An Activity in the School Interpreting Series
The School Interpreting Series (2026) was a 16-credit-hour, six-course series focused on the interpreting specialization for K-12 schools within the ASL-English Interpretation BA program at the University of Northern Colorado.
The School Interpreting Series recognized that school interpreters serve as language models in both English and ASL for Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing students, while also engaging in professional communication with educational professionals in both languages.
While ASL development is often emphasized for ASL-English interpreters, English fluency is frequently assumed within an English-dominant society. The School Interpreting Series intentionally attended to English mastery as a foundation for equitable access, effective collaboration, and professional practice.
Overview
English Tests were skill-based activities designed to help interpreting students assess their grammatical fluency and language awareness in English. The tests were modeled after the SAT: Writing assessments and focused on how English functions in academic contexts.
In An Interdisciplinary Approach to School Interpreting I, English language mastery was assessed through repeated, low-stakes assessment opportunities. Interpreting students monitored their language abilities over time and identified areas for continued development.
The English Tests emphasized language precision, clarity, and control - skills necessary for interpreting classroom discourse, collaborating with educational teams, and modeling language mastery.
Learning Scaffolding & Objectives
In general, learning was intentionally scaffolded across the School Interpreting Series through introduction (I), reinforcement (R), mastery in applied contexts (M), and structured assessments (A), creating clear learning pathways from program-level competencies to course-level objectives, assignments, and activities.
The English Tests align with the program-level competency SIS C10: Professional Pursuits.
SIS C10. Participate in academic activities that lead to the post-graduation pursuit of professional credentials, professional development in education and interpreting, and supervision and accountability. (Knowledge, Skill, & Attitude)
Interpreting students developed SIS C10: Professional Pursuits through the following course-level objective. While the English Tests were not scaffolded across the full School Interpreting Series and functioned primarily as a structured assessment, they could easily be expanded across a program to support increased awareness, identification, and growth over time.
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Prepare to take professional credentials.
A - An Interdisciplinary Approach to School Interpreting I
Insights
Research indicates that the English component of the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment - Written Test (EIPA: WT) is frequently among the lowest-scoring sections for test takers (Johnson et al., 2023). This finding underscores the importance of examining English fluency with the same intentionality often applied to ASL development.
The English Tests provided insight into the interpreting students' readiness to meet professional expectations and supported informed preparation for external assessments such as the EIPA: WT.
Supporting Reference
Johnson, L. J., Taylor, M. M., Schick, B., Brown, S., Bolster, L., & Girardin, E. G. (2023). Complexities in educational interpreting: An investigation into patterns of practice (2nd ed.). Interpreting Consolidated.
Approaches to Activity
English Tests were designed as authentic, single-attempt assessments to support accurate self-awareness of English language proficiency. Test items reflected language demands similar to those found in standardized academic writing assessments and educational settings.
There was no time limit. Interpreting students were allowed to pause and engage in self-study during the assessment if needed.
English Tests
Four multiple-choice tests were administered throughout one semester to evaluate English mastery and fluency. Test questions addressed areas such as:
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Tense and verb agreement
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Function of words in sentences
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Analogies
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Correct word uses
Scoring was based on the correctness of the answer and was automatically generated through the Learning Management System's quiz feature.
Materials
No materials were required for this activity.