Deaf Interpreter Test Development
This is to share some great news. In January of this year DARS/DHHS/BEI
partnered with the National Center for Interpretation Testing, Research and
Policy (NCITRP) University of Arizona, to draft and submit a grant funding
proposal to the U.S. Department of Education, entitled DEAF INTERPRETER
CERTIFICATION PROJECT: CERTIFYING INTERMEDIARY INTERPRETERS WHO ARE DEAF TO
ENSURE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION FOR THE DEAF, HARD OF HEARING AND DEAFBLIND.
We were recently notified that this project was selected for funding
which will be over a three year period.
This will be a third test development project in recent years by David
Myers and the DHHS/BEI team that includes the BEI Advisory Committee, in
partnership with the NCITRP, University of Arizona., which specializes in
test development for languages and interpreting. The BEI certification test
development and the Hispanic trilingual certification test development
projects provided state of the art tests that are valid and reliable. The
current deaf intermediary interpreter test development project is in
response to deaf community input regarding the BEI’s deaf intermediary tests
being outdated and of deteriorated quality. DHHS partners in Michigan and
Illinois who utilize BEI tests also have given encouragement to development
of the new tests based on identified needs in their respective states..
DHHS wants to provide deaf interpreters with the same high quality, valid
and reliable interpreter tests as afforded by other BEI tests.
Work will begin on the test development in October 2011.
Submitted by
David Myers
Email: [email protected]