Tutor Education Seminars (TES) are designed to help students become better tutors. The seminars are offered every semester to help new tutors become certified. The certification is provided by the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA).
College Reading and Learning Association
The College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) is a national organization made up of postsecondary student-oriented learning assistance professionals. CRLA membership includes faculty in various fields (reading, writing, math, and education); supplemental instruction and tutor training administrators; learning assistance and study skills professionals; learning center administrators; and developmental education faculty. CRLA provides a platform for professional development and the promotion of research, as well as a forum for communicating best practices in specific educational fields. CRLA offers Special Interest Groups (SIGs), an annual conference, literary journal, insight on legislative action, and scholarships/awards.
CRLA also has an International Tutor Program Certification (ITPC). Since its inception in March 1989, more than 1,000 college and university tutorial programs in the United States and Canada have received tutor training certification through this certification process. It is important to note that CRLA certifies programs, not individuals. CRLA has certified the Academic Resource Center at Illinois Institute of Technology. The ARC is now qualified to issue CRLA Level 1 tutor certification to individual ARC scholars.
The purpose of the ITPC is twofold: first, it provides recognition and positive reinforcement of successful work from an international organization. Second, its certification process sets the standards regarding tutor roles and responsibilities, communications, ethics, study skills strategies, and training.
ITPC has been endorsed by the National Association for Developmental Education, Commission XVI of the American College Personnel Association, the American Council of Developmental Education Associations, Association for the Tutoring Profession, and the National Tutoring Association (NTA).