The Impact of Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) on Retention Rates During the Ninth-Grade Transition Year

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Department

Educational Administration

Date of Award

Summer 2022

Abstract

The transition from middle school to high school is known to be one of the most critical times in a student’s educational career. Ninth-grade students walk into larger schools; for some physical, emotional, and social developmental stages initiate; many encounter new demands of more rigorous academics; opportunities for participation in various extracurricular activities; possible new scheduling format; the responsibility to think critically and make sound decisions to select the appropriate peer group of association; and the task to foster new relationships with a new support group of adults—teachers, counselors, administrators, organization sponsors, and more. All these moving parts can be overwhelming for ninth-grade students which could cause them to experience transitional difficulties. Therefore, schools must be intentional to offer systems of support to help scaffold the ninth-grade transition. Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) is a college readiness system that has been implemented in more than 7,000 schools in 47 states, across the United States and other countries. AVID’s mission is to close the opportunity gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society (AVID, 2020). This study analyzed ex post facto data from urban high schools in three different school districts. The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact AVID enrollment had on first-time ninth graders by the examination of the five contributing factors: grade point averages (GPAs), attendance rates, behavior referrals, earned credits for on-track promotion to the 10th grade, and end-of-course (EOC) state assessment scores. The analyses were conducted among four ninth-grade cohort groups: first-time ninth graders who were enrolled in middle school AVID only (MS AVID Only); first-time ninth graders who were enrolled in middle school and ninth-grade AVID (MS & ninth AVID); first-time ninth graders who were enrolled in ninth-grade AVID only (ninth AVID Only), and first-time ninth graders who were never enrolled in AVID The researcher administered a one-way analysis of variance to analyze the results of GPAs, attendance rates, and behavior referrals. Chi-square of independence was utilized to analyze earned credits and EOC state assessment scores for Algebra I, Biology, and English I. The analyses provided data which reflected whether a statistically significant difference exists.

Advisor

Danna Beaty-Boudreaux

Subject Categories

Education | Secondary Education

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