AVID is a partnership with K-12 educators that enables implementation of a research-based, systemwide approach to teaching and learning that fosters equitable access to the educational resources and experiences required for students to successfully engage in a future of possibility.  

The AVID  program is a strong supporter of first-generation college students, and its primary goal is to help students achieve their goals related to attending college or entering into a career path. 

The students who are admitted into the AVID Elective program benefit from the extra support provided throughout their high school career. AVID empowers students with critical thinking skills to navigate the educational landscape through an explicit focus on high expectations, while emphasizing the development and refinement of student competence in writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading, or WICOR.

As a result, AVID's mission is an essential strategy for closing the achievement gap and making college and career access available to all students.

The AVID Elective seeks to identify students who possess the skills, desire, and drive to become successful in college, career, and life post-graduation. AVID students receive additional academic, social, and emotional support that will help them succeed in their school’s most rigorous courses.

Students who are selected and recruited for participation in the AVID Elective class have aspirations to attend college and possess the individual determination to work hard to achieve their goals. 

The AVID Elective curriculum includes:

• Research Skills
• Research Papers
• Focused Note-Taking
• Scholarship & Financial Aid Research
• Goal Setting
• Character Development
• Tips for Success
• Interpersonal Relationships
• Organizational Skills & Projects
• Time Management
• College Readiness Skills
• College Exploration
• Career Exploration
• Study Skills
• Tutorials

These are students who have the desire to attend college and are capable of completing rigorous courses, are on a path to reaching their full potential, and would benefit from AVID Elective support for college and career readiness. Typically, AVID Elective students are underserved students in secondary institutions. AVID places these students in Advanced Placement or honors courses without remediation.

JTHS has begun to offer the AVID Elective to grades 9 and 10 at both campuses with plans to offer the course in grades 11 and 12 in the next couple of years. Additionally, the skills and strategies used in the AVID Elective will eventually be spread throughout the district as part of a schoolwide approach to AVID.