AN 'AVID' TEACHER COLLEGE-PREP PLAN SHOWING PROGRESS PROGRAM GEARED TO AVERAGE STUDENTS.

Byline: KAREN MAESHIRO

Staff Writer

LANCASTER -- A college-prep program for average students -- some whom were heading for trouble -- is showing promise in the Antelope Valley Union High School District.

Students in Advancement Via Individual Determination are scoring above district averages and just below, and in some instances surpassing, honors and International Baccaulaureate students.

And 100 percent of AVID 10th-graders passed both portions of the high school exit exam on their first try this year.

"We don't usually have 100percent of anything, so this is pretty amazing," trustee Donita Winn said. "Since the AVID program is fairly new to us, we're very excited to see such dramatic results from it so soon."

"This program takes average kids and teaches them strategies to achieve," board president Tom Pigott said. "These are kids that were kind of at-risk, and now they are scoring below the pre-IB/honors."

AVID students are viewed as having academic potential. They have average to high test scores, grade-point averages of 2.0 to 3.5 and have the potential to attend college with additional support.

In determining which students qualify for the program, it's taken into account whether they are the first in their families to attend college, are low-income, or are part of a minority group that has been historically under-represented at four-year colleges.

"It seems there are tons of programs for high-level kids, and quite a few for low-level kids. It's the middle kid that we are targeting that we believe has the potential to succeed but has been underserved," said Brent Woodard, director of educational services. "We target kids who may not have considered college but are now doing so because of this program."

The first AVID program was started at Littlerock High School in 2000, and the program has expanded to all comprehensive schools except Eastside, which is starting its program next school year.

The AVID program also is at SOAR High School at Antelope Valley College, where college coursework is blended with high school classes.

Many middle and intermediate schools, whose students advance to the high school district, also offer AVID.

National figures show that 75percent of 2006 AVID graduates were accepted to a four-year college, and a higher proportion of minority AVID students take Advanced Placement tests compared with non-AVID minority students.

The percentage of Latinos taking AP exams is nearly five times higher among AVID students than Latinos in general, records show.

No comparable figures were available for the district.

Test scores of AVID freshmen in the district through the first semester of 2006-07 have them outscoring every other subgroup in English and AlgebraI with the exception of pre-International Baccaulaureate and Honors students.

In one instance, in first-quarter test results, AVID freshmen outscored the honors pupils, with 63percent of them scoring proficient or above in AlgebraI, compared with 56percent among International Baccalaureate and honors students.

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