NUSD recognized for AVID students outperforming the national average

--- Published on February 25th 2020 ---
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Inderkum High School graduates

We have much to celebrate in Natomas Unified School District after learning that 100% of our graduates in the class of 2019, who were a part of our AVID program at Inderkum High School, met four-year college entrance requirements and outperformed students across the nation with 88% taking at least one Advanced Placement (AP) Exam compared to the national average of 39%. “The students, with the encouragement and support of their AVID teachers, do all the work, and it is great to see their efforts recognized. We have a strong and devoted team of teachers and a counselor to help our students succeed,” said Jacquie Freitas, coordinator of AVID at Inderkum High School. Freitas learned of the good news and her student’s performance on Friday, February 21, after the information was shared nationally by AVID. She said, “It is simply an honor to be the coordinator of the program, and the recognition simply adds to that honor.”

AVID is an embedded component of Natomas Unified’s California Early College Academy (CECA). The majority of students in the CECA program take one college class by sophomore year at American River College. Through the AVID program, students receive additional support to succeed not only as a high school student but college as well. “We use the AVID curriculum throughout the school year, with each teacher providing additional lessons which they see can support their individual students,” said Freitas. “The AVID teachers do not simply focus on the educational success of the students but assist the students in being the best life-long learners they can be.” 

While the recognition was focused on the latter years of AVID, that intentional focus for students to be strong life-long learners begins as early as elementary where two Natomas Unified elementary schools – Two Rivers and Witter Ranch – have implemented AVID schoolwide. “We incorporate AVID here, and it helps us organize our stuff because that has been very hard for me,” said Reyes, a 5th grader at Two Rivers Elementary School when asked what he likes about his school. Principal Colleen Perry has been a part of the Two Rivers school community since 2002, where she taught for 13 years before becoming the principal, so she has seen firsthand the benefits of implementing AVID on campus. “I want my students to have limitless opportunities. I want them to learn and grow so that they can do anything that they want to do or be, and they can realize their full potential after being with us.” 

AVID is just one way that Natomas Unified is preparing students for college and career. The district offers many other programs and supports such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) for the early years, middle school, and high school, Advanced Placement Capstone Diploma Program at Natomas High School, and a variety of Career Technical Pathways at each high school that ties directly into college and career readiness. The district also offers the PSAT for free to all sophomores and the SAT for free to all juniors. In the fall and spring each year, on track to college letters are sent to high school students to help families keep track of their student’s progress towards graduation and courses required for college admission.

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