Technical Assistance
Drawing on the expertise of Clemson University faculty and staff, we provide technical assistance to the South Carolina Department of Education, local education agencies, individual educational interpreters and other stakeholders through a regional and individual basis as needed.
The South Carolina Educational Interpreting Center has funding to support the provision of national Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) assessments, professional development workshops and state-wide diagnostics and mentoring at no cost to either the educational interpreter or local school districts.
Districts, however, may need to support their educational interpreting staff as they attend professional development workshops to address their skill development. Such minimal support may include: lodging, travel, per diem and small registration fee (covering luncheon costs). The low cost of such support to improve the quality of educational interpreting your district is able to provide will enhance the outcomes of your Deaf student’s access to the school experience.
For pre-hire screening, help with hiring an educational interpreter, or other technical assistance, please contact Dr. Stephen Fitzmaurice at sfitzma@clemson.edu
See below for resources related to an interpreted education for Deaf students for Educational Interpreters and Administrators.
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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:
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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.
There is no provision for grandfathering currently employed Educational Interpreters not meeting the above standard. An Educational Interpreter who scores less than an EIPA 3.0 are considered unqualified and are not able to provide access to an Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) (Cates & Delkamiller, 2021). Such signers place the educational rights of deaf children at risk.
Resources
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Educational Interpreters
South Carolina Educational Interpreter Regulation
- Quick Reference: Educational Interpreter Regulation (effective Aug 2026)
- Educational Interpreter Regulation (Update 02 March 2026)
- Best Practices for Educational Interpreters in South Carolina
- Improving Your Educational Intepreting Competencies (White Paper)
- Why Educational Interpreter Credentials are Vital (White Paper)
- Educational Interpreters are Not Communication Facilitators (White Paper)
- 2025 SC Educational Interpreter Survey Results
EIPA Testing
NAIE Resources
- NAIE & RID Joint Statement on SCOTUS Decision Perez v. Sturgis County Schools
- NAIE Professional Guidelines for Interpreting in Educational Settings (1st Ed.)
- NAIE Educational Interpreter Code of Ethics
IEPs & FAPE
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Print & Electronic Resources
Print Resources
Cates, D. & Delkamiller, J. (2021) Impact of sign language interpreter skill on education outcomes in K-12 settings. In E. Winston & S. B. Fitzmaurice (Eds.), Advances in Educational Interpreting. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.
Commission on Education of the Deaf (1988). Toward equality: Education of the deaf – A report to the President and the Congress of the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Fitzmaurice, S. B. (2021a). The role of the educational interpreter: Perceptions of administrators and teachers. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.
Fitzmaurice, S. B. (2021b) There is no I(interpreters) in your team. In E. Winston & S. B. Fitzmaurice (Eds.), Advances in Educational Interpreting. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.
Fitzmaurice, S. B. (2021c) The realistic role metaphor for educational interpreters. In E. Winston & S. B. Fitzmaurice (Eds.), Advances in Educational Interpreting. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.
Hurwitz, T. A. (1991). Report from national task force on educational interpreting. In Conference proceedings: Educational interpreting: Into the 1990s. Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University College of Continuing Education, 19–23.
Johnson, L. (2004). Highly qualified educational interpreters. Retrieved from http://www.unco.edu/doit/Resources/NASDSE%202004.pdf
Jones, B. E. (2004). Competencies of K-12 educational interpreters: What we need versus what we have. In E. Winston (Ed.), Educational interpreting: How it can succeed (113– 131). Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.
National Association of State Directors of Special Education (2000, November). Educational interpreters for students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Retrieved from: http://www.projectforum.org/docs/ed_interpreters.pdf
National Center on Deafness, California State University, Northridge. (2007, July). Research on Interpreter Shortages in K-12 Schools (34-35). VIEWS, 8.
Patrie, C., & Taylor, M. M. (2008, January). Outcomes for graduates of baccalaureate interpreter preparation programs specializing in interpreting in k-12th grade settings.
Schick, B., & Williams, K. (1999). Skills levels of educational interpreters working in public schools. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 144-155.
Schick, B., & Williams, K. (2001). The educational interpreter performance assessment: Evaluating interpreters who work with children. Odyssey. Winter/Spring,12.
Schick, B., & Williams, K. (2004). The educational interpreter performance assessment: Current structure and practices. In E. A. Winston (Ed.), Educational interpreting: How it can succeed (186-205). Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.
Schick, B., Williams, K., & Kupermintz, H. (2005) Look who’s being left behind: educational interpreters and access to education for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education 11:1 (3-20). Oxford University Press.
Stuckless, E. R., Avery J. C., & Hurwitz, T. A. (1989). Educational interpreting for deaf students: Report of the national task force on educational interpreting. Rochester, N.Y.: National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology.
Winston, E. & Fitzmaurice, S. B. (Eds.) (2021) Advances in Educational Interpreting. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.
Winston, E.A. (1994). An interpreted education: Inclusion or exclusion. In Johnson, R.C and Cohen O.P. (eds.) Implications and complications for deaf students of the full inclusion movement. Gallaudet Research Institute Occasional Paper 94-2. Washington, DC: Gallaudet Research Institute.
Electronic Resources
http://www.idiomsite.com/ (idiom English meanings)
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Special Education Administrators
South Carolina Educational Interpreter Regulation
- Quick Reference: Educational Interpreter Regulation (effective Aug 2026)
- Educational Interpreter Regulation (Update 02 March 2026)
- Best Practices for Educational Interpreters in South Carolina
- Why Educational Interpreter Credentials are Vital (White Paper)
- Educational Interpreters are Not Communication Facilitators (White Paper)
- Educational Interpreters are not Language Facilitators/Language Coaches (White Paper)
- 2025 SC Educational Interpreter Survey Results
Deaf Students and PlacementSupreme Court Rulings
- NAIE & RID Joint Statement on SCOTUS Decision Perez v. Sturgis County Schools
- Perez 2023 Supreme Court Opinion
- Endrew 2017 Supreme Court Opinion
National Educational Interpreter Guidelines and Ethics
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Agencies, Organizations & Statutes
State Organizations/Entities
Statutes
National Organizations/Entities
