Frequently Asked Questions

International Tutor Program Certification (ITPC)

1. How do I get my tutor program certified?

Request an application packet from the ITCP Chair, Tina Barnes ,  download the information from this site. Submit three copies of the requested information to Tina. Two evaluators will assess your materials and provide feedback.

2. I am starting a new tutor program at my school. How do I start?

Read through the tutor program certification application to determine what constitutes a strong program. Here are other suggestions: order the newly revised CRLA Tutor Training Handbook from the CRLA website, contact one of the listed evaluators/mentors in the paper application packet, talk with directors of certified tutor programs in your area, and consult one of the many tutor training books mentioned in A Selected Bibliography for Tutor Training and Supervision.

3. What is the usual turn around time for the evaluators to respond to a certification packet once it is received?

Evaluators need between eight and ten weeks, depending on their time schedules and the ease of reading the application -- that is, its completeness, documentation, and labeling.

4. When should I apply for certification?

We accept applications at any time of the year. We strongly suggest that the program have a track record before an application is submitted. That experience will make it easier to describe how the training is conducted rather than how it may be conducted in the future.

5. Can I use a purchase order or charge card?

CRLA is not equipped to accept Purchase Orders. At this time it does not accept charge cards. School or personal checks are accepted. A receipt will be sent upon request.

6. How long is the certification valid?

Your original certification is valid for one year. Certification dates are from July 1 through June 30 regardless of when it is granted. Through December the certification date is the prior July 1. After January 1, it is the following July 1. Then your program certification can be renewed for three years, followed by recertification for five years.

7. How do I renew or re-certify my tutor program certification?

In February of your expiration year, the ITPC chair will mail the proper form to you. If you want it earlier, just send an e-mail.

8. Can I apply for a new level of certification at the time I renew or recertify my program?

No, to gain certification for a new level, you must send in a new application to be evaluated (probably by different evaluators). You must include the fee with the new application.

9. Can I modify the sample certification sent to me for my tutors?

Yes, you can modify the certificate template that we send you for your tutors. You can scan it, and then type in the tutors' names or use your school colors. Just try to keep the basic integrity of the original certificate.

10. Can an institution be certified under one application for tutoring and mentoring or is it two separate entities?

You will need to make two separate applications. It is possible for one institution to have more than one program certified. A few universities have as many as four different tutor training programs certified.

11. Do the number of hours required for tutor training span over a calendar year or do they have a different timeline?

We certify your program, and then you certify your tutors as they met the criteria set by the CRLA guidelines. We would suggest that your tutors meet the requirement of training within a year.

12. If our program is approved, will the training and tutoring experience that the tutors received earlier in the year count towards certification?

Yes, certification is retroactive for a year from the date of approval.

13. Our tutors do self-paced exercises for part of their training. Is this all right?

This is fine as long as the tutors do no more than four (4) hours of individualized training at each level. The rationale is that this is an interactive job, so the training should also be interactive. We recommend that you provide general training of the group before classes start or at the beginning of the semester to cover this requirement and then allow your tutors to complete their training using individualized training modules (whether on computer or alone with videos) during the semester.

14. I need statistics on the number of students who receive tutoring nationally or regionally. How can I convince my administration that tutor training does improve the quality of tutoring, thereby increasing retention significantly?

From vast research, Patrick Saxon at Appalachian State University has compiled many statistics that may be useful for your project or arguments for tutor training.

Patrick Saxon, National Center for Developmental Education, Appalachian State University, P. O. Box 32098, Boone, NC 28608, (828) 262-3057, saxon@appstate.edu, http://www.ncde.appstate.edu.

15. I'm a student and I want to become CRLA certified.

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 at a certain level. The responsibility for tracking an individual tutor's training and tutoring hours and issuing certificates when a tutor qualifies lies with the tutoring program certified. Each institution must keep a record for each of its certified tutors that is subject to review by CRLA if the need arises.

If you are seeking certification as a professional tutor, please contact the National Tutoring Association, which provides that type of certification. Consult their excellent website, http://ntatutor.org. Current NTA officers or the executive director of NTA will be happy to help you.

We encourage your comments, email the webmaster, Corrine Johnson.
Last updated February 10, 2007.