Okla. Admin. Code § 612:10-13-20
Current through Vol. 42, No. 6, December 2, 2024
Section 612:10-13-20 - Certification maintenance(a)General provisions for certification maintenance. The interpreter certification in Interpreting and Transliterating, for levels I-V, are valid for a term of three years at which time the certification will expire unless the interpreter takes the skill-based performance evaluation again, including paying the appropriate fee. The exception for re-testing applies to those that achieve a certification level in Transliterating: V and Interpreting: V; those are the only levels that will not be required to retest providing the annual CEUs and the annual renewal fee is satisfied. (1) Level V certification: An interpreter holding a certification level V in either Transliterating or Interpreting, but not both, will be required to retest. Testing will include performance test that consists of the ethical situation interview, and only the interactive section that the interpreter does not hold a level V in. The interpreter must pass the ethical situation interview with 80% before a level is granted. If a level V is not obtained, the interpreter will continue to follow the retesting process.(2) Level I-IV certification: An interpreter with levels I, II, III, IV are required to take the 3 part performance evaluation that consists of the ethical situation interview, interactive Interpreting and interactive Transliterating. The interpreter must pass the ethical situation interview with at least an 80% before a level is granted.(3) Certification will remain valid for an interpreter who has applied for evaluation and cannot be scheduled for testing prior to his/her certificate's expiration date, provided the application is received no later than 160 calendar days before the expiration date. Any certification will lapse if any of the following occurs: annual renewal fee is not paid, continuing education requirements are not met by stipulated due dates, and/or if the application is not submitted 160 days before levels expire. Individuals who have allowed certification to lapse due to non-compliance with requirements must take and pass the written test before they are eligible for the skill-based performance evaluation.(4) An interpreter that holds only one level V in either Interpreting or Transliterating, and holds a nationally recognized certification in good standing, such as, CI and CT or NIC, can be exempted from the requirement of retesting for the mode they do not have a level V in. The exemption is only valid providing the interpreter satisfies the annual ICRC CEUs by due date, the annual renewal fee by due date, and provides a current copy of their national certification card. If any of the stated requirements are not satisfied, the exemption is voided, and the interpreter will be required to take to meet the V/V certification requirements.(b)Continuing education requirements. QAST certified interpreters are required to satisfy one (10 hours) Continuing Education Unit (CEU) annually, with .1 (1 hour) of this in the category of Ethics. It is the interpreter's responsibility to ensure all supportive CEU documentation is submitted to the Interpreter Certification Resource Center (ICRC) staff before or on December 31st, to avoid certification becoming invalid. If certification becomes invalid, the individual must apply to test, and will be required to take and pass the written ICRC/QAST test before becoming eligible for the performance portion.(c)Certification renewal fee. A certification renewal fee and renewal form are due by January 31st each year. The renewal form must be postmarked on or before January 31st to avoid certification becoming suspended.(d)Certification suspension and reinstatement. If the certification renewal fee and renewal form are submitted after January 31st, the interpreter's certification will become suspended. An interpreter who's certification has become suspended has an option to make application for reinstatement. The reinstatement process includes the following: (1) The reinstatement application,(2) a $100 reinstatement fee, and(3) payment of the annual certification renewal fee, with the renewal form. The reinstatement process must be submitted on or before February 28th to avoid certification becoming invalid. If certification becomes invalid, the individual must take and pass the written test before becoming eligible for the skill-based performance evaluation.(e)Expiration of certification. If an interpreter does not submit an application and appropriate fee for testing 160 days prior to the level(s) expiration date, the interpreter's certification level(s) will be considered invalid on the expiration date. If level(s) become invalid, the individual must take and pass the sign language interpreter written test before becoming eligible for the skill-based performance evaluation. If an interpreter's certification becomes invalid twice consecutively due to non-compliance with either, the CEU or annual renewal fee requirements, the interpreter will not be allowed to take the written test or the skill-based performance evaluation until one (1) year from the date of the second documented non-compliance.(f)Modification of requirements. Requirements for certification renewal of any level may be changed or modified by future amendments to this section or the rules of this subchapter.Okla. Admin. Code § 612:10-13-20
Added at 11 Ok Reg 2449, eff 7-1-94; Amended at 14 Ok Reg 809, eff 1-24-97 (emergency); Amended at 14 Ok Reg 2332, eff 7-1-97; Amended at 21 Ok Reg 1774, eff 7-1-04; Amended at 28 Ok Reg 1832, eff 7-1-11Amended by Oklahoma Register, Volume 35, Issue 24, September 4, 2018, eff. 9/14/2018Amended by Oklahoma Register, Volume 38, Issue 23, August 16, 2021, eff. 8/26/2021Amended by Oklahoma Register, Volume 40, Issue 22, August 1, 2023, eff. 8/11/2023Amended by Oklahoma Register, Volume 41, Issue 22, August 1, 2024, eff. 8/11/2024