The Educational Sign Skills Evaluation (ESSE) is a state approved test for K-12
Educational interpreters. It was designed to provide a means of identifying the dominant signing style of an individual and to provide meaningful, personalized feedback on areas of strength and those in need of improvement.
It provides an overall Expressive Skills rating and evaluates Receptive skills for the type, level, and degree of understanding for ASL and English-structure signing (PSE, SE & SEE).
California State Certification requires scores of 4.0 (80%) or higher on both Expressive & Receptive tests.
The ESSE consists of 1 Expressive and
1 Receptive Test:
Expressive:
ESSE:I (Interpreting Skills)
ESSE:T (Teacher)
Receptive:
ESSE:R (Receptive Skills)
It takes approximately 45 minutes for the Expressive testing
(individual administration).
And it takes approximately 2.5 hours
for the Receptive test.
(group administration),
Plan to spend around 6 hours total
to take both the Expressive and Receptive tests on the same day.
ARE YOU READY FOR CERTIFICATION?
The ESSE Process Webinar is a 60 minute online class for interpreters who have never taken the Educational Sign Skills Evaluation (ESSE). It provides an overview of what to expect on the exam.
The Fine Tune Your Interpreting Skills Workshop is 6 hours of training for interpreters who have already taken the ESSE. This in-person Workshop includes a discussion of the ESSE rubric and has activities designed to develop and enhance your sign vocabulary, finger-spelling, and overall interpreting skills
ESSE Full Evaluation
$350 (ESSE-I plus ESSE-R)
Expressive Evaluation Only
$250 (ESSE-Interpreter or Teacher)
Receptive Evaluation Only
$100 (ESSE-R)
School districts with large numbers of interpreters in their program can make special arrangements for on site evaluations by contacting the SEE Center. Travel costs will be needed for the person or persons who would be administering the evaluations.
Individuals can expect to receive an extensive detailed 8 to 10 page report in the mail in approximately 90 days. A SEE Center Certificate is also issued when Expressive scores are 2.0 or greater, and it indicates when the Evaluation was taken and the Evaluation Results.
This 1 hour online interactive session will explain the ESSE process and what to expect the day of the assessment for those who have never taken the ESSE.
Topics include:
Process and scoring procedures for the Expressive and Receptive portions of the ESSE.
Discuss the Evaluation form and explain the individual components that are rated by the evaluation panel.
Webinars are offered via the free ZOOM application.
You will need Internet access and a laptop or computer with a webcam.
Download the free ZOOM app and run the free audio & visual test before registering for this webinar.
(DOWNLOAD LINK BELOW)
Subscribe to the SEE Center Email List on the Home page
to automatically be notified when new ESSE Process Webinars are scheduled (approx. every 3 months).
TBD, 2021
Sat. 10:00-11:00 AM PST
$25
Register HERE (for scheduled dates)
Zoom Instructions (docx)
DownloadESSE Training Workshops are scheduled approximately every 3 months on a Saturday from 9:00 am-4:30 pm (6 hrs) with a 1/2 hour lunch break.
This training is for interpreters in the educational setting working toward becoming certified. We will review the ESSE rubric while attempting to implement the specifics required to deliver a complete interpretation of the classroom content.
We will review and discuss the expressive and receptive components involved with the ESSE. Hands-on activities using classroom scenarios and/or materials will provide participants an opportunity to self-assess their sign knowledge of the vocabulary associated with various classroom subjects. Interpreting speed and fluency will be addressed through the use of timed audio materials. Small group activities will provide receptive and sign-to-voice practice. In conclusion a “mock” receptive evaluation will be administered followed by a discussion of how the scoring is done.
Subscribe to the SEE Center E-mail list
on the Home Page.
to be notified when a new ESSE Training Workshop
is scheduled.
Applicants can Register below for the
date and location they want to attend.
FINE TUNE YOUR INTERPRETING SKILLS
TBD, 2021
Sun 9:00-4:30pm
Irvine, CA
Cost $100 (6 hours)
Register at least 7 days before class date.
Must have at least 10 registrants for class to proceed.
Register HERE (for scheduled dates).
ESSE assessments are scheduled throughout the year, usually in Irvine (Southern CA) and occasionally in San Jose CA (Northern & Central CA). They may also be given in Wichita KS or Omaha NE by appointment only.
Schools Districts requesting assessments for 10 or more interpreters, can negotiate special dates with the SEE Center.
