Bucks County Community College (BCCC), which offers students free tutoring through its Academic Success Center, has retained the highest level of tutor training certification from the internationally recognized College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA).
The Academic Success Center has been renewed for all three levels of certification that the CRLA provides – basic, advanced, and master. Each level requires a minimum of 10 hours of training, 25 hours of tutoring, and a demanding evaluation process to ensure the demonstrated success of each skill covered in the training level. The peer-review certification process checks that the CRLA’s high standards are met for tutor selection, training, direct service, and evaluation as an integral part of the overall tutoring program.
“The CRLA’s International Tutor Training Program Certification is considered the gold standard in the field of learning support,” explained Lauren Humphries, the center’s director. “It confirms that our Academic Success Center meets internationally recognized high standards and rigorous training, allowing us to provide the highest quality support to students across the institution.”
It is rare for a community college to earn all three levels because of the time commitment required – it typically takes a minimum of 18 months for a tutor to achieve master level certification, Humphries noted. The center earned CRLA certification for basic and advanced levels in 2010, added the master level in 2015, and has been recertified for all three levels every five years ever since then.
The Academic Success Center offers tutoring on each campus at Newtown, Perkasie and Bristol, as well as online. Last year, the center’s 80 tutors served nearly 2,200 students who made nearly 13,500 visits.
“The team in the Academic Success Center is committed to excellence and the continuous improvement of the services we provide to students,” said Humphries. “We strive to provide top quality academic support, and this certification recognizes our efforts to remain a leader in the field of learning assistance.”
Jacqueline Burger, dean of Learning Resources and Bucks Online, said this recognition affirms that Bucks students receive the highest quality academic assistance, and it highlights the center’s leadership within the field of learning support.
“I am so proud of the Academic Success Center team for earning this rare and prestigious renewal,” said Burger. “Achieving all three levels of CRLA certification demonstrates their exceptional commitment to excellence in tutor training and student support.”
For more than thirty years, CRLA has been a leader in learning assistance, reading, and academic support programs with almost 1,300 members and over 2,000 certified training programs worldwide.
The CRLA certification is another example of the high-quality education available at Bucks County Community College, which opened its doors as an open-admission public college 60 years ago this month and is consistently ranked as one of the top community colleges in the state.
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