FAQs
- What is AIM Pathways?
- What is the Learn, Practice, Apply Cycle?
- How much do the AIM PATHWAYS™ courses cost?
- How are AIM PATHWAYS™ courses more cost effective than traditional teacher training courses?
- What graduate or CEU credits are available?
- How Long Does it Take to Complete AIM Pathways Courses?
- What are Virtual Communities of Practice?
- What Are the Technical Requirements for Using AIM Pathways?
- How to register for AIM Pathways?
- Have more questions?
What is AIM Pathways?
AIM PathwaysTM is:
- An interactive, digital teacher professional development platform designed to deliver research and evidence-based courses in literacy to improve teacher instructional practice resulting in improved student outcomes.
- A scalable, affordable solution for schools seeking to improve student literacy.
- A unique tool that provides downloadable teacher resources and real-time intervention tools for use in the classroom.
- Designed for sustainability by training internal coaches and school-based literacy leaders trained to maintain the fidelity of instructional practices.
- An important program to onboard new teachers and to sustain the school’s investment in developing a cohesive, comprehensive literacy program through all grades.
- Accessible to teachers via a variety of devices (iPads and mobile phones) to use as a tool when working with children.
All AIM Pathways courses are eligible for CEUs from PA and NY. Pathways to Proficient Reading and Pathways to Structured Literacy are accredited by the IDA and all courses are approved for 3 graduate credits from Arcadia University.
What is the Learn, Practice, Apply Cycle?
Research shows that traditional stand and deliver workshops are ineffective at changing instructional practices. Teachers find it difficult to translate theoretical models into classroom practice. For that reason, AIM Pathways courses are designed to follow a Learn, Practice and Apply cycle.
- Learn: Participants acquire knowledge during the course in a variety of ways: video lectures, articles, readings and animated videos.
- Practice: Participants and then have the opportunity to practice that knowledge by completed specially designed activities such as card sorting exercises, quizzes and surveys that will help them begin that translation.
- Apply: Participants demonstrate their understanding of the content by applying their knowledge to real life scenarios via classroom simulations and case studies. These in-depth, multi-step classroom simulations replicate real-life scenarios, giving teachers a chance to hone their diagnostic and prescriptive instructional skills.
How much do the AIM PATHWAYS™ courses cost?
School district or full school pricing - Please contact us to learn about pricing opportunities to allow for economies of scale for large schools and affordability for smaller organizations.
Cost covers access to the AIM PATHWAYS™ courses and virtual coaching sessions with AIM facilitators.
How are AIM PATHWAYS™ courses more cost effective than traditional teacher training courses?
AIM PATHWAYS™:
- Maximizes flexibility by providing 24/7 access to quality professional development grounded in the science of reading
- Offers research and evidence-based teacher professional development that supports an integrated literacy model which will include multiple courses in all areas of STRUCTURED LITERACY: oral language, word recognition, comprehension, writing, and assessment
- Allows for simultaneous training of faculty to establish a consistent literacy model across a school or cohort.
- Eliminates need for specific professional development day, travel costs, and need for substitutes
- Differentiates instruction relevant to all teachers regardless of experience
- Access to a variety of downloadable classroom resources and real-time intervention tools to support classroom implementation.
What graduate or CEU credits are available?
Our AIM Pathways courses are eligible for PA and NY CTLE continuing education credits as as well as a certificate for those who successfully complete the course. Our Pathways to Literacy Leadership course offers 50 hours of PA ACT 45 credits for course completion.
Arcadia University provides the option to register for 3 graduate credits for $150/credit for successful completion of each AIM Pathways course. Registration through the university must be made one month prior to the course end date.
Certificate of Completion Requirements
Successful Completion of AIM Pathways courses requires:
- Completion of all sections of the online course.
- Participation in the Virtual Community of Practice sessions (asynchronous or synchronous)
Graduate Credits
AIM has partnered with Arcadia University to offer graduate credits for AIM Pathways courses.
- Course grades determined by participation in Pre and Post Knowledge Inventory, end-of-section quiz scores, and the virtual community of practice sessions provided during the course.
- AIM assigns a grade upon completion of the course according to the Arcadia Graduate Academic Policies.
- Please check with your school district or degree university for their policy on any reimbursement or transfer of credit grade requirement
Application Process for Graduate Credits
- Registration for graduate credits through Arcadia must be completed one month prior to the end of the course.
- Cost per graduate credits is $150 (Total Cost = $450)
- Graduate credits cannot be applied for after the course is complete.
Continuing Education Credits
- Course participants receive a certificate of completion that attests to the hours spent in the course that are available for CEUs.
- Pathways to Proficient Reading and Pathways to Structured Literacy: A Certificate of completion, Pennsylvania Act 48 and New York CTLE Credits are available for the entire course and are not score dependent.
- Pathways to Literacy Leadership: A Certificate of completion, 36 Pennsylvania Act 45 credits are available for the entire course and are not score dependent.
How Long Does it Take to Complete AIM Pathways Courses?
Pathways to Proficient Reading: It should take between 35 to 45 hours to complete the online, IDA-accredited Pathways to Proficient Reading course depending on the participant's background knowledge in the science of reading. The 17-section course includes a pre-knowledge inventory and a post-knowledge inventory to ascertain knowledge acquisition as well as 6 virtual coaching sessions to support classroom implementation. Access the course syllabus here.
Pathways to Literacy Leadership: It should take about 30 hours to complete the online Pathways to Literacy Leadership course with an additional 4 virtual community of practice sessions with an AIM facilitator also included as part of the course. Access the course syllabus here.
1-Year AIM Pathways Platform Access: All participants receive one full year of access to the AIM Pathways platform which can act as an ongoing reference tool allowing all participants to revisit content and access downloadable materials, activities and instructional tools. The courses are easily searchable on all digital devices including smart phones and can be used as a just-in-time tool during instructional classroom time.
What are Virtual Communities of Practice?
It is well researched that a Community of Practice (CoP) is a powerful tool for extending the coaching function that helps educators actually apply the skills learned through professional training opportunities in their classrooms. When facilitated and designed well, a CoP serves as an effective coaching tool deepening evidence-based knowledge and practice through readings, real-time scenarios including case studies and discussions, problem solving, coaching and sharing experiences across membership.
The Pathways to Proficient Reading course includes 6, one-hour virtual community of practice sessions, and the Pathways to Literacy Leadership, Pathways to Structured Literacy, and Pathways to Proficient Writing courses include 4, one-hour virtual community of practice sessions. These sessions are facilitated by AIM Institute staff and use using online resources and an online meeting platform. Read more about AIM Pathways Virtual Community of Practice here.
What Are the Technical Requirements for Using AIM Pathways?
How to register for AIM Pathways?
To register for an AIM Pathways course:
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Click the Registration button under your selected course.
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On the Catalog page, click on the Price/Shopping Cart button for your course to add the course to your cart.
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View your shopping cart to Proceed to Checkout where you will be prompted to create an account and complete your purchase.
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Once your purchase is complete, please ensure you have enrolled in all of the Virtual Community of Practice (synchronous coaching) sessions.
For questions please reach out to Client Support.
Have more questions?
Please contact our Client Support team.