Visitors learn how AVID works in ECISD

The Ector County Independent School District has been using a college readiness program for the past five years and on Thursday it was used as a model for a few districts across the nation to view.

The Advancement Via Individual Determination program, or AVID, is currently being used at 24 of ECISD’s 25 elementary schools and offered as an elective at the secondary junior and high school campuses. There are a total of 7,693 students and 311 teachers using AVID methods in ECISD.

On Thursday, representatives from nine schools districts using some form of AVID, traveled from various states to Odessa to view the AVID model at Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary.

Marilee Holmes, principal at LBJ, said it was an honor that her school was selected as an example of AVID in the district.

“We’re proud to be able to show them our program,” Holmes said.

The two and half hour training began at 8 a.m. at LBJ Elementary with a brief history of AVID in ECISD followed with classroom observations. A student and teacher panel answered questions after the session. Several AVID district department-heads attended the training, as well as representatives from the national AVID office.

Rob Gira, executive vice president of National Programs for AVID Center based in San Diego, said the district representatives are in Odessa to complete their AVID training because there are AVID program examples from elementary to post-secondary at University of Texas of the Permian Basin and Odessa College. He said it is unique for an area to have AVID available in so many levels, despite AVID being used in 48 states to more than 425,000 students.

“This is an exemplary AVID site,” Gira said. “And elementary is relatively a new site (for AVID). They have AVID at elementary and at the college level, at UPTB as well at Odessa College.”

Dianna Mata, director of guidance, counseling and AVID in ECISD, said there was a great need in the community for AVID when it was started in 2007 at the secondary level and in 2009 at the elementary levels.

“We are a community-wide AVID program and we’re proud of that,” Mata said.

Linda Powell-McMillan, national director for program development of AVID, said the skills taught through AVID make it a viable tool for districts in any state because it doesn’t teach curriculum.

“We teach student skills,” Powell-McMillan said. “It doesn’t matter what school district or state you’re in, the skills will be something you can use all the way to college.”

Kelli Stone, a fourth grade teacher at LBJ, said in the beginning she thought AVID would be something extra to do that would take up too much time, but she found it is something that helps her students learn and helps her as a teacher.

“It’s a just a different way to organize to get everyone on the same page,” Stone said. “I feel like I’m giving the students life skills.”

Some of the students recognized the benefit of the skills.

Marcella Gutierrez, a fifth grade student ambassador at LBJ, led one of the groups of adults to various AVID classrooms. She said she loves the AVID program at her school.

“It helps me be prepared for college,” Marcella said.

Pedro Ramos, a fifth grade student at LBJ, said he doesn’t mind being required to keep all of his work organized or writing all his assignments down in his planner.

“It keeps my planner all organized,” Pedro said, flipping through a large binder with every paper in the correct section and every day of his planner filled out with assignments and homework.

Nathaniel Huddleston, a sixth grader at LBJ, agreed.

“I love being in AVID because I’m usually really organized,” Nathaniel said, describing with pride the placement of each assignment it its correct place in his binder.

It was that kind of enthusiasm, Ector County Independent School District officials said they wanted out-of- town visitors to see.

Kathryn Marget, a district director of AVID for a school district near St. Paul, Minn., said she did not know anything about AVID usage in elementary, but thought it was interesting. She said a lot of the methods the students were using in her district, which has about 11,000 students, were the same as what she saw at LBJ.

“I think that’s one of the beauties of AVID, it’s the consistency across the board,” Marget said.

Kay W. Kelly, chief of guidance and college readiness for the Indianapolis Public Schools, said agreed that she witnessed similar practices in her district, which has about 32,000 students.

“Some of the pictures I’ve taken are reinforcers (reinforcements) of some of the things we’re doing,” Kelly said.

Mata said she thought the visit from went well at LBJ Elementary.

“I thought they did fabulous,” Mata said. “It really proves AVID works for all students.”

@OAschools