Outcome of the AVID College Preparatory Program on Adolescent Health: A Randomized Trial

Area of Science:

• Adolescent Health
• Educational Psychology
• Sociology of Education

Background:

• Academic tracking, a common practice, segregates students by performance.
• This can inadvertently foster risky peer groups, disengagement, and negative behaviors among lower-performing students.
• Untracking, or mixing lower and higher performers, may offer protective benefits for adolescent health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of the Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) program on adolescent social networks, health behaviors, and psychosocial well-being.
• AVID supports placing middle-performing students in rigorous classes with high-performing peers.
• This study represents the first randomized controlled trial of AVID in the U.S.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 270 students across 5 high schools.
• Students were assigned to either the AVID program or usual school programming (control group).
• Surveys were administered at the start of ninth grade and the end of ninth grade, with intent-to-treat analyses used.

Main Results:

• AVID participants showed reduced odds of substance use and association with substance-using peers.
• AVID students had increased odds of associating with school-engaged peers.
• Male AVID students reported lower stress and higher self-efficacy, grit, and school engagement; no negative effects were observed in high-performing peers.

Conclusions:

• The AVID program positively influences adolescent social networks, health behaviors, and psychosocial outcomes.
• These findings suggest that academic untracking can yield significant beneficial spillover effects on adolescent health.
• AVID demonstrates a promising approach to improving student well-being through integrated academic and social support.