Tiffany Revelle–Record-Bee staff
LAKEPORT — Clear Lake High School was awarded status as an AVID program demonstration school during a site visit and review by national representatives from the college preparatory program on Wednesday.
CLHS is the only school in Lake County participating in the nationwide program, and the only participating school in the North Coast Region to obtain the status of a demonstration school, according to the Lake County Office of Education.
What that status means, explained Principal Steve Gentry, is that CLHS will set the precedent for other small rural schools wishing to take on the program. “You become a model, and other (school administrators) would come visit your AVID classes and talk about how you got the program going, how to keep the program going and the results,” said Gentry.
He explained that small rural schools do not have some of the advantages available to larger schools in urban areas, including the availability of tutors from neighboring universities to work with students and greater flexibility in scheduling and variety of AVID classes.
AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. It is a nationwide program started in 1980 by Mary Catherine Swanson, head of the English department at San Diego”s Clairemont High School, to help the throng of inner city students transplanted to suburban schools as a result of desegregation.
Swanson wondered how the newly transplanted students would survive, and her answer was to start AVID, according to program literature.
Today”s program is based on her philosophy: “Hold students accountable to the highest standards, provide academic and social support, and they will rise to the challenge.”
The program”s goal is to target students earning average grades, students in underrepresented groups such as low-income and minorities, and students whose parents do not have a college education, and to prepare them for college.
“The D in AVID stands for determination,” said Tripp. “So they have to be motivated to go to college, to do well and succeed.” She also teaches the high school”s AVID I class for sophomores.
She explained that in addition to encouraging participants to enroll in Advanced Placement (AP) classes offered at the school, the elective program offers one class period devoted to learning organizational and study skills, working critical thinking, getting academic tutoring, and participating in enrichment and motivational activities.
“It”s a very rigorous program, but they (the students) usually step up to the plate,” she said.
AVID participants must complete a set of courses necessary for attending a University of California school, called the “a ? g” requirements.
The result, said Tripp, is a 100 percent success rate. “If they graduate from the AVID program, they are in college,” said Tripp, adding that only a few of those who enroll in the AVID classes change their mind.
Tripp said CLHS has offered the program for the past six years, and uses its strategies in all of the school”s academic classes. Some of the strategies taught are the use of Cornell notes, organizational binders, reading strategies involving reciprocal teaching ? designed to improve comprehension via questioning, clarifying and summarizing ? and thinking maps.
Of the school”s approximately 500 students, Tripp estimated that around 65 participate in AVID. That puts CLHS”s participation rate at just over the average 10 percent for most schools.
Tripp said her involvement in the program is “the most rewarding thing I”ve ever done.
“The glow on their face when they realize they can accomplish anything, … there”s just nothing like it,” she said.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
