Does AVID Work - The Continuing Story

I want to thank all Southwest families and staff who consistently support AVID and AVID students.  Over the years people have asked and wondered if AVID works.  My response is yes, and the data continues to support that response for students who enroll in and graduate as AVID students.

I've attached a couple of graphs that show that the college enrollment rates for AVID students surpass all other students across race/ethnicity, gender and economic indicators (with the exception of mid/high SES).  That is the mission of AVID!

More importantly are the college persistence rates.  AVID students are not only enrolling in large numbers, but staying in college in large numbers.  If you wish to read more you can do that here.

As we get closer to the start of school I would like to propose that as a staff we can increase our efficacy in helping all students succeed, enroll in college and persist by adopting some simple strategies across all classes.  One of those simple strategies is teaching and requiring all students to take Cornell notes.  While it is true that some students come to SW with solid note-taking strategies already, most do not and would benefit from learning and internalizing a solid note-taking strategy.  C Notes is that the strategy because it is so much more than just taking notes.  C Notes are a way to also have students review, revise and learn.  C Notes become a study guide.  

C notes work across all subjects.  Whether it is math, science, social studies, health, world languages, English and more, C Notes can be used always and whenever students are required to take notes from textbooks, readings, videos, discussions. Teaching and requiring students to implement C Notes is a simple strategy to increase learning and student success.

I would be willing to offer a training during workshop week for anyone interested in learning more about how to use C notes in your class.

Thanks

Caroline Hooper
NBCT Social Studies
AVID Elective Teacher
Southwest High School

For more information - www.avid.org

Talk to your school counselor, AVID teacher of AVID Coordinaotr Connie Overhue