Content Standards

I. Character Development

A. Self‐Awareness

1. Demonstrate scholarly attributes in working with adults and peers
2. Understand the role of AVID students and display characteristics on a regular basis
3. Align learning and study strategies to personal learning style
4. Demonstrate the ability to successfully resolve conflicts and disputes with peers and teachers
5. Reassess previous year’s interests and pursuits, in order to realign current activities to further develop abilities
6. Assess areas of weakness and develop plans to address those weaknesses

B. Goals

1. Reassess academic six‐year plan to evaluate progress toward meeting all college entrance requirements upon high school graduation and adapt plans if any courses need to be retaken due to low academic grades
2. Examine academic strengths that will aid in course selection patterns, especially around honors and AP® courses
3. Reassess short‐, mid‐, and long‐term goals that will continue to ensure academic and personal growth
4. Review and revise personal and academic goals, specifically those dealing with college and career aspirations
5. Set and monitor goals around community service, extracurricular activity involvement and academic testing

C. Community and School Involvement

1. Continue in extracurricular clubs, programs, community service and athletics of interest to demonstrate commitment, in addition to seeking out positions of leadership, such as club officers or captains
2. Determine a service learning project to participate in as a class
3. Track community service hours and extracurricular activity participation in a multi‐year student portfolio

D. Ownership of Learning

1. Access grades online or from teachers on a regular basis
2. Analyze grade reports to create a study/action plan for continued academic improvement
3. Seek opportunities outside of the AVID classroom to ask questions, clarify thinking and identify points of confusion
4. Create positive peer connections through independent study groups

II. Communication

A. Speaking

1. Role play varying word choice, tone and voice when speaking to an assigned audience
2. Practice utilizing purposeful gestures during speeches
3. Refine use of vocal projection in both formal speeches and Socratic Seminar settings
4. Incorporate technology and/or visual aids to increase effectiveness of the speech or presentation
5. Practice speaking skills through mock job interviews
6. Present information, findings and supporting evidence concisely and logically
7. Integrate multiple sources of information
8. Participate in group discussion, progressing the discussion into deeper levels of thinking

B. Listening

1. Record key learning points and provide feedback using Cornell notes
2. Effectively summarize ideas from a discussion

III. Writing

A. The Writing Process

1. Practice strategies for pre‐writing in response to various prompts for both timed writing and process writing
2. Analyzing a prompt for timed writing situations
3. Edit students' essays, especially checking for the usage of varied sentence types
4. Utilize rubrics to self‐evaluate and peer evaluate work, especially those similar to AP exam rubrics

B. Writing Skills

1. Refine strategies to write effective paragraphs
2. Focus on expanding word choice in all aspects of writing
3. Write with a focus on using varied sentence types (simple, compound, complex)
4. Incorporate transitions to improve flow within a paragraph and logically tie together academic arguments
5. Support arguments and claims of evidence using textual sources

C. Writing Applications

1. Develop and strengthen writing through the creation of a career research essay
2. Develop and strengthen writing through the creation of an argumentative essay
3. Develop and strengthen writing through the creation of a character analysis
4. Use writing activities from content area classes to practice, develop and refine writing skills

D. Writing to Learn

1. Evaluate summaries using rubrics and checklists
2. Utilize reflective logs to evaluate note‐taking habits and set subsequent goals to improve upon past learning
3. Write detailed reflections on experiences, presentations and speeches, focusing on how the knowledge is applied to decisions

IV. Inquiry

A. Costa's Levels of Thinking

1. Use skilled questioning to elicit deeper thinking from self and others

B. Tutorials

1. Refine collaborative tutorial skills through tutor‐led discussions following tutorial sessions with a focus on higher‐level questioning
2. Complete a higher‐level reflection about the learning process during tutorials

C. Socratic Seminar and Philosophical Chairs

1. Utilize critical reading strategies to determine main ideas/claims as a pre‐activity to Socratic Seminar and Philosophical Chairs discussions
2. Come to Socratic Seminar/Philosophical Chairs discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study and explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts
3. Analyze a seminal U.S document of historical and literary significance (e.g., Roosevelt's Four Freedoms speech, Letter from Birmingham Jail) in a Socratic Seminar or Philosophical Chairs discussion
4. Analyze various accounts of a subject told through different mediums (e.g., a person's life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account in a Socratic Seminar or Philosophical Chairs discussion
5. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussions to broader themes or larger ideas
6. Focus on the development of leadership skills and self‐refinement during Socratic Seminar discussions
7. Summarize points of agreement and disagreement

