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?
- How do I access the AIM Pathways platform?
- 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.
How do I access the AIM Pathways platform?
What graduate or CEU credits are available?
AIM Pathways courses are eligible for PA Act 48/Act 45, NY CTLE, and ALTA continuing education credits. You will receive a certificate to show for proof of completion. You can find the amount of CEU credits offered on each of our course pages.
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, Pathways to Proficient Writing, and Pathways to Structured Literacy: A Certificate of completion is available to show as proof for ALTA and other state credit. We also offer Pennsylvania Act 48 and New York CTLE credit for completion of the entire course and are not score dependent.
- Pathways to Literacy Leadership: A Certificate of completion is available for ALTA and other state credit. We also offer Pennsylvania Act 45 credits for completion of the entire course and are not score dependent.
Certificate of Completion Requirements
Successful Completion of AIM Pathways courses requires:
- Completion of all sections of the online asynchronous coursework.
- Participation in the Virtual Community of Practice sessions (VCoPs) (asynchronous or synchronous)
Graduate Credits
AIM has partnered with Arcadia University to offer graduate credits for these AIM Pathways courses: Pathways to Proficient Reading, Pathways to Literacy Leadership, Pathways to Proficient Writing, and Pathways to Structured Literacy.
- Course grades determined by participation in the 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 based on Arcadia's term schedule and the date of your Post-Knowledge Inventory. The link provided will share additional information on this schedule.
- Cost per graduate credits is $150 (Total Cost = $450)
- Graduate credits cannot be applied for after the due date passes.
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:
- Click the Registration button under your selected course.
- On the Catalog page, click on the Price/Shopping Cart button for your course to add it to your cart.
- If you are registering yourself, View your shopping cart to Proceed to Checkout where you will be prompted to create an account and complete your purchase.
- If you are registering someone else OR, If you are registering multiple people, first, click the box "Purchase on behalf of others" (a white check will appear in the box), next, type in the number of people you are registering, click the blue refresh button, then click Proceed to Checkout.
- For multiple registrations, Click "Continue as Guest" on the bottom of the page.
- For single registration, create an account or log in.
- If you registered for someone else, once your purchase is approved, you will receive an email with an Enrollment Key. Please share that key with your participants.
- For questions please reach out to Client Support.
Have more questions?
Please contact our Client Support team.