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Santa Clara Unified trustees hear AVID update and student testimonials highlighting gains in graduation and college admissions
Summary
District staff and students presented AVID program results to the board on April 9, 2026, reporting AVID serves 410 students across seven secondary sites and citing a reported 100% on-time graduation rate for AVID students and rising university acceptance rates; trustees praised the program and asked about middle‑school expansion.
Rochelle, the district’s ELA AVID teacher-on-special-assignment, told the Santa Clara Unified School District Board of Trustees on April 9 that AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) serves 410 students across seven secondary sites and is designed to expand access to rigorous coursework and postsecondary pathways.
Rochelle described AVID’s three core outcomes—Student Agency, Rigorous Academic Preparedness and Opportunity Knowledge—and said the program focuses on sustained relational supports, the WICOR instructional strategies (writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, reading), and multi‑year student participation. She reported that, in district data she presented, AVID students achieved a 100% on‑time graduation rate and that four‑year university acceptance among AVID seniors rose from 76% in 2023 to 84% in 2025. Rochelle framed those figures as outcomes of AVID’s coaching and scaffolded coursework.
The board heard short testimonials from Wilcox students Donna Vasquez, Ainsley Cleveland and Miley, who described AVID as a "second family," cited improved GPAs and detailed concrete supports—application coaching, FAFSA help and peer networks—that, they said, made college more attainable. Donna Vasquez urged continued support for programs that help first‑generation students navigate postsecondary options.
Trustees responded with praise. Board President Bonnie Lieberman said the student presentations were "affirming," and Trustee Watanabe asked whether Don Callejon Middle School might be included in future expansion; AVID staff said Don Callejon did not have sufficient enrollment this year but could be considered later. Trustee Canova and others credited AVID’s relational model and CTE connections for fostering student engagement.
The presentation included site‑level details: Buchser, Cabrillo, Huerta and Peterson middle schools and MacDonald, Santa Clara and Wilcox high schools; presenters noted some sites are newly reintroduced to AVID while others have long‑standing programs.
The board did not take action on AVID at the meeting. Trustees asked staff to consider program capacity for additional middle‑school sites and to continue reporting outcomes to the board.
