Educational Settings

K – 12
Post Secondary

Educational interpreters facilitate communication between deaf students and teachers, academic service providers and peers within the educational environment. In the classroom, the instructional content varies significantly, and the skills and knowledge necessary to qualify an interpreter vary accordingly. In the primary grades, the interpreter needs a broad basic knowledge of the subject areas such as mathematics, social studies, and language arts. At the secondary level, the interpreter needs sufficient knowledge and understanding of the content areas to be able to interpret technical concepts and terminology accurately and meaningfully.

The California State Department of Education Code (Section 3051.16) states that an educational interpreter working in the K – 12 setting shall be certified by the national RID; have achieved a score of 4.0 or above on the Educational Interpreter Performance Evaluation (EIPA) (by July 1, 2009), the ESSE-I, or the NAD/ACCI assessment or have met comparable requirements.

As a recipient of federal financial assistance, a post-secondary institution has an obligation under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to be accessible to students and other individuals with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Education has determined that these institutions must provide necessary auxiliary aids, including interpreters for deaf or hard of hearing persons. This obligation applies to all of the activities of the college, including extracurricular activities, off-site internships, and activities open to the public, or to part-time, non-credit or non-matriculated students, and to employees.

EIS adheres to the certification requirements outlined in the California State Department of Education Code and does not send interpreters to educational facilities if the interpreter does not hold the appropriate certification. In addition, a majority of the contracted interpreters who work for EIS have been fingerprinted through the California Department of Justice automated Live Scan service for criminal history background checks. All interpreters are required to adhere to the appropriate code of professional conduct governing ethical behavior within the profession.