On a recent afternoon at Newport Coast Elementary, a fifth grader opened her Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) binder and checked the agenda she had filled out earlier that day. Each subject was organized and easy to find. Nearby, classmates sketched ideas into thinking maps, visual tools that help students organize and connect complex ideas. They talked through their plans as they prepared a segment for Coyote News, the school’s student-produced news broadcast, before the camera started rolling.

For Principal Heather Darrow, introducing AVID was a natural step.

“All students can benefit from learning how to organize their time, think critically, and collaborate effectively with others,” Darrow said.

AVID helps students develop skills at a high level so students can thrive in rigorous, accelerated learning environments.

AVID is not just about building foundational habits—it is about elevating them. The program supports all students, including those in Gifted and Talented Education (GATE), by equipping them with the tools to navigate advanced coursework with confidence and purpose.

AVID helps advanced students persist through challenging academic experiences as they develop strong learning habits early. Students across all grades use structured organization systems, goal-setting strategies, and collaborative learning structures to manage increasingly complex work and support one another’s growth. 

“Students are always working together to learn from, support, and contribute to one another’s learning,” said sixth-grade teacher Brooke Elsasser.

Students say the systems help them stay focused and push themselves further. Third grader Sianna Powell organizes her schoolwork using color-coded folders that separate subjects, a system that helps clarify her goals, track her progress, and confidently speak about the actions she takes to reach her goals.

“Yellow means writing, red is reading, and blue is math,” Sianna said. “The folders help us keep everything organized.”

Students set individual goals using the SMART goal framework, which encourages goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. 

“My AVID goal is to get better at division,” she said. “I look at how I am doing each month. Since I started school this year, I have seen my long division improve a lot. I feel really proud of myself.”

Ask almost any student on campus what their AVID goal is, and they can quickly explain what they are working toward and how they plan to get there. Some students also take on leadership roles to help support their classmates.

Each classroom selects AVID Ambassadors to serve as student leaders. They model rigorous, accelerated learning and organization strategies, support classmates during collaborative work, and motivate their peers to stay focused on achieving ambitious academic goals.

Sixth grader Layla Heidari is working toward a reading milestone of 105 Accelerated Reader points this year. “I have 80 points right now,” she said. “I am finishing a book that will give me 16 more.”

Students also apply AVID skills as they write scripts for Coyote Council (the school’s student leadership group), build robotics projects, or create science presentations. These opportunities allow students, including those in GATE, to deepen their thinking, extend their learning, and apply skills in increasingly complex and creative ways.

As AVID continues to expand across the campus, Newport Coast educators expect the impact to grow. 

From organizing binders and setting goals to collaborating with classmates, these daily routines are small but mighty. They are a part of AVID's core strategy known as Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading (WICOR). Together, they develop confident, capable learners who are prepared to thrive in advanced academic settings now and in the future.