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February Featured Story - Chelsea F.
FEATURED STORY

How Strengthening Relationships Transformed This School's Ratings from "D" to "C"

This month, our featured story comes from Chelsea Franklin, the principal of Gadsden County High School in Havana, Florida. Also a former AVID teacher, Chelsea acts as a visible liaison between parents, teachers, and students, fostering positive relationships. Discover how Gadsden County High's AVID implementation and Chelsea's approach to cultivating strong connections contributed to the school's impressive increase from a "D" to a "C" rating in the 2021–22 academic year!  Read More

Submitted by: Chelsea Franklin

In the summer of 2021, I left my hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, where I served as the principal at an “A” school, to move closer to my husband in Tallahassee, Florida. After applying to many roles, I was given an opportunity to transition as the principal at a historically “D”/“F” rural school in Gadsden County, Florida. In the midst of chaos and turmoil, there is always hope for an opportunity. Our school was buried in teaching vacancies, student fights, and lack of internet, resources, and school spirit. There were no bulletin boards, student work, or positive words on the wall. We owned no school mascot, and teaching to the standard was a foreign phrase. As a former AVID teacher, I brought AVID to the “A” school in Jacksonville and was determined to secure grant funding to bring AVID to my new school, Gadsden County High.

During my first year of service, we completed the initial implementation of the program; built dynamic relationships with community members, parents, and students; and recruited teachers. Relationships adorned with instructional best practices—including WICOR® strategies throughout our building—unlocked our school’s potential. We moved our school from a “D” to a “C” in just one year. Unleashing the power of relationships is the cornerstone for school improvement.

Teachers don’t work for principals who they don’t respect or believe in. Students don’t work for teachers who don’t respect or believe in them. Schools do not move unless principals, students, and teachers work together to push toward success. When I was hired, of the 100 positions we had, there were 18 teaching vacancies. That year, I hired teachers who may not have known how to teach, but they did know how to build positive and supportive relationships with patience, time, and dedication. I am forever indebted to AVID for aiding my 100% free and reduced-price lunch rural school population, now in Year 3 of implementation and on track to earn a “B”—something that has never been done in the history of our school. Relationships matter, and we are nothing without them.

More About Chelsea:

Chelsea Franklin is a proud native of Jacksonville, Florida. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations at Florida A&M University (FAMU) in 2010. After graduating cum laude from FAMU’s School of Journalism and Graphic Communication, Chelsea joined Teach for America, with the mission of increasing literacy in her hometown. Chelsea taught for 4 years and graduated from Columbia University’s Teachers College in New York, New York, in 2016, earning her Master of Arts in Educational Leadership with a 4.0 GPA. Chelsea has served as a school administrator for the past 10 years. As the principal of Gadsden County High School, her goal is to serve as a visible liaison between parents, teachers, and students to build positive relationships. Their administrative team is dedicated to providing world-class customer service, rigor, and a sense of community while sustaining a rich legacy by honoring the traditions the school has built over the years.

 
February Spotlight Soccer Graphic
SPOTLIGHT

The Game-Changer: How to Score Big With Students

Our February spotlight comes from AVID Staff Developer Nick Kempski. He shares a personal story of leveraging inspiration gained from AVID National Conference to build strong connections with his students at West Chicago Community High School.  Read More

Submitted by: Nick Kempski

Relationships come first; everything else comes second. This is the mindset I’ve had since I first saw Patrick Briggs doing high kicks and crumpling up dollar bills at the AVID National Conference. If you are unfamiliar with what I’m talking about, do yourself a favor and look up “Patrick Briggs AVID National Conference 2016.” Later, I heard Rita Pierson say, “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.” Relationships are the single most important thing a teacher can build to positively impact student learning. Here is a story that has absolutely nothing to do with incorporating best practices or amazing strategies, but it did more for me in an AVID classroom than just about anything else I’ve tried.

It was late fall of 2022. The men’s World Cup was being played in November and December because the blistering heat of Dubai did not allow the event to take place in the summer. What did this mean for me? Well, my students love soccer, and the World Cup is a massive event that is important to them, their families, and their culture. The games were aired throughout the school day. To say that getting their attention for 50 straight minutes, while an important game was on, was hard is a massive understatement. I had two options: Fight the World Cup, or embrace it. I chose to embrace it. We had students take notes on the World Cup, they asked tutorial questions about soccer, and I found ways to reward them by showing some of the games in class. The students were watching the games on their devices regardless if I allowed it or not, so I decided to incorporate something that means a lot to them into what we did in the classroom.