V. Collaboration

A. Types of Interactions

1. Develop positive peer interaction skills through creating group norms and reflective discussions following collaborative activities
2. Focus on academic language skills that will develop strong peer‐instructor relationships
3. Practice using encouragement and positive affirmations with peers
4. Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence
5. Utilize technology to interact and collaborate with others and foster trust building skills by working with partners to complete a specified task
6. Enhance understanding of collaboration by working in groups during team building and motivational activities or problem solving
7. Participate in group discussions and reflections based on collaborative work
8. Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and when warranted, modify one’s own views
9. Refine inquiry, listening and oral communication skills through a variety of activities, including tutorials, presentations, Socratic Seminars, and Philosophical Chairs

VI. Organization

A. Organization and Time Management

1. Refine organization and neatness of binder through ongoing course support, peer discussion, and personal reflection and goal setting
2. Utilize a planner/agenda to track class assignments and grades
3. Utilize a planner/agenda to balance social and academic commitments and use backwards mapping for major projects or tests
4. Analyze grades to adjust study habits and time allocations
5. Continuously add to and reflect on multi‐grade level portfolio throughout the school year
6. Present portfolio of personal academic work at the end of the year using peer feedback and suggestions for improvement
7. Publish final versions of writing for the academic portfolio

B. Note‐Taking

1. Take 10 to 18 pages of quality Cornell notes per week
2. Utilize notes after the tests to reexamine incorrect items on the tests and where potential gaps in the notes might exist
3. Create visuals or symbols in the right column to represent and help recall information
4. Change pen colors to indicate change in concept
5. Refine the skill of composing an essential question based on the standard or objective covered by the lesson
6. Write higher‐level summaries for Cornell notes that link all of the learning together

C. Research and Technology

1. Use technology in assignments and presentations, using proper MLA style to cite sources
2. Utilize technology to complete final drafts of assignments and conduct research
3. Use technology to share, store and collaborate on projects
4. Research careers and postsecondary institutions via the Internet, gathering information about majors and atmosphere of the colleges/universities

D. Test Preparation/Test‐Taking

1. Use graded assessments to identify and reflect on academic weakness and determine study and test‐taking strategies that will aid in test preparation
2. Utilize strategies for various types of tests, in preparation for midterm and final exams

VII. Reading

A. Vocabulary

1. Expand vocabulary, especially those utilized on SAT/ACT testing and properly incorporate them into writings to vary word usage
2. Develop interpretation skills, using root word, prefix, and suffix
3. Demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge

B. Textual Analysis

1. Learn to determine purpose of reading, in order to correctly choose a proper method of reading
2. Read and discuss various examples of text, including articles from fiction and non‐fiction
3. Mark texts to track understanding of the text and questions about the reading
4. Utilize charting of the text to track various points of view and opposing claims
5. Determine author’s tone and voice
6. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of significant ideas expressed in written works by identifying important ideas, recognizing inferences and drawing conclusions

VIII. College Readiness

A. Guest Speakers

1. Practice strong usage of academic language through thought‐provoking questions that clarify or will lead to greater depth of knowledge
2. Practice listening and note‐taking skills with guest speakers from both the school and community and integrate information into student projects and presentations
3. Write letters of appreciation to guest speakers, making sure to reflect on and express learning from the presentation

B. Field Trips

1. Participate in field trips, including, but not limited to, the following: one or two college/university visits that are different from previous year, including time spent with admissions counselors, and a field trip that has a career focus
2. Meet set minimum grade and behavior criteria (as determined by the school), in order to attend the field trips
3. Use skills of listening and note‐taking during field trip experiences
4. Track thoughts and potential attendance of the college/university through Cornell notes, learning logs, and/or reflective essays

C. College and Career Knowledge

1. Narrow down potential colleges/universities of interest, choosing campuses that fit personality, academic interests and goals
2. Sign‐up for ongoing information regarding admissions and potential scholarships from colleges/universities of interest
3. Develop an understanding of the college application process and required information
4. Begin developing an understanding of career paths and the associated college degree

D. College Entrance Testing

1. Prepare for, take and analyze the results for the PSAT and/or PLAN tests
2. Focus on test‐taking strategies to help determine correct answers on high‐stakes tests
3. Continue developing vocabulary skills by reviewing roots, prefixes, suffixes, and ACT and SAT® word lists
4. Understand the differences between various college entrance tests

E. College Admissions/Financial Aid

1. Identify key differences between costs for public and private universities
2. Examine potential scholarships from colleges of interest and local scholarships and design plans to meet selection criteria