PSI Project
Preparing School Interpreters Project
PSI Project: An OSEP Grant
The Preparing School Interpreters (PSI) Project was a five-year (2021-2026), $1.25M award from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Program (OSEP: H325K210024).
The PSI Project provided an expanded interdisciplinary concentration (16 credits) within the University of Northern Colorado’s (UNC) ASL-English Interpretation (ASLEI) bachelor’s program.
Under the leadership of Dr. Emily Girardin (2021-2026) and Dr. Leilani Johnson (2021-2023), the project strengthened preparation pathways for interpreters wanting to work in educational settings.
The concentration and preparation pathways was called the School Interpreting Series and focused on:
- Academic and practical preparation for school interpreting
- Mentoring and professional induction into educational systems
- Communities of learning for emerging professionals
- Introduction to the profession of school interpreting
Project Impacts
1) Increasing the number of qualified school interpreters
As of April 2026, 95% of graduated PSI Scholars were employed as school interpreters and met their state’s employment standards.
2) Increasing the quality of school interpreting in public schools
Graduated PSI Scholars demonstrated strong professional assessment outcomes.
- 85% average EIPA: Written score, with Scholar averages exceeding national averages across all nine content areas.
- 3.63 average EIPA: Performance score.
School Interpreting Series
The PSI Project developed the School Interpreting Series Competencies, a research-informed framework that describes the core competencies required for interpreters working in educational settings. Because school interpreters operate within complex, dynamic environments, effective practice depends on the integration of knowledge and skills across several domains:
- Language & Interpreting
- Childhood Development
- Systems & Laws
- Collaboration with Teams
- Professional & Ethical Decision-Making
School Interpreter Competence Diagram
The diagram illustrates a structured framework for school interpreter competence, showing how foundational language and cultural knowledge support four interconnected areas—academic credentials, professional credentials, continuing education, and supervision and accountability—which together span pre- and post-hire development.
Grant Recognition
The contents of the PSI Project website were developed under a U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Program (OSEP) personnel preparation project (H325K210024). The contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the federal government.