Questions Parents Should Ask About An Interpreted Education
By: Mah-rya Proper, Colorado H&V
Questions for your child:
- Do you understand the interpreter in every class?
- Do you have a consistent interpreter every day/for every class?
- Does your interpreter understand you the first time you sign or cue, or do you have to repeat yourself?
- If you ask a question, does the teacher’s or other student’s response seem to be logically connected?
- Does the interpreter interpret the social comments of peers/friends in your classroom/hallway/environment?
- Do you have a good working relationship with your teacher?
- Is the Educational Interpreter (EI)I expected to provide discipline or supervision in the class?
- Do you have access to a notetaker or captioning if expected to take notes while the teacher is talking?
Questions for the school district:
- What is the EI’s job title and description?
- Who supervises my child’s EI?
- What qualifications does that supervisor have to evaluate the skills and ethics of the EIs they supervise? How do they evaluate their skills?
- How many times has a substitute EI been placed with my child?
- Is the EI working with my child a district/BOCES employee or are they placed with my student as an independent contractor or through an outside agency?
- Does the EI working with my child have their full state authorization? Or are they on a temporary authorization? What language (ASL, PSE, or SEE) and level (elementary or secondary) of the EIPA (Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment) did the EI take? Did they score above a 4.0*?
- What safeguards are in place to protect my child from mental, physical, or sexual abuse?
- Does the EI have access to my child’s IEP? Will they be attending the IEP meeting as a participant or to provide access to my child?
*Note that a 4.0 score on the EIPA is not the minimum standard in some states; but it is the expectation for a fluent educational interpreter working. Those scoring under 4.0 may need additional mentoring in certain subject areas or overall.
It is a good practice to observe your child in class occasionally, and especially if you have concerns. If you have concerns about the quality of interpretation, bring a Deaf advocate, educator or additional qualified interpreter or interpreter educator who can speak to the quality of the interpretation and integrity of the message being offered to your child. Hopefully, your IEP team will work with you to address any concerns you or your child have.
Editor’s note: Mah-rya Proper is a nationally certified ASL-English sign language interpreter with over 20 years of experience in interpreting and is a Colorado H&V Parent Guide. She has served on the Colorado Department of Education’s Educational Interpreter Advisory Board. She is the parent of a teen who uses an educational interpreter on a daily basis. Questions were derived from experience of other parents, the Deaf Child’s Bill of Rights, the Colorado Communication Plan, and the National Association of State Director’s of Special Education (NASDSE) document “Optimizing Outcomes for Educational Programs for Students who are Deaf/Hard of hearing.
Further Resources:
For More Effective Communication – The ADA Paves the way.
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/dcl-faqs-effective-communication-201411.pdf – FAQ on Effective Communication from the U.S. Dept of Justice and the U.S. Dept of Education
Optimizing Outcomes for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: http://www.nasdse.org/docs/nasdse-3rd-ed-7-11-2019-final.pdf
H&V Communicator – Winter 2020