Heritage Middle School has been redesignated as an Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) National Demonstration School. This redesignation marks the second consecutive time the school has been recognized as a national exemplary model of the AVID College and Career Readiness System, which has data-proven results in preparing students for college and career success.
“As we have utilized the AVID systems and WICOR strategies schoolwide at HMS, teachers have seen the positive impact it has had on the students' learning and ability to achieve at the highest levels during tier one instruction,” said HMS Principal Sheila Shimmick. “AVID is just a part of our everyday culture on the campus as we are preparing the students for what comes next. We are honored to be recognized again as an AVID National Demonstration School, and this is possible due to the dedicated and hardworking teachers at HMS who always put student success first.”
WICOR stands for writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading, and is a learning model used by AVID to learn at higher levels and increase rigor in the classroom. The school had to go through a year-long rigorous revalidation process to ensure AVID systems were in place and WICOR strategies were implemented with quality and fidelity schoolwide.
AVID helps teachers shift from delivering content to facilitating learning, resulting in an inquiry-based, student-centric classroom. Students learn how to take notes, plan and backwards map projects, stay organized using an agenda/binder, collaborate with others and ask higher-level questions. In March 2023, HMS held a schoolwide showcase with educators and students to highlight these strategies.
According to AVID 2022 data, in Texas 100 percent of students who were in the program graduated from high school on time and 95 percent of them completed four-year college entrance requirements. Nationally, alumni of the program who go to college are four times more likely to graduate than their peers.
As an AVID National Demonstration School, HMS will host educators from other districts across the country interested in learning about the AVID College and Career Readiness System being implemented schoolwide.
HMS was originally named an AVID National Demonstration School in 2020 and redesignated December 6, 2023. Learn more on GCISD’s AVID webpage.
