Language Resources Program

The Interpreting Intensive Study Program (IS) is a free two-year program designed for educational interpreters working in Iowa who hold a temporary license. One goal of this program is to assist these interpreters in bridging the gap to license by examination. The components of the program are classes for one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half hours every Tuesday evening online, meetings with language mentors once per week for an hour online, and meeting with Dr. Cates for individualized mentoring. There will also be independent work on skill-building exercises designed to be done around the interpreter’s daily work schedule. The expected time commitment for this program is a minimum of four hours per week. Each year, a new cohort begins with an in-person meeting on ISD’s campus in October. This course is available for up to five graduate credits through the Area Education Agency system (with a fee). Participants will need an EIPA score between 2.9 and 3.4 to enter the program, or will need to provide an interpreting sample to Dr. Cates prior to admission into the program. To remain in the program, participants will need to achieve a minimum of a Survival Plus on the Sign Language Proficiency Interview (will be conducted by ISD at no cost to participants). Participation in this program will fulfill the mentoring requirement per Iowa law for temporarily licensed interpreters. If you are interested in this program, fill out the form here.

Deaf Language Mentors for Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Students

What the program does: This program is beneficial for all deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) children, regardless of age. Deaf language mentors support students in filling gaps in their language. This looks different for each deaf student based on gaps they have. Deaf language mentors provide focused language instruction that mimics natural language exposure most children have from birth to age 3-5 when they enter school and, depending on the needs of the child, they can explain academic concepts in ASL as well. This instruction supplements what the other signing adults in the school can provide. The Deaf mentor can also provide videos and other resources for the education team to learn ASL to better support the student’s learning. 

Who the mentors are: Deaf language mentors are native ASL signers. The majority have advanced degrees in deaf education or ASL education, have been trained in language analysis techniques, and/or have experience with individualized instruction. All of our mentors also must pass background checks.

Why this program exists: Without a solid foundational language, DHH children are at risk of academic delays that widen over time. Since our education system is not designed to teach children a first language, even the supports in place from an SLP or TDHH are not designed to provide this type of instruction. Furthermore, sign language interpreters, who are often used as the sign language models for students, are not trained to teach language and, most of the time, are not native language models. 

How the program works: In order to receive Deaf language mentor services, students will need to have an ASL language assessment. Factors to consider in selecting a language mentor include: the child’s language level, goals the mentor is working toward, how much of the mentoring can be integrated with other service providers’ goals (particularly the teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing and speech language pathology goals), and what the child’s tolerance is for Zoom meetings. Mentors can incorporate concepts from the child’s core classes as part of mentoring as well, so that sessions with the mentor augment what the child is learning. Once it is determined the child would benefit from language mentoring, the IEP team should approve the support. The IEP team may decide whether or not to document the service in the IEP. ISD Outreach does not require it, but many teams prefer to have it included on Page F as an additional support. ISD Outreach can consult on the scheduling of a mentor based on the child’s language needs. ISD Outreach recommends a minimum of once per week for mentoring sessions. Once the IEP team approves mentoring services and determines the days and times students are available for mentoring, ISD Outreach will schedule a mentor. 

When mentoring meetings occur: The initial meeting between the language mentor and the child is arranged to be in-person, and then the services they provide going forward are a mix of online via Zoom and in-person, depending on the capabilities of the child and the availability of mentors. At this time, ongoing mentoring services are almost exclusively done via Zoom. 

Deaf Language Mentors for Temporarily Licensed Sign Language Interpreters

Through the LAMP program, Deaf language mentors are provided to students enrolled in the Interpreting Intensive Study program. Language mentors meet individually with IS students on a weekly or biweekly basis to work on ASL skills and to provide feedback on interpreting work. 

Interpreter Mentoring

Sign language interpreters can receive individualized mentoring from Dr. Cates. Temporarily licensed interpreters should be enrolled in the IS program to receive these services. Interpreters with a permanent license can receive mentoring through online meetings and practice assignments or through in-person visits for advice tailored to their specific working situation. 

ISD Outreach hosts an annual educational interpreter immersion conference at Iowa State University in Ames the third week in June. This conference is open to all Iowa educational interpreters, teachers of the deaf, speech language pathologists  and audiologists. This conference offers between 18 and 24 contact hours per year that satisfy Iowa interpreter, audiologist and speech language pathologist continuing education requirements. Through the AEA professional learning system, teachers can earn one license renewal credit. All conference workshops are also approved for Registry of Interpreter for the Deaf CEUs. Registration fee required.

School districts and AEAs can take advantage of free professional development for their sign language interpreters through ISD Outreach! Dr. Cates provides workshops on a wide range of topics relevant to educational interpreting, and will develop new workshops upon request. These workshops include topics such as interpreting during language arts time, language deprivation syndrome, ethical decision making, fundamentals of discourse analysis, discourse features of ASL, and FAQs on educational interpreting.

Interested districts or AEAs can email Dr. Cates with the dates and times their staff has professional development, and she will tailor a workshop to fit their needs. Workshops may be done on Zoom or in person. All workshop participants will receive certificates of completion that satisfy the Iowa Board of Sign Language Interpreters and Transliterators requirements for continuing education. Participants seeking CEUs from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf should contact Iowa State Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (ISIRD) for a PINRA form prior to the workshop.

If you’re looking for materials to enhance interaction with students who are deaf or hard of hearing, check out our library. You can find more information about requesting materials on our Literacy Resources page.

ISD Outreach offers two types of educational interpreter skill assessment: a skills screening and student-specific screenings.

