Daisy (a current senior who plans to attend Palm Beach Atlantic University next year) — spoke about the program’s role in helping them navigate financial aid, college visits, study skills, and time management. Jesus described AVID as a source of “stability” that allowed him to focus on postsecondary planning; Daisy said AVID “laid the foundation” for time management and academic skills needed for college.

Teachers described AVID as an “invitational” program that requires application and selection; most AVID students remain in the program for all four years of high school. Administrators said the district also uses semester-long courses (PEP) to deliver core AVID strategies to students who do not enroll in the full AVID sequence. Presenters noted program growth at McMinnville High School (12 total sections across grades, three sections per grade level) and that the district offers a grade‑level AVID section in the middle schools to help incoming students transition into the high‑school AVID program.

Board members asked how the district can ensure that study and college-navigation skills reach students who do not enroll in the AVID elective; presenters pointed to required PEP classes and additional staff training and outreach as ways to extend AVID-aligned instruction beyond the elective. Teachers and students invited the board to school events and thanked the board for supporting the program.

The board did not take any formal action on AVID during the meeting; the presentation was provided as information for the board’s ongoing work on postsecondary readiness goals.

AVID presentation provenance

First mention in transcript: Carly Olsen and Nicole Long introduce AVID and outcomes (approx. 00:03:23–00:03:48). Last related mention: board questions about expanding AVID strategies to all students and presenters’ responses (approx. 00:19:10–00:19:50).