The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to determine the effectiveness of the selection criteria of the middle school Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program by examining the perceptions of the middle school AVID site team regarding the alignment of the AVID mission statement and the student selection process, possibly leading to the exclusion of students who met the original criteria to participate in the program. The following questions guided the study: (1) What are the important factors in the selection of AVID students? (2) How would the AVID site team members describe the current AVID mission statement? (3) How do AVID site team members describe their perception of the performance of AVID students in closing the achievement gap? The results of this study revealed a need for more professional training that will provide information on the AVID selection process to assist educators with understanding the program's mission statement and how it is connected to the selection of students. The study also revealed that the AVID program must assess the possible ramifications of any modifications to its mission statement and guarantee that it provides impartial assistance to all students, especially students traditionally underserved in the educational system. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]