Sign Language Proficiency Interview (SLPI:ASL)
Sign Language Proficiency Interview
(SLPI:ASL)
Overview
The Sign Language Proficiency Interview (SLPI:ASL) involves a one-to-one conversation in sign language between an interviewer and candidate/interviewee. Interview content varies according to the background, job responsibilities, schooling, and other interests of each SLPI:ASL candidate/interviewee.
The SLPI:ASL was adapted by Bill Newell and Frank Caccamise from the Language/Oral Proficiency Interview (L/OPI), an interview technique for assessing spoken language communication skills. Just as the L/OPI may be used to assess a variety of spoken languages the SLPI:ASL may be used to assess a variety of sign languages. For example, it is used in Kenya as SLPI:KSL, in South Africa as SLPI:SASL, and in New Zealand as SLPI:NZSL.
SLPI:ASL interviews are recorded and subsequently rated independently by SLPI:ASL raters. The basis for ratings is the SLPI:ASL Rating Scale, a standard scale based on the sign language communication skills of highly skilled, knowledgeable native/native-like signers. In application, a primary use of the SLPI:ASL has been to assess how well people are able to use sign language for communication, and, as appropriate, to use this information to assist people in development of their sign language communication skills. In the Evaluators’ Resources part of this website, Training Workshop Materials Sections 1, 5, 7 and 8 provide additional information about the SLPI Rating Scale, what the SLPI:ASL assesses, and SLPI:ASL use; and Section 10 provides information on connecting sign language instruction and SLPI:ASL results.
For more information about ASL training and evaluation at RIT/NTID, please visit the NSLARC website.
Seal of Biliteracy: https://sealofbiliteracy.org/state-guidelines/evidence-language-proficiency-required/
Evaluator Resources
The following documents are best used in notebooks or binders provided to evaluators being trained to administer the SLPI:ASL to candidates.
Section 1: Workshop Goal and Principles, Materials, and Procedures (pdf)
Section 2: SLPI:ASL Training Workshop Schedule and In-Service Materials (pdf) (doc)
Section 3A: SLPI:ASL Scheduling and Interviewing (pdf) (doc)
Section 3B: SLPI:ASL Rating and Sharing of Results
Section 4A: Sample SLPI:ASL Rater Worksheets
Section 4B: Guidelines for Completing SLPI:ASL Rater Worksheets (pdf)
Section 5: Skills Important for Effective Sign Language Communication and SLPI:ASL Rating Levels (pdf)
Section 6: ASL Grammar (pdf)
Section 7: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions about the SLPI:ASL (pdf) (doc)
Section 8: Selected Readings for the SLPI:ASL (doc)
Section 9: Suggested Documents for Programs Using the SLPI:ASL
Section 10: Connecting ASL Instruction and the SLPI:ASL (pdf)
- Novice range (Novice/Novice Plus)
- Survival range (Survival/Survival Plus)
- Intermediate range (Intermediate/Intermediate Plus)
- Advanced range (Advanced/Advanced Plus)
- Superior range (Superior/Superior Plus)
- Indexing
- Eye Gaze and Body Shift
- Verb Movement Directionality
- Sign Movement Modification for Degree
- Sign Movement for Repeated Action
- Repetition of Sign Noun Movement (a)
- Repetition of Sign Noun Movement (b)
- Number Incorporation
- Non-Dominant Hand Listing
- Conditional Sentence
- Classifiers CL:V and CL:B
When interviewing a candidate, it is best to keep the following in mind:
- Your goal is to bring out the candidate’s best ASL. You are the candidate’s ally.
- Model ASL for the candidate. This means:
- Don’t code-switch to more English-based signing.
- Mouth movements must match natural ASL signing.
- If candidate doesn’t understand:
- Repeat the question just as you signed it the first time.
- Repeat, but more slowly.
- Re-phrase the question with ASL syntax (don’t change to English syntax).
- Rephrase again…slow down.
- Do not use more fingerspelling.
- Please be aware that the candidate may be anxious, as is normal in a testing context. If you feel frustrated with the candidate, showing it will only increase their anxiety. Never show your frustration, no matter what.
- 20 minutes, three topics.
- Work
- Family/home/background
- Hobbies/leisure activities
- Sample videos of common strategies
- Rephrasing a question
- Requesting a Description
- Probing for Hobbies
Workshop training room set-up (pdf)
Interview room set-up
Below is an example of setting up the interview room to make good use of one camera. Notice a few things about this arrangement:
- This is for a right-handed candidate; the candidate sits on the right and the interviewer on the left. This is best for viewing the candidate's signing and, especially, fingerspelling.
- The camera's main capture is of the candidate; however, it's pointed in such a way that it will also capture the interviewer's facial expressions. This helps the raters judge the quality of the interaction. In particular, it allows the raters to know when the candidate's signing is not clear to the interviewer.
- Behind the candidate is a clock. The interviewer can glance at the clock discretely to help judge both the overall length of the interview and the three segments (work/study, family, and leisure activities/hobbies).
- There are no alligators anywhere in the interview room.
These details are discussed in Paper 6: Angles and Other SLPI Recording Guidelines in Training Notebook Section 7.
Evaluator training resources
The documents below provide information and materials important to planning and hosting workshops for training potential SLPI:ASL Team members. It includes both PDF and Word versions of the SLPI:ASL Training Workshop: Planning, Implementation, and Follow-Up document. The PDF version maintains the appropriate format for this document, but it cannot be edited. The Word version can be edited to fit the needs of each program that sponsors an SLPI:ASL Workshop, but the appropriate format may not be maintained when posted in a website. Therefore, programs can refer to the PDF version to assist them with the proper format when they make changes to the Word version to fit their application of the SLPI:ASL.
- SLPI Training Workshop Planning, Implementation, and Follow-Up (pdf) (doc)
- Support for Local SLPI:ASL Teams and SLPI:ASL Team Training (pdf)
- Why Six to Ten SLPI:ASL Training Workshop Participants? (pdf)
- May ASL Teachers Serve as SLPI:ASL Interviewers and Raters for People They Have Taught? (pdf)
- Options for Conducting and Sharing Results of SLPI:ASL Ratings (pdf)
- Options for Reporting SLPI:ASL Ratings (pdf)
- Workshop training room setup (see Diagrams)