1300 Highway 25 N
Buffalo, MN 55313
United States
Buffalo Community Middle School
AVID @ BCMS
What is AVID?
AVID is an acronym that stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. It’s a schoolwide system that promotes college and career readiness for all students. It’s infused into everything we do at BCMS from instruction to systems to leadership and culture. AVID emphasizes and promotes best teaching practices in 5 areas of education: Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading (WICOR).
BCMS is committed to teaching lifelong skills that will help students be successful as they move through middle school, high school and beyond. Organization is one of the skills emphasized at BCMS. All students have a Bison Binder which houses their materials for all classes, and they have a planner to help keep them on track throughout the school year. Teachers are committed to helping students turn these organizational tools into systems that work for each student’s unique learning style.
What is the AVID Elective?
The AVID Elective is a College and Career Readiness course. The elective class supports the students’ academic growth in all areas of WICOR. AVID students participate in Tutorials (a form of study group) twice a week, are held accountable for the organization of their binders, go on at least 1 college visit per year, and are immersed in a college readiness culture. AVID is a class just like any other-it’s an elective course they take during the school day.
What is the typical profile of an AVID student?
First and foremost, AVID students have a burning drive, determination, and desire to prepare themselves for education beyond high school. The typical AVID student has average to high test scores on standardized tests and has a grade point average (GPA) of about 2.0-3.5. Students who would be first in their family to attend college are highly encouraged to apply.
If any of the previously stated descriptors sound like they fit you or your student I recommend applying for AVID. Our recruitment process begins in the 3rd quarter each school year. Be on the lookout for more information around that time. If you have any questions please email Megan Losey, BCMS AVID Coordinator, at mlosey@bhmschools.org.
2024-2025 AVID Recruitment Timeline
- February 29, 2024 - Informational meeting for parents and students during conferences (5 pm & 7pm in the Family Room located in the media center)
- March 7, 2024 - Applications, family information, and short answer form due
- March 13-14, 2024 - Student interviews
- Week of March 25, 2024 - Letter of status sent out (acceptance or waitlist)
Application forms are available at the BCMS office and below:
Frequently Asked Questions
The AVID elective is a class focused on preparing students for a college path. Students in AVID learn best practices in note taking, writing essays, reading with a critical eye, presenting, collaborating with others, and keeping themselves organized. All skills learned in AVID can, and should, be transferred to other classes. Students in AVID will go on at least one college visit per year and have guest speakers come in to talk about all options after high school, both college and career.
7th Grade AVID Units
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8th Grade AVID Units
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| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| Curriculum | Tutorials | Curriculum | Tutorials |
Curriculum and |
Tutorials are a structured form of study group. Students come to class with a question, wonderment, or topic from another class that they would like to understand at a deeper level. Then they present that information to their peers. When the student is done presenting their question, group members help the presenter gain a deeper understanding by asking questions; not telling the presenter the answer.
AVID students are asked to keep their binders organized. A binder check looks at a student's binder to ensure classes are labeled, papers are neatly put away, a planner of some type is written in, and students are interacting with the notes they take in their classes.
- Self determination to do well in school.
- The student is in the middle academically and needs some additional skills to succeed in a rigorous curriculum such as organizational skills, study skills, or skills pertaining to collaborating with others.
- The student has appropriate classroom behavior.
- The student has good attendance (or an appropriate reason for absences).
- The parents and the student have the motivation and desire to prepare for entrance to a four year college or university.
The AVID Elective class and College and Career Prep have some similarities. Students are taught about the focused note-taking process in both, look into educational opportunities or careers post high school, enhance writing skills and learn other strategies to support their academic success. Below are the differences between the two classes.
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AVID Elective
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College and Career Prep
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