Sign Language Proficiency Interview (SLPI) Training Workshop
NYSED OBEWL is sponsoring a four-day, in-person Sign Language Proficiency Interview (SLPI) training for up to 12 American Sign Language teachers currently teaching in a NYS public secondary school from Monday, August 19th – Thursday, August 22nd from 8:00am to 4:00pm (with a one-hour lunch on your own) at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology, 1 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623.
NYSED will cover the cost of the workshop and offer a stipend of up to $500 for any attendees that live more than 90 miles from the workshop site to cover travel expenses. The stipend would be payable upon verification of successful completion of the workshop, including attendance in full for each of four days. As part of the workshop, attendees will take the SLPI to determine their own proficiency level and will be eligible to become SLPI evaluators, based on an SLPI score of at least Advanced Plus and successful completion of the workshop. Because space is limited for this workshop, participants must commit to attending all four days of the workshop. A total of 28 hours of CTLE credit will be awarded for successful completion. (No partial credit will be awarded should a participant not be able to attend the workshop in full.)
Workshop description: The SLPI-ASL, a test of sign language communication skills, assesses a person’s skills in using American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate in a one-to-one conversation/interview with a highly skilled interviewer. The goal of this workshop is to assist participants in gaining the knowledge and skills needed to plan, conduct, and provide follow-up for the SLPI. The three parts of the SLPI process include the interview, the rating, and the sharing of results. These results include a memo or written report and a follow-up meeting to review the interview video, discuss the interviewee’s current skills, and make suggestions for skills development. Participants must either take the SLPI themselves (and earn a score of at least Advanced Plus) or take the SLPI as part of the workshop itself.
Registration process: All participants must pre-register for these workshops using the NYSED registration form. (Please note that using your school’s internal system, such as Frontline, does not register you for these workshops.) Applications will be processed on a rolling basis and accepted through May 30th, or whenever the maximum capacity of the workshop has been reached. Applicants must demonstrate how they propose to share what they will learn from this workshop with others. Accepted applicants will be notified via an email from OBEWL by June 15th. A waiting list will be established if there are more applicants than available spots.
Click here to download workshop flyer.
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Workshop presenters:
Dr. Kim Kurz is a Professor in the Department of American Sign Language and Interpreting Education (ASLIE) at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf (RIT/NTID) in Rochester, New York. She served as the ASLIE department chairperson from 2010 to 2020. Kim currently holds the position of Interim Director of NTID Sign Language Assessment & Resource Center. Kim was responsible for overseeing NTID’s program assessment outcomes and student evaluations of all academic programs in NTID’s Academic Affairs division. Kim developed and authored the American Sign Language National Standards in collaboration with the American Council on Teaching Foreign Languages. She is a national trainer of the Sign Language Proficiency Interview, a sign language assessment. Kim played a role in designing and developing the ASL Regents Test with the New York State Department of Education.
Dr. Sharon Lott, M.S., M.A, is a retired ASL Training and Evaluation Coordinator from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Holding ASLTA professional certification and SLPI certification at the Superior Plus level, she does contract works with several places- NTID, Bridge Oregon, and several places. She is a National SLPI: ASL Trainer for rater and trainer for the SLPI with experience in providing training as far as Ghana and Kenya, Africa. Locally she has taught at Central Piedmont Community College, Lenior-Rhyne College, Western Piedmont Community College, Gardner Webb University and Appalachian University, Eastern Kentucky University. She was a Staff Development specialist at North Carolina School for the Deaf (NCSD) and Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf (ENCSD). She coordinated and taught ASL, Deaf Culture, Linguistics and a variety of other sign related topics at both schools. She possesses Professional Level ASL certification from the American Sign Language Teacher Association (ASLTA). She continues serving as ASLTA evaluator. She’s on Board of Trustee for Eastern Carolina School for the Deaf.