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Pursuant to the requirements of Public Act 101-0124 and 23 Illinois Administrative Code 226.800(1)(K), the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), will develop, design, administer, and maintain records related to Training Qualified Interpreters to support families during IEP Meetings in Illinois schools. This partnership between UIUC and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) began on July 1, 2022 and is anticipated to conclude June 30, 2027.

In accordance with applicable codes and regulations, UIUC has develop a training program in that consists of the following modules:

  1. Administration and validation of language proficiency assessments in both English and the second language;
  2. A training module in terminology and procedures relevant to IEP meeting in the target language;
  3. Training module on interpreting;
  4. Written and oral examination demonstrating content, sight translation, and interpreting knowledge and skills;
  5. Professional development training (at least 6 hours every 2 years subsequent to initial qualifications.

Training will begin in Spanish, followed by the four next-most-commonly spoken non-English languages in Illinois: Polish, Arabic, Urdu, and Russian.  It is planned that all five of these languages will come online as part of the training program in the first five years and will eventually develop to serve trainees in approximately 160 non-English languages spoken throughout Illinois.​

Anticipated Project Timeline

Creating an ELIS account
​Having an Illinois Educator Identification Number (IEIN) number is required to obtain the certification. If you do not have an IEIN, you will need to create an account on the Illinois Educator Licensure Information System (ELIS) to be assigned one. It is free and you do not have to be an educator to receive an IEIN. Illinois school districts can verify your credentials as a Qualified IEP Interpreter through ELIS. 

ISBE Approved Language Proficiency Exams

The first step to becoming a qualified interpreter in Illinois is to demonstrate language proficiency in both English and a language other than English. The following exams are approved to demonstrate this proficiency. Both written and oral proficiency must be demonstrated for qualified interpreter candidates as part of their certification program. Applicants wishing to demonstrate proficiency in this manner must have official score reports showing the appropriate score for both English and the target language sent to the University of Illinois Qualified Interpreter program after registering for the program.

Please note: Qualified interpreter candidates will take an additional exam at the conclusion of the training focused on their ability to interpret into and out of English and the target language. Passing the initial language proficiency exam is not sufficient to receive the qualified interpreter certification on its own. ​​

​Training Qualified Interpreters for IEP Meetings

Click here to register and find more information on UIUC's Training Qualified Interpreters for IEP Meetings.

Contact Information

Qualified IEP Interpreters Registry

* * * This page has been archived. The content on this page may no longer be in effect. * * *

Contact Information