The Franklin High School Advancement Via Individual Determination Program (AVID) is a program founded in 1980 by Mary Catherine Swanson at Clairemont High School as an elective class designed to prepare students for college and career readiness. Franklin High School started the AVID program in 2016 to teach students skills that will benefit them in their future education and career paths. In AVID, students learn strategies for writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading, or WICOR for short.

There are three different teachers for AVID: one who teaches freshmen, another who teaches sophomores, juniors, and seniors, and a third who teaches AVID for athletes. The most well-known AVID teacher, Jennifer Brown, has been teaching AVID for over eight years, two of which were at Franklin High School.

Other benefits of AVID include opportunities to visit college campuses and see possible options, complete tutorial request forms (TRF), receive tutoring and participate in team-building activities almost every Thursday.

Statistics show that AVID students have a higher chance of graduating and attending college. Research from the 2020-2021 school year shows that AVID seniors graduated, met A-G requirements, and applied to college. The on-time graduation rate for AVID seniors was 100%, higher than the average rate of 87.3%. Of the 85% that applied to a four-year college, 78% were accepted. ” I don’t know about the district, but from this school, this year 100% of my seniors have been accepted into a 4-year college,” said Brown.

While students aren’t able to transfer into AVID midway through the school year, they can apply at any time to join AVID next year by sending an email to Brown.

Each step in the AVID program has a separate focus and is designed to build on the skills from the previous step. The main focus of AVID in grades 7-8 is organization, organization and problem-solving skills in grades 9-11, and participation in school event organization in grade 12.

AVID also helps purchase supplies and textbooks for other classes to help students with their education and helps organize multiple events at this school. Upcoming events include Senior Night, which is near the end of the school year and celebrates the final home game of seniors and their accomplishments. Other events such as visiting colleges are exclusive to AVID students.

Students interested in applying for AVID can email Jennifer Brown at [email protected] for more information.