Tier II Educational Interpreter Certification Course
Become a Certified Tier Two Educational Interpreter with this practical, interactive course that builds interpreting skills and knowledge taught by an experienced educational interpreter and mentors who can provide language-specific support.
More information about Tier Two and Tier Three guidance and Certifications as established in 2023 by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) can be found here.
Course Content
-
Language Access Requirements in Schools
-
Code of Ethics & Roles of the Interpreter
-
U.S. Public Education & Interpreter Standards of Practice
-
Consecutive Interpreting Skill-Building
-
Glossary Building
-
English Learner Programs and Services
-
Student Support Teams (SST) & MTSS
-
Special Education Service Delivery
-
Sight Translation Skill-Building
-
Simultaneous Interpretation Skill-Building
Course includes language-specific coaching so you can practice and receive feedback on your interpreting skills in English and your other language.
Total time commitment
-
10 two-hour long live Zoom workshops and practice sessions (a maximum of two sessions may be missed if participant does make-up work)
-
NOTE: For participants who have prior training in Interpretation (i.e. medical interpreting certificate) you may skip the first 3 modules if desired for a total time commitment of 7 two-hour workshops instead of 10
-
-
1-2 hours per week of self-paced homework (readings and reflections)
Completion Requirements
-
Attend each of the 10 live Zoom sessions (A maximum of two live sessions may be missed with make-up work assigned)
-
Complete the weekly course activities outside of live class time(readings, discussions, reflections)
-
Actively engage in live practice activities
-
Receive an average rating of "competent" on recorded interpreting assignments
-
Earn a "Pass” rating on independent activities and end-of-module quizzes and the final quiz (multiple chances allowed)
Prerequisites
We are excited to welcome as many folks as possible to gain Interpretation skills and stay active as language access advocates in schools. The only prerequisite for this course is documentation of proficiency in English AND your other primary working language. DESE has defined the following documentation options:
-
High school diploma or equivalent from a country where the language is spoken (a complete transcript is also acceptable)
-
Seal of Biliteracy from a U.S. high school
-
College diploma or transcript showing the completion of at least 24-credit hours, B average, majority of classes taught in the relevant language
-
Teacher certification as a World Language or Bilingual teacher
-
Passing an interpreter certification exam (e.g., federal court interpreter; certification, state court interpreter exams, CCHI, NBCMI, or RID)
If you don’t have any of these currently, no worries! We will schedule a brief oral language evaluation as a means to document your proficiency.