Key Largo School named an AVID national demonstration site; district highlights AVID strategies

Monroe County School District officials and AVID staff celebrated Key Largo School’s designation as a national AVID demonstration school and described how the AVID WICR framework supports college‑and‑career readiness.

Deputy Superintendent Acevedo and Dr. Sarah Adams, director of instructional resources and AVID for the district, described WICR (writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization and reading) as a research‑based set of strategies teachers can use across subjects. "So the way we like to think about WICR is it's how we teach," Dr. Sarah Adams told the board, explaining that WICR focuses instruction on levels of thinking, collaborative structures such as jigsaw and reciprocal teaching, and consistent organizational practices.

District staff said AVID training has expanded districtwide: the district sent 36 teachers and administrators to the AVID summer institute and reported more than 235 AVID‑trained staff. Administrators also played a short student panel clip to illustrate the program’s classroom impact.

An AVID Center representative congratulated the Key Largo team and presented recognition as part of AVID’s 45‑year celebration. "On behalf of the AVID Center, I am so excited and proud to present to you AVID's celebration of our 45 years of excellence," the representative said.

District leaders said AVID is a districtwide framework intended to increase rigor and student ownership of learning; Key Largo’s role as a demonstration site means teachers and administrators elsewhere may visit to observe classroom implementation.

Next steps: the district will continue professional learning for teachers and integrate AVID strategies across schools.