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AVID program expands in Charles County, district links course to school goals
Summary
District and school leaders described growth of AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) in Charles County schools, including a first-year elementary pilot, weekly secondary electives and evidence the program is contributing to enrollment in honors and credit-bearing courses at several schools.
Charles County Public Schools officials described expansion of AVID — the Advancement Via Individual Determination program — and said the district is using the program to build student organization, note-taking and college/career readiness skills in participating elementary, middle and high schools.
Teresa Peck, instructional program support specialist, told the board AVID Elementary launched this school year in fifth grade at Indian Head Elementary and that five county middle schools and five county high schools offer AVID secondary electives. Peck said the program emphasizes organizational routines, focused note taking and structured student inquiry, and staff have linked AVID strategies to their school improvement plans.
"AVID is not 1 more thing to do; it's within alignment of everything we're already doing," Peck said. She described a summer AVID boot camp that drew more than 100 students and ongoing professional learning modules for teachers.
Why it matters: District staff said AVID fosters habits that can support underrepresented students in pursuing higher‑level coursework and postsecondary options. Peck highlighted two outcome measures schools are tracking: 77 percent of AVID sixth-graders were enrolled in an honors or high-school credit-bearing course (non-math), and 11 percent of ninth-grade AVID students were enrolled in at least one AP or PLTW course, figures Peck presented as signs of rising course rigor among AVID participants.
Casey Cleary, a mathematics teacher who presented classroom-level practice, described how her school distributes AVID binders and agendas to students and integrates the program’s "WICOR" teaching strategies (Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, Reading) into daily lessons. She said the elective class gives selected students extra time and coaching on study skills, public speaking and research.
District strategy and next steps: District leaders said they are coaching site coordinators, encouraging principals to include AVID goals in school improvement planning, and expanding training so teacher leaders can lead AVID work during collaborative planning time. Peck said the district will pursue higher certification levels for schools that meet AVID’s implementation standards, and middle schools in the pilot feeder patterns will align AVID entry points so students can continue from elementary to middle to high school.
Board members praised the presentation and asked how the district supports recruitment, parent outreach and data collection to measure longer-term postsecondary outcomes. Peck said recruitment is handled at the school level (teacher recommendation, student application and family information nights), and that AVID-certified high schools collect senior data to track graduates’ postsecondary enrollment where possible.
