Building Skills for Success, Leadership, and the Future
At Cypress Village Elementary, we are always looking for meaningful ways to prepare students not only for academic success today, but for the opportunities and challenges they will encounter tomorrow. One of the ways we support this work is through our implementation of AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination.
AVID is a nationally recognized framework designed to help students develop the academic, organizational, and leadership skills needed to thrive in school and beyond. While AVID originally began as a college readiness program, elementary schools across the country have embraced AVID as a way to create schoolwide systems that help students become confident learners, strong communicators, and independent thinkers.
At Cypress Village, AVID is not a separate class or program that only some students participate in. It is woven throughout our entire school community and becomes part of the way we teach, learn, collaborate, and grow together.
Throughout classrooms across campus, families may notice students actively engaged in learning experiences that encourage critical thinking, collaboration, and student ownership. Students regularly participate in strategies that help them organize their thinking, ask meaningful questions, work together to solve problems, and reflect on their learning.
Visitors at Cypress Village might observe:
• Students collaborating with partners and groups to discuss ideas and solve problems
• Academic conversations where students explain their thinking and respectfully build upon others' ideas
• Interactive notebooks and organized learning tools that help students take ownership of learning
• Thinking maps, graphic organizers, and visible learning supports
• Student leadership opportunities and classroom responsibilities
• Teachers facilitating learning experiences where students are actively engaged rather than simply listening
• Classrooms designed to support inquiry, collaboration, and student voice
Our AVID implementation aligns closely with the work already taking place at Cypress Village. Our school values creating a positive culture where students feel connected, supported, and empowered. Through AVID, we continue building systems that encourage students to take initiative, become leaders, and develop confidence in themselves as learners. Cypress Village is the first AVID elementary school in IUSD! Please read more about this by clicking here.