One day, we were watching the Mexico game, which became a schoolwide event. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, had this game on. You could hear kids cheering throughout the hallways. Kids were watching it on their phones as they took an extended bathroom break from the classes that did not allow this sort of educational practice. My thought was that students were going to stay home and watch the game if they couldn’t watch it at school, so again, I embraced what was happening. As we were watching the game, I noticed a lot of shots missing the goal. Shots were going over the net, left and right of the net, and nowhere near the net. I questioned the students, “Are they not being taught to actually shoot it at the net? Like, are they unaware that the object is to put the ball in the net?” The students all laughed and said that it was harder than it looked. I took this as a challenge—a very literal challenge. It just so happened that the girls’ varsity goalie was in my AVID class. I said, “I bet I can make 8 out of 10 shots just by kicking it at the net.” The students all laughed and said I was crazy. The competition was on, and a day was set for me to kick soccer balls against our varsity goalie.

It was too cold to go outside to do this competition in the winter, and our soccer nets were not set up. This challenge built up until the spring. On the first nice day, I took the kids outside for the AVID soccer shoot-out. I ended up completely missing the goal multiple times, and I only made 2 out of 10 shots. The kids all laughed, razzed me, and talked about it the rest of the year. There are videos floating around of me making a fool of myself. What is the point of all this? The students did anything I asked of them from there on out. Parents came to conferences thanking me for valuing their culture and connecting with the students. By simply finding something that my students were interested in and embracing it, even though it was not something I was initially interested in, I was able to build relationships that led to increased student involvement and a positive learning environment. I am not suggesting that you cancel class, start watching sports in school, and embarrass yourself on a soccer field. What I am suggesting is that you take time to learn what your students value and embrace it. Find ways to incorporate it into the classroom. Build relationships and earn trust. The result will be increased student involvement, a positive classroom environment, and increased learning.

More About Nick:

Nick Kempski is an AVID Elective Teacher and Site Coordinator at West Chicago Community High School in West Chicago, IL. He is a first-generation college student, who graduated from Illinois State University in 2007 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English Education, and has a Master’s Degree from Aurora University in Educational Administration. Nick works as an AVID Staff Developer certified to train AVID Implementation: High School and Culturally Relevant Teaching: Transforming Educators.

 
 

Nominate Yourself or Others to Be Featured in the AVID Spotlight!

Each AVID Community newsletter will feature a spotlight story, highlighting the amazing anecdotes out there in the AVID world from educators just like you! These stories are intended to inspire, make you smile, celebrate the good happenings among AVID students and educators, and more. Nominate yourself or others to be featured in the AVID Spotlight by completing the form to tell us your story.

What’s New?

Registration for AVID Summer Professional Learning Opens Tuesday, February 13!

AVID Summer Institute 2024 – featuring the New General Session Experience!

Exciting news! Please join us for a revamped Summer Institute experience that promises a transformative General Session like you’ve never seen before. We've amped up the inspiration with increased engagement and more opportunities for you to connect your Community of Practice (CoP) learning with your Site Team action plans. Accelerating your impact starts here!

AVID Ignite 2024

Get ready to ignite your passion! For those unable to attend a live event, we're bringing you a flexible opportunity to engage in, where you’ll experience AVID’s top-notch professional learning and walk away with the resources necessary to plan for a successful school year!

Explore the dates and locations of all 12 events, and don't miss out on the exciting new General Session Experience with the 2024 event schedule. Consult our professional learning guide to handpick the perfect Community of Practice session for you and your Site Team.

Summer PL Promo Banner

Last Chance to Enter the AVID Speaker Contest!

Calling all AVID educators and students! Don't miss the chance to share your story on the 2024 Summer Institute stages. Be part of the New General Session Experience at AVID Summer Institute and impact thousands of educators and school leaders as a featured speaker. All AVID educators, AVID students, and those who are supported by the AVID implementation at your campus can enter the contest. Respond to one of the offered prompts or simply share your AVID impact story with us.  Read More

Speakers will have an opportunity to highlight their AVID journey and share insightful moments that will inform, motivate, and move the audience to action on our reimagined stage. If you have ever considered being an AVID speaker, this is your year to apply.

Contest Details:

  • Submission Deadline: Friday, February 16
  • Eligibility: Elementary, middle, and high school students and educators who have been impacted by AVID
  • Submission Format: Essay, poem, short story, or impassioned speech (500–800 words, or 5–7 minutes in presentation)

Win big with a $500 cash prize, a personal recommendation from AVID's CEO, a chance to speak on a national stage at our AVID Summer Institutes, and covered travel expenses.

