About the SCEIC
In 2006, the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) found that 60% of the K-12 school districts sampled had unfilled Educational Interpreter positions. One respondent in this study commented, “I cannot find anyone to fill the position,” and stated that students were struggling in the classroom (National Center on Deafness, July 2007). School districts cannot allow these positions to go unfilled. This situation is often resolved by hiring unqualified interpreters (Commission on Education of the Deaf, 1988, p. 104). In fact, the RID (2007) findings indicate when a school district must fill a gap in coverage most (54.3%) reported filling requests with non-certified interpreters.
In 2016, the South Carolina Department of Education and Clemson University partnered to create the South Carolina Educational Interpreting Center, (SCEIC) in order to undertake four cornerstones of service for in-service educational interpreters, school districts, the South Carolina Department of Education, and most importantly Deaf students and their parents. From 2016-2020 the SCEIC demonstrated a significant track record of improving the skills and knowledge competencies of educational interpreters across South Carolina. In 2021, the SCEIC funding was renewed through the South Carolina Department of Education, will allow the South Carolina Educational Interpreting Center (SCEIC) to continue to offer assessments, professional development, mentoring and technical assistance for all in-service interpreters in order to achieve a higher level of excellence in education of all Deaf students in South Carolina.
- Annual Reports
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Educational Interpreter Regulation
Quick Reference: Educational Interpreter Regulation (effective Aug 2026)
Educational Interpreter Regulation (Update 02 March 2026)
South Carolina defines an Educational Interpreter, as a person who engages in the practice of interpreting pre-kindergarten through 12th grade classroom content and discourse for students who are deaf or hard of hearing regardless of the title of the position held by the person.
Pursuant to Regulation 43-243.2, effective August 2026, no local education agency (LEA) in the State shall employ, or maintain the employment of, a person as an educational interpreter unless the person demonstrates the following qualifications:-
Documentation of the current national certification or an Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) rating of 3.5 or higher is required. If the interpreter has completed the EIPA Performance Assessment and is awaiting results, the LEA may wait to verify this requirement until the results are received.
- Evidence of a high school diploma;
- Documentation of valid, successful completion of the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment: Written Test (EIPA: WT);
- A sworn statement that the applicant has read, understands, and agrees to abide by the National Association of Interpreters in Education Code of Ethics;
- A background check pursuant to Section 59‑25‑115; and
- Completing a minimum of 80 hours of continuing education every four years will begin with the 2026-2027 school year.
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Contact Us
Core Team
Stephen Fitzmaurice, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator, sfitzma@clemson.edu
Dr. Stephen Fitzmaurice is an Associate Professor in the Department of Languages and the Principal Investigator for the South Carolina Educational Interpreting Center (SCEIC). Stephen received his Ph.D. in Interpretation and Translation from Gallaudet University, a Masters of Interpreter Pedagogy degree from Northeastern University and has worked as a professional ASL-English interpreter for over thirty years. Dr. Fitzmaurice also holds several national interpreter certifications and is the recipient of the National Association of the Deaf Golden Hands Award. Dr. Fitzmaurice currently chairs and serves on several national committees, serves on the Board of Directors for the Conference of Interpreter Trainers, and formally served as President of South Carolina RID. Dr. Fitzmaurice lectures extensively on developing interpreting skills for in-service ASL-English interpreters and has scholarly interests spanning: second language acquisition; metacognitive processing of interpreters; ASL linguistics; literacy development of Deaf children; and educational access via interpreting services.
Jennifer Place-Lewis, M.S., NIC: A
Project Director, jplacel@clemson.edu
A licensed deaf educator and nationally certified interpreter, Ms. Place-Lewis began her educational career at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. From there, Jennifer obtained her Master’s Degree from McDaniel College, formerly Western Maryland College, where she diligently pursued her passion for teaching deaf children in their native language of ASL within a Bi-Lingual/Bi-cultural philosophical environment. With experiences taking her from the classroom to interpreting in government, higher education, VRS and VRI and designing curriculum, Jennifer has always maintained a hand in the Educational Interpreting Field. Ms. Place-Lewis' continued passion for Deaf Children’s Rights to communication and educational access, via interpreting services, is paramount with the most important example we can provide as exceptionally dedicated and professional interpreters is our willingness to develop ourselves.
Kelley Crisler
Administrative Support, kcrisle@clemson.edu
Kelley Crisler has worked as an assistant Speech Language Pathologist, an Advocate for Deaf persons, and an Educational Interpreter. These fields have greatly influenced her view on how she can service our Deaf students as well as Educational Interpreters. Kelley has spent her life working with nonprofit organizations and is passionate about working to improve the education of Deaf children. Her enthusiasm for Deaf students will enable her to help us reach all of our state with the resources the SCEIC provides to service our state.
