Pre/Post Test of the EIPA
The PSI Project selected Boys Town's Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) to evaluate Scholars' interpreting competence before and after they completed the School Interpreting Series (SIS) curriculum.
The pre/post-EIPA intervention enhanced learning by integrating an industry standard into formative assessments at critical transition points within the pre-service program. These checkpoints served as external assessments, followed by guided internal feedback, to help Scholars understand and improve their skills both during the transition from language learner to interpreting student (i.e., Pre-EIPA) and the transition from student to professional (Post-EIPA).
This intervention builds upon the foundational research from Dr. Girardin’s (2023) dissertation, titled American Sign Language Fluency: A Foundational Competency for Future School Interpreters, and incorporates formative assessments at two key stages in the OSEP Scholar’s program progression.
Pre-EIPA Intervention Structure
As Scholars transition from language to interpreting curriculum in Year 2,
Scholars attended an informational session regarding the EIPA; this covered an overview of the EIPA system and the basic process of the assessment. Then, Scholars completed the necessary paperwork to be scheduled for an assessment appointment with EIPA approved proctors.
Next, Scholars took the EIPA based on the structured process established by Boys Town National Research Hospital, EIPA Diagnostic Center. The EIPA Diagnostic Center completed a standardized evaluation of the Scholars’ assessment samples using a structured rubric and conducted by a 3-member team of trained deaf and hearing raters who were blind to the Scholars’ status. The EIPA rating team members’ work is routinely recalibrated to ensure system fidelity.
The EIPA report was sent to both the Scholar and the PSI Project director. This substantial report guided the EIPA Scholar feedback sessions. An expert on the EIPA Diagnostic Center assessment, an experienced interpreter educator/advisor, and the OSEP Scholar explored the implications in the report as it related to
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the Scholars’ continued coursework in the BA program,
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the impact on interpreting, particularly for students who are deaf and hard of hearing, and
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the next steps to create a continuing professional education plan.
Post-EIPA Intervention Structure
As Scholars transition from student to professional in Year 4,
Scholars take the EIPA again to see their growth in implementing the knowledge and skills obtained from the SIS curriculum over the last two years. These post-EIPA results are compared with the pre-EIPA results and considered as they approach additional post-graduation bridge activities.