With the contest deadline—Friday, February 16—rapidly approaching, don’t wait, visit our site for all the details and share your story! 

Enter the Contest

 
 
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Introducing AVID Emerge™, the Newest Addition to Our Advancing Multilingual Learners Suite 

We recently introduced AVID Emerge—a resource designed to support multilingual learners in a dedicated English Language Development (ELD) setting. AVID Emerge enhances instruction, promotes student agency, and enhances family engagement. This versatile tool can be seamlessly integrated with an existing ELD curriculum or utilized as a stand-alone resource for site-specific ELD curriculum development.

Learn More

Watch the Recording

A few key resources to guide this work include:

All resources can be found in the AVID Site Team Portal; your go-to resource to plan, implement, and grow the AVID College Readiness Systems at your school.

As registration for summer professional learning opens, consider who from your site team and school will be attending and what CoPs will help accelerate your Site Team goals. It is important to plan for site team engagement during summer professional learning - whether part of Summer Institute or during district facilitated time. More information about Site Team Summer Learning will be shared in the March newsletter.

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Curious About How AVID Works With Charter Schools? Join Us This Thursday!

Join us and leaders from Orangeburg High School for Health Professions, a charter school, for a free and engaging virtual session that provides an overview of AVID through the lens of our charter school partners.  Read More

Experience our live discussion with AVID staff and leaders from Orangeburg High School for Health Professions as we explore the intentional implementation of the AVID College and Career Readiness System to prepare all students for postsecondary success.

We believe that sharing success stories is a powerful way to inspire and inform educational leaders, and we are proud to showcase how the AVID system has been effectively utilized in a charter school setting, providing opportunities for all students.

Register to Attend

 
 
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Don't Miss Our Virtual School Showcase on Thursday, February 22!

AVID's First Virtual Showcase for Virtual Schools is coming up in just 2 weeks! This free Showcase spotlights the advanced uses of AVID implementation in virtual education settings, breaking away from the traditional confines of brick-and-mortar schools.  Read More

  • Dive into the seamless integration of AVID’s WICOR (Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading) strategies within the virtual school environment.
  • Discover how virtual schools can implement AVID practices to enhance student engagement, critical thinking, and collaborative learning, reshaping education in the digital era.
  • Explore the adaptability and effectiveness of AVID principles in shaping well-rounded, successful learners who flourish outside the limitations of physical classrooms.

Register for the Showcase

 
 
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Funding AVID: A Comprehensive Guide on How to Fund AVID Implementation on Your Campus

Determining how you are going to fund AVID can be challenging at times, especially with ESSER funding going away. In this webinar, our aim is to provide you with comprehensive guidance, valuable insights, and an abundance of resources to address your funding queries and help you overcome funding challenges effectively.  Read More

During this free, 30-minute virtual information session, you’ll:

  • Discover the answers to commonly asked questions through the AVID Funding Roadmap, a comprehensive guide that outlines five essential steps we will explore together.
  • Formulate a funding strategy by identifying the components to fund.
  • Gain the ability to identify five different funding sources and consider various factors when choosing the most suitable funding option for your needs.
  • Engage and ask your questions!

Don't miss out on this valuable opportunity to explore how to develop a comprehensive funding plan to bring AVID to your schools and districts. Dive deep into the available funding sources and uncover the strategies needed to make it happen.

Register to Attend

Funding AVID Newsletter Banner

Continuing Site Team Work Year-Round

As we enter the third quarter of the school year, it is a great time for your Site Team to focus on your progress toward your identified goal. The resources to support your work in planning, implementing, and growing the AVID College and Career Readiness System at your school can be found in the AVID Site Team Portal.  Read More

A few key resources to guide this work include:

As registration for summer professional learning opens, consider who from your Site Team and school will be attending and which Communities of Practice will help accelerate your Site Team goals. It is important to plan for Site Team engagement during summer professional learning, whether part of Summer Institute or during district-facilitated time. More information about Site Team Summer Learning will be shared in the March Community newsletter.