Interpreter Skills Screening 

Educational interpreters, their supervisors, or school districts or AEAs seeking to hire sign language interpreters can request an interpreter skills screening free of charge. This screening provides an assessment of sign language interpreter skill at a specific educational level (elementary or secondary) and with specific target languages (ASL-to-English and English-to ASL or Pidgin Signed English (PSE)-to-English and English-to-PSE). The report from this screening details the interpreter’s estimated EIPA score range, strengths and weaknesses in interpreting skills, and recommendations for hiring, professional development, mentoring, and placement. This screening takes place via Zoom and requires one hour. Report turnaround time is 10 business days. Interpreters will need access to a high speed internet connection, a laptop or desktop computer, and a high quality web camera.

Student-Specific Screenings

Educational interpreters or their supervisors may request a screening to assess:

1. the fit of a particular interpreter with a particular student
2. a student’s need for an educational interpreter. 

Both of these screenings are conducted in-person by observation of the student and their interpreter, if they have one, in the student’s regular classes. The screening requires one school day and, based on the results of the screening, additional assessments may be recommended for the interpreter’s language or skill levels or the student’s language level. This screening provides the following information as appropriate to the type of screening: the student’s needs for classroom access, the interpreter’s skill in interpreting, the student’s interactions with an interpreter, recommendations for the interpreter working with the student, and recommendations for the student’s educational team. Report turnaround time is 15 business days.

ISD currently uses the Sign Language Proficiency Interview (SLPI) to evaluate staff. We have a trained team of interviewers and raters in Council Bluffs (Iowa School for the Deaf campus). We are able to offer SLPI screenings to any professional working in deaf education in Iowa. The interview takes place via Zoom and requires 30 minutes. Turnaround time for SLPI reports is 30 business days. See more information about the SLPI here.

The requirements for this program are:

        -a computer running the most current version of its OS (Mac or Windows)

        -a high-resolution camera either built in or attached to the computer

        -a distraction-free background

        -a quiet room where the interview can take place uninterrupted

        -a “room monitor” who is fluent in ASL and can communicate with the interviewer if needed

TASK12 — http://www.Task12.org

Iowa residents or staff register here for the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment. Iowa interpreters may test in any state that is part of TASK12. The complete testing schedule for all TASK12 states is available here. More information about the EIPA is available here, but please note that Iowa interpreters should register through TASK-12, not through Boy’s Town.

Iowa and nearby state EIPA Testing Dates for 2020-21 are:

Educational Interpreter Professional Development contact: 

Deb Cates, Ph.D., Language Resources Coordinator

ISD currently uses the Sign Language Proficiency Interview (SLPI) to evaluate staff. We have a trained team of interviewers and raters in Council Bluffs (Iowa School for the Deaf campus). We are able to offer SLPI screenings to any professional working in deaf education in Iowa. The interview takes place via Zoom and requires 30 minutes. Turnaround time for SLPI reports is 30 business days. See more information about the SLPI here.

The requirements for this program are:

• a computer running the most current version of its OS (Mac or Windows)
•  a high-resolution camera either built in or attached to the computer
• a distraction-free background
• a quiet room where the interview can take place uninterrupted
• a “room monitor” who is fluent in ASL and can communicate with the interviewer if needed

The State of Iowa allows students to receive a seal of biliteracy on their high school diploma for American Sign Language if they have a score of Intermediate or higher on the SLPI. ISD Outreach offers the SLPI to Iowa high school students free of charge, regardless of hearing status, if they use ASL for daily communication, if they have taken ASL classes, or are heritage language users of ASL. School districts are responsible for all paperwork for the seal of biliteracy. 

The interview takes place via Zoom and requires 30 minutes. Turnaround time for SLPI reports is 30 business days. See more information about the SLPI here.

The requirements for this program for high school students are:

• a computer running the most current version of its OS (Mac or Windows)
• a high-resolution camera either built in or attached to the computer
• a distraction-free background
• a quiet room where the interview can take place uninterrupted
• a “room monitor” who is fluent in ASL and can communicate with the interviewer

ISD currently uses the Sign Language Proficiency Interview (SLPI) to evaluate staff. We have a trained team of interviewers and raters in Council Bluffs (campus of Iowa School for the Deaf). We would be able to conduct a SLPI interview for a member of the general public at a cost of $220 (this fee is per person). The interview would take place via Zoom.

The requirements for this program are:

•  a computer running the most current version of its OS (Mac or Windows)
• a high-resolution camera either built in or attached to the computer
• a distraction-free background
• a quiet room where the interview can take place uninterrupted
• a “room monitor” who is fluent in ASL and can communicate with the interviewer

It would be the individual’s responsibility to reserve the space, set up the technology, and schedule interviews based on the availability of interviewers at ISD. Payment for the SLPI interview must be received by ISD by one week prior to the scheduled test.

Electronic and hard copy materials on a host of sign language and related topics are available through the library.

Contact Information for Iowa-Based Interpreters

Public list of Sign Language Interpreters working in Iowa.

Iowa Board of Sign Language Interpreters and Transliterators

The Iowa Department of Public Health, Bureau of Professional Licensure has licensing authority for all sign language interpreters and transliterators. Visit their site to apply or renew. 

Bureau of Professional License – Online Interpreter Public License Search

Visit their site to search for an interpreter’s license to see if it is active, inactive or temporary.

Iowa State Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (ISRID)

Learn more about this professional organization for Sign Language Interpreters in Iowa.