EIPA Written Test and Knowledge Standards

Literacy

Literacy is a major goal of education because it serves as the foundation for learning throughout life. Students use what they know about the world to help them read, and read to learn about the world. However, it is often difficult, but by no means impossible, to accomplish the goal of literacy with deaf or hard of hearing students.

Core Standards

A qualified interpreter who is knowledgeable about the following core standards should perform well on the Literacy portion of the test. These standards include:

• Reading, writing, and language are interrelated.
• Students who are deaf or hard of hearing may have difficulty reading English because their language ability is not sufficient to serve as a foundation. Fluent sign language skills may assist a student but does not ensure the student can read complex English.
• The language demands in textbooks increases significantly around third grade. The language becomes more complex in terms of syntax and vocabulary. There is more text and fewer pictures to help interpret the text.  Students who were able to read first and second grade textbooks may experience more difficulty at this level.
• Reading academic content is usually more difficult than reading for pleasure. There are differences in vocabulary, grammatical complexity, as well as the concepts involved.
• Students use what they know about the world to help them read.
• Reading stories to students is essential to a student’s ability to learn to read.
• Vocabulary knowledge is an important component of reading.
• Students read better when they are motivated to read.
• If a student cannot understand a story when told in sign language, it is highly likely that he cannot read it.
• Closed captioned movies and television programs allow a student to watch and read a program. However, depending on a student’s ability to read, he may or may not be able to access the content. Also, watching a program and reading captions simultaneously is more difficult than listening to the text and viewing the movie simultaneously.