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Sign Up for Spring 2024 Administration of the AVID Collective Educator Agency Survey and the AVID Student Agency Survey

We are encouraging schools and districts to participate in the spring administration of the AVID Collective Educator Agency Survey and the AVID Student Agency Survey. If interested, please review the related information and sign up your campus or district to be contacted with next steps.  Read More

The AVID Collective Educator Agency Survey takes approximately 5 minutes for educators to complete. It provides insight into the extent to which educators on a campus take intentional actions based on shared beliefs and trust that, together, they can increase opportunity and measurable success for all students and each other. The AVID Student Agency Survey takes approximately 6–7 minutes for students to complete and helps educators understand the extent to which students are building relationships, persisting through obstacles, and activating academic and social-awareness skills.

For best results and utility, the survey should be administered to all educators and/or all students on a campus. There will be a 6-week administration window, from mid-April to the end of May 2024. After participating, campus/district leaders will be provided with a school-level summary report that also includes an overall summary of national findings.

Participation in these surveys provides helpful information that is aligned with the AVID College and Career Readiness Framework and with parts of the AVID CCI. Site Teams can also use the data to inform targeted efforts to monitor student growth and development as a reflection of implementation fidelity and return on investment.

We encourage you to review the User Guide for each survey by clicking the links below:

Questions can be directed to Research Analyst Jeff Huerta at jhuerta@avid.org.

2024 Agency Surveys

Save the Dates for the National Supervisor of Principals Academy!

AVID is thrilled to partner with Metro Nashville Public Schools to host this event in 2024.

Educators from across the country are invited to register for the National Supervisor of Principals Academy in Nashville, Tennessee. We invite you to come early or stay late and enjoy all that Nashville has to offer!  Read More

Join us for our in-person and virtual events, running from May through November, where you can participate in role-specific professional development, learn and experience best practices from current practitioners, and network with leaders from across the country.

Learn More

2024 National Supervisor of Principals Academy-FB (Twitter Post)

What’s Changed?

WAG
AVID WEEKS AT A GLANCE (WAG)

One New Posting: WAG Revision Project Update

From mapping life on a timeline to writing within a time limit, new writing units address specific skills that students need across multiple content areas. Find new Writing for Disciplinary Literacy units for each grade level now in Term 2 of the WAG!  Read More

New Posting for February: Writing for Disciplinary Literacy units

Each grade level is tackling a different topic through disciplinary literacy:

2024 Postings:

Previous Postings:

  • As a reminder, we’d like to review the 48 units(!) that have been posted on the new WAG site for Terms 1 and 2:

Throughout this transitional year, both the new and existing WAG terms will remain accessible on MyAVID, ensuring that teachers have the flexibility to choose between both WAG options. This approach guarantees minimal disruption in the delivery of AVID Elective instruction and allows districts time to adapt to the revised standards. As a reminder, the new WAG units are aligned with our revised AVID Elective Standards (taking effect in 2024–25) and include Google formats for most unit resources.

To guide you through implementing the new WAG terms, view our WAG one-pager for recommendations designed for AVID educators at every experience level.

View the WAG Site

SA
AVID SCHOOLWIDE ADVISORY

Resources to Support Grade Checks and Goal Setting

Do your students need a refresher on effectively monitoring grades and setting goals? Check out AVID Schoolwide Advisory's Grade Checks and Goal Setting unitRead More

Grades are an essential aspect of academic preparedness, and it’s important that students and teachers keep up with the status of grades in all classes so that students can advocate for themselves. Advisory provides the space and time for students to check their class grades, evaluate their successes and challenges, and proactively set goals accordingly. This unit teaches students how to effectively set goals using the SMART goals process so that they have actionable plans to realize their dreams.

AVID Weekly
AVID WEEKLY®

Update for AVID Weekly® and AVID® Elementary Weekly Subscribers

Starting in the fall of 2024, a new cycle for the AVID Elementary Weekly and AVID Weekly products will begin, providing partners with earlier access to these resources. Access to the site will begin on August 1, 2024, and run through June 30, 2025. Throughout this period, various texts, lessons, and resources will be released for download, resulting in 10 months of new content.  Read More

We're excited to share an update for AVID Weekly and AVID Elementary Weekly users. With a revised access cycle for fall of 2024, get earlier access to resources beginning August 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025—a whole 10 months of new educational material!

Seamless Transition

Our subscribers can expect uninterrupted access, with a new tile in MyAVID eLearning on August 1, 2024.

Early Access Perks

Start exploring rich resources, lessons, and tools on August 1, 2024—a month ahead of time—designed to enhance your planning and resource integration process.

Planning for July

For summer school or professional learning in July, download needed content by June 30, 2025, for a seamless experience.

Thank you for being a part of our AVID community. Here’s to the exciting journey ahead!

Community Archive

Thank you for all you do, and thank you for being you!


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