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Program Turns Struggling Students Into Avid Learners

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By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 7, 2008

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - A program that makes bad grades feel manageable and college attainable is expanding throughout the Hillsborough County school district, and educators hope it will give a boost to students who might get overlooked.

Hillsborough launched the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program at Plant City High School five years ago and has used grants to bring it to 19 other middle and high schools since. Last year, Leto High School and its feeder middle schools joined the roster.

All middle and high schools, as well as 20 elementary schools, will offer it for the 2008-09 school year, said Eric Bergholm, the district's general director in charge of the program.

Webb Middle School completed its first year of AVID this week. By the time the school year ended on Wednesday, the 76 seventh- and eighth-graders who had participated had learned study and note-taking skills, visited colleges and put together portfolios dissecting the good and bad of their work.

Megan Lane, who just finished seventh grade, reviewed her assignments for the year for her portfolio. The A's she got made her proud, so she included some of them, but she selected some lower grades to add as well.

She used to look at poor grades and get discouraged.

"I would feel really bad about it because I didn't think I could bring it up," the 13-year-old said.

This year, she learned to see them as a signal for where she needed extra help. It showed her areas where she needed to pay more attention or work harder, she said. Instead of giving up, she said, she started asking her AVID teacher for help.

She hoped to continue in AVID for eighth grade and in high school.

AVID is a program of the College Board, the organization behind the SATs and Advanced Placement. It is part of a broader school reform model called EXCELerator. Hillsborough and four other districts nationally are participating in AVID, designed to get more students to complete four-year college degrees.

As part of EXCELerator, AVID targets students with good, but not great, grades who might not consider college. Many are from low-income or minority families and may be the first in their family to attend college.

Participants need grade point averages of 2.0 or higher and good standardized test scores. They also need to write an essay and get teacher recommendations.

Veronica Schmidt, Webb's AVID teacher, said the program pushes the students to take more advanced classes. They complete weekly grade reports, which she reviews for conduct and academics and parents sign. That way everyone can spot early if there are problems, she said.

Besides the classes, students enroll in a special AVID elective.

They spend two days a week in "tutorials," where they work in small groups on class work, turning to one another to solve problems. Two other days are dedicated to the AVID curriculum, which includes organizational skills and an emphasis on critical thinking. On Fridays, they have a "motivational day" and take field trips to local colleges, listen to speakers or visit the computer lab.

Algenis Maceo, 12, said he liked the regular attention. The grade sheets kept him from slacking off, he said. The discussions about college also interested him.

Webb held a mock college night recently where students pretended they were college representatives and made displays about their schools to share with other students. Algenis researched the University of Florida, which he hopes to attend one day and study criminal justice.

He said he discovered details about the school, including that it had the state's only veterinary college. He also learned about Advanced Placement classes and that he could accumulate college credits before he enters college.

Algenis hopes he can take AP classes and get credits when he goes to high school.

Schmidt said she loves seeing her students set higher goals for themselves. "As a teacher, I see the gains these children make daily. I see how they grow, not only as children, but as students."

She has seen them pull themselves out of D's and F's. She points out that even if they don't make straight A's, they are getting better grades in harder classes.

The trick, she said, is to challenge them enough without pushing them into failure. Some students will not make it through AVID - Webb lost about four this year - but others take off, with higher goals for themselves and teachers and parents holding them accountable for their work along the way. Parents sign a contract to get involved when their students enroll.

Megan said she always tries to keep her grades up, but she likes the combination of family and teacher support from the program.

"In AVID, you always get help when you're struggling," she said.

Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (813) 865-1503 or cpastor@

tampatrib.com.

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