Polson School District to implement AVID
The Polson School District will be implementing AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a proven college and career readiness system, in the fall of 2023 at Polson Middle and High Schools. AVID is a nonprofit organization that provides educators with proven, real-world strategies to support underrepresented students, and all students across the entire campus, develop skills so they succeed in college, career, and life. AVID assists schools in understanding the instructional, leadership, systemic, and cultural supports necessary to develop teacher-student relational capacity, and confident individuals who can successfully navigate life and career.
AVID provides schools a systemic culture that changes lives by helping schools shift to a more equitable, student-centered approach. Utilizing best practices in teaching our staff will accelerate learning in all content areas by incorporating the strategies involving writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading into their daily classroom practices.
In order to begin this journey we will send teachers and building leadership teams from our middle and high schools to a three-day professional learning institute. This training will initiate the professional development focus on the art of teaching.
We won’t change what is taught, but focus and emphasize how it’s taught, while respecting the expertise that all of our teachers bring into their classrooms on a daily basis. This minor shift will provide our teachers the skills and strategies to design lessons that challenge students to think critically, ask critical questions, and collaborate to create solutions.
The schools in our district will join more than 8,000 other schools across 48 states, plus schools in Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), Canada, and Australia who are working to close opportunity gaps and enhance college and career readiness through AVID.
We will eventually implement AVID in both Cherry Valley and Linderman as part of our five-year plan. To learn more, visit www.AVID.org.