Bill
SB 5025
The bill strengthens and standardizes certification, oversight, and data transparency for educational interpreters serving deaf and hard-of-hearing students in K–12.
Status and timeline
- Introduced: Prefiled 12/10/2024; first read 01/13/2025.
- Passed Legislature: Senate 4/21/2025; House 3/26/2025 (House amendments concurred).
- Governor signed: 5/13/2025 (Chapter 255, 2025 Laws).
- Effective date: 7/27/2025.
Purpose
- To strengthen certification, standards, oversight, and data transparency for educational interpreters who provide sign language interpretation, transliteration, and classroom concept clarification for students who are deaf, deaf-blind, or hard of hearing.
Key provisions
- Definitions: Reframes "educational interpreter" as a person (certificated or classified) providing sign language interpretation or transliteration for deaf, deaf‑blind, or hard‑of‑hearing students. The language no longer explicitly confines the definition to school district employees, broadening applicability to educational interpreters generally in K–12 settings.
- Two-tier assessment standards: The Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) must establish both a full performance standard and a limited performance standard for each approved educational interpreter assessment.
- Two-tier certification: PESB must create two certificates (limited and full) for deaf and deaf‑blind educational interpreters:
- Limited certificate: for individuals meeting the limited standard; may be valid for up to five years.
- Full certificate: for individuals meeting the full standard; validity period set by PESB.
- Implementation deadlines and transitional rules:
- Through the end of the 2026–27 school year, interpreters must have achieved the PESB performance standard on an approved assessment.
- By the start of the 2027–28 school year, educational interpreters must hold either a limited or full certificate.
- An interpreter who has not obtained a limited certificate may continue to provide services for either one calendar year after receipt of assessment results or 18 months after completing an assessment—whichever is longer—if the employing school/district determines the interpreter demonstrates ongoing efforts toward achieving the full certificate.
- Rulemaking authority: PESB may adopt rules to (a) add extra requirements for individuals who had not previously worked as educational interpreters before Sept. 1, 2026, and (b) limit how many times an interpreter may take an assessment to qualify.
- Consultation requirement: PESB must consult with an accredited Washington college or university that provides interpreter training when developing standards, identifying assessments, establishing performance standards, defining certification criteria, and drafting implementation rules.
- Data reporting: By Dec. 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, PESB must publish data on interpreter certifications — including counts by certificate type, demographic information, and geographic distribution.
- Exceptions: Requirements do not apply where no suitable assessment exists for a particular sign system or modality (includes oral interpreting, CART, cued speech transliteration).
Who is affected
- Educational interpreters (current and future), including those employed by districts and other educational employers.
- School districts and schools (responsible for verifying certification status and making determinations about interim eligibility).
- PESB (charged with standards, certification criteria, rulemaking, and reporting).
- Accredited WA colleges/universities that provide interpreter training (consultation partner).
- Students who are deaf, deaf‑blind, or hard of hearing (impacted through interpreter quality and availability).
Potential impacts
- Raises and clarifies qualification expectations for educational interpreters; may improve communication access and instructional parity for deaf/hard‑of‑hearing students.
- May require additional training, assessment attempts, or staffing adjustments by districts; potential short‑term workforce challenges if existing interpreters do not meet new standards.
- Adds transparency through annual reporting, enabling better workforce planning and geographic equity assessments.
Fiscal note and appropriations
- Bill notes “Fiscal Note: Available.” No direct appropriation included in the bill.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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