Joliet Central and Joliet West honored for embedding college and career readiness practices in every classroom 

JOLIET, Ill. — Joliet Central High School and Joliet West High School have been named AVID Schoolwide Sites, a designation that recognizes college and career readiness strategies, high academic standards and supportive learning practices in every classroom for every student. 

Both campuses of Joliet Township High School District 204 earned the recognition after implementing AVID, or Advancement Via Individual Determination, across four core domains: instruction, systems, leadership and culture. AVID is a college and career readiness system focused on closing the opportunity gap by preparing all students for success in a global society. 

Schoolwide Site status extends AVID's high-quality instructional practices beyond the AVID Elective course, making them part of daily instruction for every student at both campuses. District officials said the recognition reflects sustained work by teachers and staff to build an equitable, personalized and rigorous education for all students, not just those enrolled in the AVID Elective. 

"Earning AVID Schoolwide Site status at both of our campuses shows the depth of commitment our staff has made to college and career readiness for every student," said Dianne McDonald, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services. "This is not a distinction that lives in one classroom or one program. It reflects instruction, systems, leadership and culture working together across Joliet Central and Joliet West." 

JTHS began offering the AVID Elective to ninth and tenth grade students at both campuses in 2024-25, added eleventh grade in 2025-26, and is expanding the course to twelfth grade this year. The AVID Elective has also earned Highly Certified status, and this year's senior class includes 62 students who will represent JTHS's first graduating class of AVID students. The elective focuses on research skills, organizational skills, time management, and college and career exploration, while emphasizing writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization and reading, known as WICOR. 

Ninety-six JTHS staff members, including 29 administrators and 67 teachers, have completed AVID training, with focus areas spanning content-area instruction, academic language and literacy, student success and leadership. 

Joliet Public Schools District 86, one of JTHS's sender districts, has followed suit by bringing AVID to the junior high school level. Dirksen Junior High piloted the program with its sixth grade class during the 2024-25 school year. The district's other junior highs began offering AVID to their sixth graders in 2025-26. Next year will mark the first time District 86 AVID students move directly into the AVID program at the high school level. 

The rollout has strengthened the articulation between the two districts. JTHS has worked with District 86 buildings to bring AVID teachers and students to District 86 junior high schools to explain the program, and JTHS students have traveled to Dirksen over the past two years to answer questions and work with younger students on their AVID binders. The districts plan to continue that exchange, with District 86 staff observing AVID Electives at Central and West and JTHS staff visiting all four District 86 campuses. Each spring, JTHS AVID teachers also travel to sender schools to interview prospective AVID 9 students.  

"We are looking forward to creating a pipeline of students from District 86, and our sender schools, into AVID, and to really building up our program at West and Central," McDonald said. 

AVID has a strong record of supporting first-generation college students and helping students pursue Advanced Placement and honors coursework. With Schoolwide Site recognition, the strategies used in the AVID Elective now extend across both campuses. 

For more information about AVID at JTHS, visit jths.org/academics/avid.