We ask interested applicants to Subscribe to the SEE Center Email List on the Home page. We will then automatically notify you via email when we schedule a new ESSE Evaluation. Applicants can then Register for the date and location they want to attend.
Evaluations are typically held at local schools and last from 9am until 4:30pm. The exact locations and scheduled times are sent to the Registered applicants the week of the assessment.
Subscribe (Add to monthly Email list)
See below to Register for an Upcoming Assessment when dates are posted.
Test Date
TBD 2021
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Test date
TBD 2021
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Test Date
TBD 2021
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ESSE: I (Interpreter)
The ESSE:I consists of videotaped samples of actual classroom teachers and an educational interpreter is asked to interpret as s/he would to students. The interpreter is given a choice of elementary school, middle school, or high school classes. Once the school level is established, a warm-up tape is shown of similar classes. At the end of the warm-up tape thirty seconds of each of the actual classroom teachers that will be interpreted will be shown. Therefore, the individual will know what subjects they will be interpreting and have a brief exposure to the teachers style. The individual can warm up until s/he feels they are ready to be videotaped. The interpreter is videotaped while interpreting three classes, in different subject areas and with different teachers. Each session is approximately 5 minutes in length. This videotape of the interpreter is viewed by a trained panel of five members (consisting of both hearing and deaf) familiar with a variety of signing styles and with education of the K-12 levels. Each of the five panelists completes a rating form with ratings from 1 (low) to 5 (high) for five separate areas: signs, finger-spelling, expressiveness, speech reading and an overall rating. In addition, checklists provide specific information on a number of components in each area and on technical factors such as dress, grooming, indicating speakers, eye contact, etc. The ratings of the five panelists are combined for an average rating in each of the five areas plus the receptive score of the dominant style of the individual. Also included are the pooled panelists comments and feedback on each component.
ESSE:T (Teacher)
The ESSE:T is designed for teachers, aides, or others wishing information on their expressive signing skills when signing for themselves. A 60-word screening test establishes the vocabulary level at basic, intermediate or advanced levels. The individual is then presented with 20 to 25 test sentences constructed with vocabulary at that level or below and including specific visual features such as negation, question marking, directionality, or placement. These sentences are presented on a transparency, and the individual is videotaped while signing them. The individual is then given a choice of topics appropriate to the school level at which s/he works, time to organize ideas, and then an impromptu presentation on that topic is taped for approximately three minutes. This videotaped sample of signing skills is then rated by the trained panel of five members (which consists of both hearing and deaf), similar to the rating for interpreters described above. In this way, both a vocabulary sample and a more free-flowing, normal signing sample are obtained.
ESSE: R (Receptive)
The Receptive Skills Evaluation will measure understanding of 3 types of signing: Pidgin Signed English (PSE), Signing Exact English (SEE) and American Sign Language (ASL).
Each signing type will then present 3 vocabulary levels: Basic, Intermediate and Advanced. Each level signs two warm-up sentences and ten test sentences in each type of signing. Three deaf high school students are the signers. The same student signs each type (PSE, SEE, ASL) for all 3 (Basic, Int, Adv) vocabulary levels.
The Receptive results will show 2 scores for each level. The first score indicates the percentage of signs that were correct. The second score indicates the percentage of how well the entire sentence was understood. The sentences are scored on an all-or nothing basis for each sentence. Sometimes individual signs missed did not affect the ability to understand the concept of the sentence. Other times, missing one key word meant missing the overall meaning of the sentence.
You only need to be proficient in 1 of the 3 signing types but if you are proficient in more than 1 signing mode, the additional modes will also be posted on your ESSE Certificate.
The Receptive Evaluation takes approximately 2.5 hours which includes break times between each level of the exam.
The ESSE Evaluation Results will show a score for each the Expressive Test and the Receptive Test. A passing score of 4.0 and above is required in both sections in order to meet the requirement for CA Dept of Education State Certification.
If you receive a level 4.0 or greater on only 1 section, you can retake the section under 4.0 at a future date. No wait time is required. You do not need to retake the portion passed with 4.0 or higher.
We typically schedule the ESSE Evaluations about every 3 months. This gives us time to compile the results of the 5 evaluators and return the results to the test takers. The interpreters can then review their evaluation scores and the detailed analysis to focus on improving the areas recommended on the evaluation feedback.
Scorng Rubric: Interpreter Accuracy
1.0 Not Ready to Interpret (20%)
2.0 Beginning Interpreter (40%)
3.0 Good/Fair (60%)
4.0 Very Good (80%)
5,0 Excellent (100%)