BILL REQ. #:  S-2762.1 

Read first time 03/25/2005.   Referred to Committee on Early Learning, K-12 & Higher Education.

     AN ACT Relating to educational interpreters and services for the deaf and hard of hearing; adding new sections to chapter 28A.410 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28B.76 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.300 RCW; creating new sections; and making an appropriation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that there is currently no requirement that educational interpreters for deaf and hard of hearing students be certified or meet standardized qualifications or competencies. The purpose of this act is to establish standards for certification and to standardize qualifications.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.410 RCW to read as follows:
     The definitions in this section apply throughout sections 3 and 4 of this act unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
     (1) "Educational interpreters" means school district employees providing sign language translation and further explanation of concepts introduced by the teacher for students who are deaf, deaf-blind, or hard of hearing.
     (2) "Educational interpreter written and performance assessment" means a national performance assessment offered by a national organization of professional sign language interpreters and transliterators, that is designed to evaluate more than one sign system or language.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 28A.410 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) By 2009, educational interpreters must have completed the educational interpreter written and performance assessments, and must achieve the standard on both, established by the office of the superintendent of public instruction. For those interpreters not achieving the established standard, the interpreter must continue training until he or she is able to pass the assessments.
     (2) By 2012, all educational interpreters must pass the written assessment, meet the standard on the educational interpreter performance assessment, and become nationally certified by the national association of the deaf registry of interpreters for the deaf.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   A new section is added to chapter 28A.410 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The state board of education, with advice from the professional educator standards board, shall develop educational staff associate certification requirements for educational interpreters of deaf and hard of hearing students. The certification shall focus on the specific skills and knowledge necessary to serve the educational and communication needs of deaf and hard of hearing students.
     (2) In establishing rules of the educational staff associate certification for educational interpreters who will be working almost exclusively with students who are deaf or hard of hearing, the state board of education shall consider applicants to have met state endorsement requirements if they:
     (a) Hold national certification and pass the educational interpreter performance assessment and written test at the standard established by the office of superintendent of public instruction; and
     (b) Hold a bachelor's degree in education or educational interpreting from a regionally accredited institution of higher education; or a bachelor's degree in another field of study unrelated to education, from a regionally accredited institution of higher education and thirty hours of course work in education.
     (3) The state board of education may adopt rules to implement this section.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   A new section is added to chapter 28B.76 RCW to read as follows:
     The higher education coordinating board shall establish a bachelor's degree educational sign language interpreter training program in Washington state. The training program should be available through the use of various distance learning technologies.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6   An advisory committee to advise the legislature on issues related to educational interpreting is established. The advisory committee shall include members representing nationally certified educational interpreters, tactile interpreters, interpreter educators, deaf leaders, public school administrators, and parents of deaf and deaf-blind children.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 7   A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The office of superintendent of public instruction shall work with school districts and educational service districts to develop regional service areas for students who are deaf, deaf-blind, and hard of hearing, for the purposes of more effectively providing services to these students.
     (2) The office of the superintendent of public instruction may adopt rules to implement this section.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 8   The sum of forty-nine thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, from the general fund to the office of the superintendent of public instruction to participate in the assessment system for K-12 educational interpreters. Participation is for purposes of administration of the educational interpreter written and performance assessments.