The EIPA Written Test assesses interpreters’ understanding of information that is critical to working in an education setting.

EIPA Written Test & Knowledge Standards

The Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment® (EIPA) is a tool designed to evaluate the voice-to-sign and sign-to-voice interpreting skills of interpreters who work in the elementary and secondary school classroom setting.

In an effort to assess these additional skills, Brenda Schick, Ph.D., working with the EIPA Diagnostic Center at Boys Town National Research Hospital, has developed the EIPA Written Test and Knowledge Standards. This comprehensive test evaluates the interpreter’s understanding of information that is critical to performing with students in an education setting.

The Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) Written Test is a multiple-choice test administered through the Internet to a local computer. The test must be proctored and the site is password protected. You must register to take the test. Currently, the test consists of about 230 questions. It takes approximately one and a half to three hours to complete. Results will be provided within six weeks.

You do not need to pass the EIPA Written Test in order to take the EIPA Performance Assessment. You can download a fact sheet about the EIPA Written Test.

Procedure for Taking Test

You must be tested under the supervision of an approved proctor. Some sites are already established. Consideration will be given to establishing a testing site for one or more interpreters; however, the proctor and location must be approved.

Prior to the test date and time, you will receive a user name and password from your proctor. You can enter the site prior to your testing time and are encouraged to do so. You can familiarize yourself with the online testing environment by completing your demographic information form. That form is similar in format to the actual test. You cannot enter the test until your proctor enters a password.

You will not be able to enter the test itself until the exact time and date agreed to. Every effort will be made to be flexible about testing times.

Preparing for the Test

The EIPA Written Test is based on a set of knowledge standards that were developed by a group of experts, including deaf consumers, interpreters, interpreter trainers, deaf educators, and ASL linguistics.

The test is not a factual memory test. If you memorize all of the knowledge standards, you still may not pass the test. You must apply the knowledge to situations.

The test is also based on the EIPA Code of Professional Conduct for Educational Interpreters. The RID Code of Ethics is not the basis for professional conduct in the EIPA Written Test.

The written test will be given during the months of February, May, August, and November of 2007.

For information regarding test registration, contact:

Mary Patterson
EIPA Written Test Coordinator
Boys Town National Research Hospital
(402) 452-5059
FAX: (402) 452-5028
patter@boystown.org

For information regarding test construction or psychometric validity, contact:

Brenda Schick, Ph.D.
EIPA Written Test Developer
University of Colorado at Boulder
(303) 492-7339 v/tty
Brenda.Schick@colorado.edu

The EIPA Written Test was developed with funding from the Office of Special Education, Programs of National Significance (H325 N010013), awarded to Brenda Schick, Project Director, Boys Town National Research Hospital, and with support from the Regional Assessment System establish by the Mountain Plains Regional Assessment Center, directed by Bern Jones.