Activities & Products / 2006 / National IEP BA Directors' Meeting

One of the very first objectives of the AA-BA Partnership work team was to identify ways to assist IEPs create student-friendly pathways for transfer to B.A. programs, as well as identify successful AA-BA program models. During these initial conversations, it was quickly recognized what educators have long articulated, that a significant barrier to progress in a program and transferring to four-year institutions, is the lack of standardized outcomes for ASL proficiency before a student embarks on interpreter education.

With this common belief, the AA-BA Partnership work team, chose as one of its initial endeavors the hosting of an all-day meeting for B.A. program directors one day prior to the CIT convention in San Diego, CA, on October 18, 2006. To assist in its design, the AA-BA Partnership work team hosted a half-day focus group meeting of small number of BA Interpreter Education Directors to determine the purpose and function of such a meeting. Not surprising, the need for ASL standards rose to the top.

Directors wishing to participate in the meeting were required to participate in on-line discussions both prior to and after the one-day meeting. In total, 25 of 32 invited directors attended the B.A. Interpreter Education Directors Meeting. The consensus of the group reinforced the findings of the initial focus group; there is a critical need to address ASL standards. So important did the group believe in this content area, that an independent group, was created. Today, the ASL Standards work team continues to work diligently to identify, adopt and promote formal ASL Standards and a relationship with the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

AA-BA Partnership work team Conclusion