Opening Slide Image Description:
Screen opens with the CASLI Logo: CASLI letterings split into two. One half is red and the other half is grey with “Center for the Assessment of Sign Language Interpretation” juxtaposed in between the split CASLI letterings. November 2021: CASLI Updates in black text
Image Description:
Screen dissolves to show Sean Furman, white man smiling, wearing a dark green shirt sitting in a black chair against a grey background.
Transcript:
Hello to you all. I hope all is well with you. I’m Sean Furman, the testing coordinator for CASLI. It’s hard to believe that 2021 is almost over. It has been a busy year for CASLI this past year working to make progress. I would like to share some updates on what is going on.
First item, the CASLI Generalist Knowledge Exam (CGKE) and Case Study exam which has been administered since May 2021. It has been in beta period for the past six months which means candidates have not gotten their exam results yet. We have been waiting on the Scoring Committee to convene and wrap up their discussion which they recently did. They have decided on the cut score for the CASLI Generalist Knowledge Exam and Case Study portion. Now we are working outs the knicks on our system and soon candidates will start getting their exam results for the CGKE and Case Study exam. It is our goal and intent for candidates to get their results before the holidays (in December).
What that also means is when beta period is completed, future candidates take the CASLI Generalist Knowledge Exam and Case Study exam will get their results automatically on the same day of the exam after they have completed the exam. We are looking forward to that.
One thing I need to mention is, candidates who have taken and passed the CASLI Generalist Knowledge Exam and Case Study Exam will have options of two exams they wish to take as their next step. It would be NIC – P (Performance) exam, a modified version of the NIC Interview & Performance (NIC IP) exam without the interview portion. The reason is candidates have already passed the Case Study portion which focus on the ethical aspect which the interview portion (of the NIC IP) focus on. Therefore, the NIC-P will only focus on the Performance aspect.
OR candidates can wait to take the new Hearing Interpreter Performance Exam (HIPE), anticipated to be released late winter or early spring 2022. The good news is we have recently completed the filming of the HIPE exam a few weeks ago. We are truly thrilled to have finished filming it s it was initially scheduled 18 months ago (March 2020) when the pandemic hit. This had delayed the ability to film the exam and we seized the opportunity to film the exam recently. With filming done, it is now in editing phase, then will undergo review to make sure all looks good and then build it into CASLI Exam System. After that, alpha test will be conducted to make sure it runs smoothly at various testing sites and then we will release it. As of right now, we anticipate to release it February 2022. No dates has been determined but sometime in the month of February 2022 as that is our plan/goal to release the new Hearing Interpreter Performance Exam that month.
What does that mean? The current NIC Interview & Performance Exam (NIC IP) and the NIC Performance (NIC P), which I just explained about, will both be retired once the new Hearing Interpreter Performance Exam is released. After that, the only option is the Hearing Interpreter Performance Exam available to take going forward. Now is the time to consider and plan on which exam you plan to take: the NIC Interview & Performance Exam OR wait to take the new Hearing Interpreter Performance Exam. You will need to make a decision on that between now and February.
If you have any questions or need more clarification, please contact us. We will be happy to answer any inquiries.
Moving on, one thing with the new Hearing Interpreter Performance Exam, candidates who have passed the NIC Knowledge exam, they will be taking the GAP test with the new Hearing Interpreter Performance Exam. HIPE. What is the GAP Test? It’s the same thing as the Case Study Exam, which covers the ethical portion. This is in lieu of the I (interview) portion of the NIC Interview & Performance Exam. Meaning the new Hearing Interpreter Performance Exam does not entail the ethical portion in that exam. That why the GAP needs to be filled by taking the GAP Test (Case Study portion).
Again, if my explanation is not clear or you need more details, please contact me or our testing specialist (Sami). We will be happy to explain further.
Next, the Deaf Interpreter Performance Exam (DIPE), some of you took the exam almost a year ago and have been waiting patiently for your exam results. Unfortunately, the progress has been slower than we anticipated. The reason for that is we initially predicted a large number of Deaf candidates will take the DIPE exam in a short period of time, however, that was not the case. The number of Deaf candidates taking the exam in that time period was less and we were able to finally meet the threshold of 50 exams around mid-September (almost ten months after the exam was released). Then we were able to have the DIPE Scoring Committee convene recently and currently for discussion. They are a great group having ongoing discussions, truly invested in this process. The process is not fast and takes times to make sure we are doing this right. They will continue to have discussion on and review the DIPE exams to create criteria and establish cut scores. Once that is done, then we will need to have raters to convene for raters; trainings to make sure they understand how to accurately rate candidate’s DIPE exams following established criteria. It is our plan to conduct raters’ trainings in January 2022. Once trainings is completed, then raters can rate the candidates’ DIPE exams. We anticipate that candidates will start getting their DIPE exam results sometimes winter 2022. I know it has been a long time and want to thank you all for your patience and being the first brave group to take the exam. Thank you for that. I wish I could speed up the process but we need to do this right following the psychometrician process of test development.
Moving on to the topic of Testing Cycle expiration. Candidates not sure or want to know of your testing cycle expiration date, please check your RID account and/or CASLI account (if you already have one). If you are unable to locate your testing cycle expiration date, please contact us. We will be happy to add it in your CASLI account or share with you your testing cycle expiration date. I am alerting you of this as many candidates’ testing cycles are slated to expire soon (December) or June 2022. We do not want you to miss out on the opportunity to take your Performance exam before your testing cycle expires.
Another item I need to mention is related to exam purchased on CASLI Exam System. Many candidates have purchased the exam but have not yet taken it. Following the Candidate Agreement Form that candidates signed when they purchased the exam, it outlines that candidate’s exam is good for one year to take from the purchased date or it will expires if not taken. With the COVID pandemic, we have been flexible, not enforcing it and allowing additional time to take ethe exam. As things are now settling down, we will start enforcing this policy of one year from the date you purchase the exam. What that means is, for all exams that were purchased before June 30, 2021, must be taken by July 1, 2022. If the exam is not taken, then you would lose it unless we are contacted for a refund. That means you have three options: 1) Take your exam before that X date (one year) from purchased date 2) Request for a refund or 3) lose it. I am alerting you of this so you can be mindful of this from the time you purchase the exam so you can figure out your timeline to take your exam.
Lastly, we are doing a call for raters again. This time around, we need specifically Deaf individuals and also BIPOC individuals to be raters. Greater needs for Deaf raters to be raters for the DIPE exam. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact me for more details. Need the application link, please see the link at the end of this video. Again, if want to know more about this, please contact us.
To wrap this up, we want to wish you all Happy Holidays and good fortunes. Please stay safe and healthy. Thank you.
Closing Slide Image Description:
Screen dissolves to show the CASLI Logo.
Sean Furman, Testing Coordinator Testing@CASLI.org VP/VRS: 571-257-4761
Sami Willicheva, Testing Specialist info@CASLI.org VP/VRS: 571-357-3896
Call for Raters: https://www.casli.org/rater_application/
www.CASLI.org (in black text)