CRLA International Tutor Certification

College Reading & Learning Association International Tutor Program Certification (CRLA ITPC) 

Lake Washington Institute of Technology's TRiO Projects achieved International Tutor Certification (ITPC) from the College Reading & Learning Association (CRLA) at the Regular Level 1 on March 1, 2008 for 1 year.  Their certification was renewed for an additional 3 years effective March 1, 2009.  TRiO's current certification is valid through February 2012.  TRiO recently submitted its application for re-certification which is good for an additional 5 years.  The evaluation process will take up to 6 months to complete.

As per CRLA guidelines, all TRiO tutors must attend a 10 hour (1 credit - 5 week) training class, pass the class with a 3.0 GPA or higher, and tutor 25 hours to be eligible for tutor certification. Tutors must take this class within one quarter of their hire date.  

The following information and links provide an overview of the history, purpose, endorsements, and application process of ITPC.

The following information can be found at www.crla.net/itpc/about_itcp.htm

History of CRLA's ITPC

Since March 1989, over 1,000 college and university tutorial programs in the United States and Canada have received tutor training certification through CRLA's International Tutor Program Certification (ITPC). There are well over 750 programs which are currently certified through ITPC, see them at http://www.crla.net/itpc/itpc_current_certifications.xls.

Purpose

The purpose of the ITPC program is twofold. First, it provides recognition and positive reinforcement for tutors' successful work from an international organization, CRLA. Second, CRLA's tutor certification process sets an internationally accepted standard of skills and training for tutors. 

Endorsements

CRLA's ITPC has been endorsed by the Council of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations (CLADEA), National Association for Developmental Education, and the Commission XVI of the American College Personnel Association.

In addition, other national organizations/programs who endorse CRLA's ITPC program for Tutor Training include:

ITPC Certification Levels:

  1. Certified Tutor
  2. Advanced Certified Tutor
  3. Master Certified Tutor

Each level requires an additional ten hours of training and 25 hours of experience.

Terminology:

 

New - New programs or new levels for certification. Must be applying for or are certified at Level 1 to apply for Level 2, likewise for Level 3. Certification good for one year.

 

Reflection & Renewal - For programs and levels which were certified for one year and want to continue their certification. A short form asking for program reflection and review, to be completed and submitted with same payment amount as before.
Certification good for three years.

 

Re-certification - For programs and levels which were certified for three years or five years previously and want to continue their certification. Every five years a program which has been renewed or re-certified must complete and submit a re-certification application, send the same payment amount, and have their program reviewed and then re-certified for the next five years.

Certifications and re-certifications: After submitting an initial New Application and meeting the certification requirements, it is valid for one year; a program submits a self-reflection Renewal Application for Certification which, once certified, is valid for three-years. Thereafter each program is required to apply for Re-certification, which is valid for five years at a time.

Note: CRLA certifies programs, not individual tutors. In other words, CRLA certifies that a particular tutor training program is qualified to issue CRLA certificates to individual tutors they train at their program's certification approved levels and dates.

 

ITPC Certification Requirements - Level 1

REQUIREMENTS FOR REGULAR - LEVEL 1 CERTIFICATION

Compliance with federal copyright law is expected of all CRLA ITPC programs. It is our legal and ethical responsibility to give authorship credit for all materials we use in the classroom and for tutor and mentor training. Additionally, it is our legal and ethical responsibility to purchase (or have students purchase) copyrighted materials. Programs found to be in violation of copyright law will lose their certification. 

  1. AMOUNT/DURATION OF TUTOR TRAINING: one or more of the following:
    1. Minimum of ten hours of tutor training
    2. A quarter/semester tutor training course
    3. A quarter/semester of tutor training (non-course work)
  2. MODES OF TUTOR TRAINING
    1. Minimum of 6 hours of the training must be must be:
      Tutor-trainer supervised, Interactive, Live, and Real-time and can take one or more of the following forms:
      1. workshop instruction / seminar session
      2. face-to-face or online discussions
      3. Multi-User Virtual Environment (MUVE, like Second Life)
    2. The training time remaining can use the following as the main delivery medium
      1. Videotapes/DVDs/websites
      2. Conferences with tutor trainer/supervisor
      3. Webquests, podcasts, webcasts, wikis, blogs
      4. Texts, handouts, scavenger hunts
      5. Special tutor projects
      6. Other
  3. AREAS/TOPICS TO BE COVERED IN TUTOR TRAINING A minimum of eight (8) of the following topics should be covered in Level 1 training. The exact amount of time devoted to each topic may vary.
    1. Definition of tutoring and tutor responsibilities
    2. Basic tutoring guidelines / Tutoring do's / Tutoring don'ts
    3. Techniques for successfully beginning and ending a tutor session
    4. Adult learners / Learning theory / Learning styles
    5. Assertiveness / Handling difficult students
    6. Role modeling
    7. Setting goals / Planning
    8. Communication skills
    9. Active listening and paraphrasing
    10. Referral skills
    11. Study skills
    12. Critical thinking skills
    13. Compliance with the ethics and philosophy of the tutor program / Sexual harassment /
      Plagiarism
    14. Modeling problem solving
    15. Other (please specify)

  4. REQUIRED TUTORING EXPERIENCE
    25 hours of actual tutoring
  5. TUTOR SELECTION CRITERIA
    1. Interview plus written approval of a content/skill instructor
      AND/OR
    2. Interview plus endorsement of tutor trainer/supervisor PLUS at least one of the following:
    3. Grade of "A" or "B" in subject content being tutored
    4. Documented experience equivalent to #3
       
  6. TUTOR EVALUATION CRITERIA
    1. A formal/informal evaluation process is in place
    2. Formal/informal evaluation occurs on a regular basis
    3. The results of the evaluation process are made known to the tutors