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:
- Administration and validation of language proficiency assessments in both English and the second language;
- A training module in terminology and procedures relevant to IEP meeting in the target language;
- Training module on interpreting;
- Written and oral examination demonstrating content, sight translation, and interpreting knowledge and skills;
- 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.
