The
was a $1.25M personnel development program (H325K210024) from 2021 - 2026.
The US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), awarded this grant to the University of Northern Colorado's (UNC) BA program in American Sign Language-English Interpretation.
The PSI Project invested in the academic and practical preparation of 21 interpreting students, their induction into the school system through mentoring and communities of learning, and their introduction to the interpreting profession through guided professional development opportunities.
The PSI Project developed and delivered a 16-credit interdisciplinary School Interpreting Series that encompasses the necessary scope and sequence within UNC's ASL-English Interpretation BA program. To develop the School Interpreting Series as a specialization, one of the grant objectives was to review the existing American Sign Language-English Interpretation BA curriculum, which led to revisions to the Interpreting Skills Series and the integration of new school-interpreting learning units into the foundational courses.
This website, curated by Dr. Emily Girardin and Amy Kroll, shares content from the School Interpreting Series and related work completed by the PSI Project. It is intended to increase awareness and understanding of the process the PSI Project uses to prepare specialized school interpreters and to disseminate curricula developed under grant funding.
Permission is granted to copy and share elements of this website for educational purposes, provided the Preparing School Interpreters Project is credited as the source and referenced appropriately.
Suggested citation: Girardin, E. G., & Kroll, A. (2026). Title of dissemination website or page. Preparing School Interpreters (PSI) Project, University of Northern Colorado. URL (if applicable).
PSI Philosophy & Four-Pillars
School interpreting has been part of the U.S. public school system since the 1970s.
Historically, as laws have evolved, "educational interpreters" have remained focused on their role, primarily in the classroom with the assigned deaf or hard-of-hearing student, often overlooking that interpreters work with the entire K-12 educational community. Based on this framing, the PSI Project uses the term “school interpreter” to parallel the widely used terms of school nurse, school counselor, school psychologist, etc.
The K-12 system requires educational professionals to hold education and credentials appropriate to their expertise. School interpreters, as educational professionals, should also hold education and credentials appropriate for their area of expertise. The following diagram illustrates the four pillars that form the foundation of competent school interpreting. Two pillars relate to pre-hire competence (academic credentials and professional credentials), and two pillars relate to post-hire competence (continuing education and supervision & accountability). Like other educational professionals working in schools, school interpreters should master interpreting and specialized K-12 competencies and hold credentials awarded by credentialing systems for school interpreting before employment in K-12 settings. Upon employment, school interpreters should engage in regular professional development and monitoring to ensure quality of service provision.
