1. A. Assessment team.

   1. 1. A screening panel or individual ratings shall consist of at least one panelist/rater who is hearing and one panelist/rater who is deaf or hard of hearing.
   2. 2. All panelists/raters shall be fluent in the language mode being assessed and shall have successfully completed rater training as administered by the agency.

2. B. Screening components.

   1. 1. Part I - Code of Ethics: (General knowledge and application). Shall be administered prior to the other category orally (in front of a live panel, on videotape, or both) or in writing (in the presence of a monitor).

      NOTE: A candidate may not participate in a performance assessment until 90% competency has been demonstrated on Part I, the Code of Ethics assessment.

   2. 2. Part II - Skills Assessment.

      1. a. Sign Language Assessment. Interpreting (ASL) Performance: (Expressive and receptive abilities using ASL vocabulary, structure, and components) and Transliterating (English) Performance (Expressive and receptive abilities using a form of manually-coded English). The assessment may be administered in front of a live panel, on videotape, or both.
      2. b. Cued Speech. Transliterating Performance: Expressive and receptive abilities using cued speech hand shapes and mouth movements. The assessment may be administered in front of a live panel, on videotape, or both.

   Each screening is comprised of two major categories:

3. C. Awarding of screening levels.

   1. 1. Not receive any level at that time;
   2. 2. Receive a level for Interpreting (ASL) only;
   3. 3. Receive a level for Transliterating Sign Language only;
   4. 4. Receive a level for both Interpreting (ASL) and Transliterating Sign Language; or
   5. 5. Receive a level for Transliterating Cued Speech only.

   Each panelist/rater will independently assess a candidate's performance and assign a raw score for the required competencies within each category (Parts I and II). Raw scores will be totaled for each part, converted to percentages, and averaged with the other panelists'/raters' scores. Parts I and II will be scored independently of each other by the department. Depending on the results, a candidate may:

4. D. Criteria for screening levels.

   1. 1. 90% Code of Ethics (Part I) and

   2. 2. Performance Scores (Part II Interpreting or Transliterating):

      1. a. 95% - Level IV
      2. b. 80% - Level III
      3. c. 65% - Level II
      4. d. 50% - Level I

   A screening level of I, II, III, or IV will be awarded to candidates who satisfy the minimum competency requirements. (Refer to 22VAC20-30-110 B Screening Components.) These minimum requirements are:

5. E. The department will notify candidates in writing of the status of their screening results within 90 working days of the screening date.

Each candidate's performance will be assessed either by a screening panel present during the assessment or videotaped and rated by individual raters. Panelists/raters will assess only the segments for which they have been specifically trained.

Statutory Authority

§§ 51.5-112 and 51.5-113 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR245-03-01 § 3.6, eff. August 30, 1989; amended, Virginia Register Volume 7, Issue 2, eff. November 21, 1990; Volume 9, Issue 6, eff. January 13, 1993.