Two MISD Campuses Named as AVID National
Demonstration Schools
T.A. Howard Middle School staff and AVID ambassadors were proud to be announced as an AVID Demonstration School.
T
wo Mansfield ISD campuses have proven they
have programs that are in the top 2 percent in the
world that foster a college-going culture.
Timberview High School and T.A. Howard
Middle School have been selected as National
Demonstration Schools by Advancement Via
Individual Determination (AVID).
AVID is a college-readiness system for grades 5-12
designed to increase the number of students who
enroll in four-year colleges or universities. The
program provides educators with proven, real-
world strategies to accelerate the performance of
underrepresented students so that these students
and all students across the entire campus succeed in
college, career, and life.
“Being an AVID National Demonstration School
means that we have a campus that other schools
around the nation can come to in order to learn the
best practices of what an AVID program can do for
students and teachers,” said Angela Martin, AVID
coordinator for MISD. “I’m very proud of everyone
who helped make this happen because it shows that
we are the best of the best.”
and reviews. The campuses will be revalidated every
few years to ensure high levels of implementation.
“My charge is to ensure all kids perform at high
levels,” said Dr. Maria Gamell, principal at Howard
Middle School. “We say that ‘all means all,’ and
being a National Demonstration School means that
we really are holding ourselves up to that standard.”
Students who are about to graduate from the
program said it gave them the necessary skills to
excel in institutions of higher education.
“I’ll be the first person in my family to attend
college,” said Timberview senior Rakinder
Sanghera. “AVID has helped me know what I need
to do and the behaviors I need to have to get to the
next level.”
Mansfield ISD is now home to three AVID National
Demonstration Schools. James Coble Middle School
earned the distinction in 2014.
AVID is implemented in more than 5,600 schools
internationally, and Timberview High and Howard
Middle join approximately 150 other AVID National
Demonstration Schools.
The schools were selected through a rigorous
validation process that included site visits, screenings,
Timberview High School staff and AVID students took part in the
site visit that determined whether the campus would be validated.
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