Current through Rules and Regulations filed through March 20, 2024
(1)
Background.
(a) The Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA PL
108-446) is the federal law that mandates special
education services for qualified individuals with disabilities. The
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 04, covers the educational interpreting
accommodation. The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE), Code
160-4-7-.14, governs the minimum
state requirements for Georgia Educational Interpreters. Each local unit of
administration (LUA) is responsible for ensuring that all applicable federal
and state requirements are met; and
(b) All Georgia Educational Interpreters must
hold a valid state license issued by the Georgia Professional Standards
Commission (GaPSC).
(2)
Purpose. The requirements described herein provide the
expectations for acquiring and maintaining the Georgia Educational Interpreter
License. This license will aid in the identification of the most qualified
Educational interpreters, while also enforcing state standards for Educational
Interpreters. The Educational Interpreter License assures that individuals
functioning as interpreters in schools meet the requirements outlined by the
GaPSC. The interpreter participates as a team member in the Individualized
Education Program (IEP) process and should know and understand the IEP goals
and objectives. It is the responsibility of the LUA to assure that personnel
who provide educational interpreting services, regardless of job title, hold
the Educational Interpreter License.
(3)
Initial Licensure
Requirements:
(a) The applicant must:
1. Hold a valid certification through the
Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID); or
2. Pass the Educational Interpreter
Performance Assessment (EIPA) at level 3.5 or higher within five (5) years
preceding the date of application and hold a bachelor's degree or higher in any
field from a GaPSC-accepted accredited institution of higher education.
(i) If the applicant is applying for
licensure with the EIPA and does not meet the degree requirement, the initial
five (5)-year license will be issued and the degree requirement must be met for
renewal.
(4)
Non-Renewable Licensure
Requirements:
(a) If the applicant does
not meet (3)(a)1 or (3)(a)2, excluding the degree requirement, a one(1)-year
Non-Renewable license in this field may be issued at the request of an
employing Georgia LUA for completion of this requirement; and
(b) If the applicant does not meet renewal
requirements outlined in 8(a), a one (1)-year Non-Renewable license may be
requested by the employing Georgia LUA to allow time for completion of renewal
requirements.
(5)
RID and EIPA. Information on RID may be accessed at
http://rid.org. Information on the EIPA may
be accessed at http://www.classroominterpreting.org/home.asp.
(6)
Special Georgia
Requirements. The applicant is not required to satisfy any Special
Georgia Requirements other than the standards of conduct;
(7)
Validity.
(a) The Educational Interpreter License is
valid for five (5) years and determines the subsequent renewal cycle;
(b) The validity period for the Non-Renewable
license will vary depending on the outstanding conditions required to obtain
the renewable license. These requirements will be outlined in correspondence
from the GaPSC Certification Division at the time of issuance;
(c) The effective date and beginning validity
of the license is governed by the date the complete application package is
received by the GaPSC Certification Division and requirements are met for
issuance of the license; and
(d)
Should an Educational Interpreter employed by an LUA change employers, it is
not necessary to issue a new license until expiration.
(8)
Renewal.
(a) To renew the license, the interpreter
must:
1. Satisfy renewal requirements as
outlined in GaPSC Rule
505-2-.36 RENEWAL REQUIREMENTS;
and
2. Hold a valid RID
Certification or submit official documentation verifying the EIPA assessment
has been completed during the validity period established on the license. If
the initial license required completion of a bachelor-s degree, all degree
requirements must be completed before the applicant may apply for renewal.
Renewal requirements must be completed before the applicant may apply for
renewal. Renewal requirements for expired licenses must have been completed
within the five (5)-year period preceding the date of the application for
renewal.
(i) If a score of 4.0 or higher is
achieved on the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA), as
documented on an official score report, the interpreter will not be required to
pass the assessment for license renewal purposes.
(9)
In-Field
Statement.
(a) Educational Interpreter
License holders are in-field to facilitate equivalent access for deaf/hard of
hearing students in the various communication exchanges that occur in all
school related activities. Interpreters ascertain goals of each educational
setting and communicate information clearly in the student's language. Equally
important, the interpreter communicates the student's language in spoken
English for staff and students. Educational interpreters promote the greatest
possible level of participation and independence for students in educational
settings.
O.C.G.A. §
20-2-200.
