HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	187
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO EXPAND THE ADVANCEMENT VIA INDIVIDUAL DETERMINATION (AVID) PROGRAM BY OFFERING MORE AVID ELECTIVE COURSES IN PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLs.

     WHEREAS, the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program is a college-readiness system designed to increase the number of students who enroll in four-year colleges; and

     WHEREAS, although AVID serves all students, it focuses on the least-served students in the academic middle who have a desire to attend college and demonstrate a willingness to work hard; and

     WHEREAS, the AVID program helps high school students better prepare for college expectations by offering a rigorous program of instruction in academic survival and college entry skills; and

     WHEREAS, AVID students enroll in the program as an elective class and learn organizational and study skills, work on critical thinking, receive academic help from peers and college tutors, and participate in enrichment and motivational activities; and

     WHEREAS, nationally, AVID has been adopted in nearly 4,500 schools, and is available in sixteen countries or territories; and

     WHEREAS, of the 2009 AVID graduates, a total of ninety-two per cent planned to attend college, with sixty per cent planning to attend four-year colleges and thirty-two per cent planning to attend two-year colleges; and

     WHEREAS, in the 2009-2010 school year, there are fifty-eight AVID sites in Hawaii, including nineteen high schools and five combination high schools; and

     WHEREAS, if the AVID program were more widely available in Hawaii public high schools, more students could be prepared for the challenges of college; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2010, that the Department of Education is urged to expand the AVID program by offering more AVID elective courses in the public high schools; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of Education and the Chairperson of the Board of Education.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Department of Education; Advancement Via Individual Determination