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. May 2022: CASLI Updates in black text

Image Description:
Screen dissolves to show Sean Furman, white man smiling, wearing a blue polo shirt standing against a grey background.

Transcript:

Hello everyone, I  am Sean Furman, CASLI’s Director of Testing. There’s been a lot going on the past few months so I would like to update you on what has been going on.

CASLI Generalist Performance Exam – NIC (Hearing Interpreters)

One of the biggest thing that is happening, that you may be aware of,  is the NIC Interview and Performance exam has been retired as of May 18, 2022.  The NIC Interview & Performance exam is no longer available to take and is being replaced with the new Performance Exam for candidates that are pursuing the NIC Certification, commonly individuals that are hearing, DPI or CODA. We know that many of you are looking forward to the release of the new exam and wondering when the exam will become available.  We are excited for you to take the exam as well and we anticipate the new exam to be ready sometime in June 2022. At the same time, I would like to explain a few things so you are aware of them.  First thing, we have a sample exam readily available on CASLI Exam System for you to take/review so you can become familiar with the exam layout. Secondly, the new Performance exam will be two hours, an hour longer than the previous exam.  That is due to the scenarios being longer ranging from 5 to 20 minutes each scenarios.  Also, those who are taking the Performance exam along with the gap test (Case Studies Exam – Ethical Decision Making Process and Cultural Competency), that portion of exam is 90 minutes long, which brings the total time for both exams to 3.5 hours. We want you to be mindful of that when planning your exam appointment to be prepared for a four (4) hours exam appointment, including break between the two exams.  If you have any questions or need more information, please contact us.  We are truly excited for you to take the new tests.

Before I forget, I need to mention this as well. In relation to the ew Performance exam, as that will undergo through a beta period. What that means is, candidates will not get their exam results within the typical 90 days turnaround time. During the beta period, that is a time frame when we will need to collect a pool of candidates’ exam (after they have taken it) for the scoring committee’s review with the psychometrician leading the review and discussion. This will allow the scoring committee to establish scoring criteria and cut score for the new Performance exam.  Once that is established, then we would do training with raters to assure they understand the scoring criteria and once they have been trained, they will rate all candidates’ exams.  That time frame, we project could take six month, BUT it could be longer than that.  So, we want you to be aware of that ahead of time.  That greatly depends on that volume of exams being taken within the first few months, the progress of scoring committee, and raters’ training.  CASLI will certainly work to keep progress moving along during that time.  We want you to be aware of this when you take the new Performance exam, that it could be six month or longer before you get your exam results.

Case Studies Exam Results Update:

Next, I know many of you are curious to know what is happening with the Case Studies exam results.  We want to thank you for your patience as you wait for your exam results.  We are extremely close to resolving the issues on our system. We are optimistic that candidates will get their exam results within a month. (Fingers crossed). We acknowledge the hardship and impact it has on many of you that have been waiting patiently for the exam results. This has been challenging for everyone involved and CASLI have been working hard to resolve the issue. CASLI really wants candidates to get their exam results now BUT we need to make sure everything is perfect and accurate before we send out candidates their exam results. We are truly sorry that this took longer than we foresaw and thank you for your patience, understanding and support through this process.

One thing to mention, when the beta period is complete, candidates can expect to get their exam results for Fundamental of Interpreting and Case Studies exams within 7 – 10 business days.

Performance Exam Process:

Often candidates inquire about the exam process looks like. I am seizing the opportunity to outline them here.

Candidates who have passed the NIC Knowledge exam can take the gap test (Case Studies exam) with the new Performance exam. Once they have passed both the Case Studies exam and the new Performance exam, then they would become certified.

Now for candidates who have recently taken the CASLI Generalist Knowledge Exam accompanied with the Case Studies Exam,  now waiting for the outcomes of the Case Studies exam results, will outline for each outcomes and steps.

  • If the candidates passed both portions of the CASLI Generalist Knowledge Exam (including the Case Studies Exam), they can proceed to take the new Performance exam.  They only need to take the Performance exam.
  • If candidates passed the Fundamental of Interpreting portion but not Case Studies portion, candidate can can take Case Studies exam again with Performance exam as long it has been at least three (3) months since candidate last took the Case Studies Exam (gap test).
  • If candidate did not pass the Fundamental of Interpreting portion but passed the Case Studies portion, they only need to retake the Fundamental of Interpreting portion before they can take the new Performance exam.   Candidates MUST pass the Fundamental of Interpreting before they are eligible to take the Performance exam. Again, candidate needs to adhere the three (3) month wait time for retaking the Fundamental of Interpreting exam portion from when they last took it.
  • If candidate did not pass either portion of the CASLI Generalist Knowledge Exam, candidates can retake both portion of the exam together as long it has been at least three (3) months from the date they took it.

I hope my explanation has been helpful and clear.  Again, have any questions or need further clarification, please do contact us and we will be happy to answer your questions.  I encourage any candidates, before taking any exam, to review CASLI Exam Content Outline and Preparation Guideline. Also, you can view sample exams on CASLI Exam System to get an idea of what each exam looks like. This helps candidates become know what to expect ahead of time before taking their exams. Anytime you  have questions – please contact me or CASLI Testing Specialist.

Three other things I would like to mention:

Candidates’ Testing Cycle Expiration:
Many candidates’ testing cycle expires soon June 2022. We do not want you to miss the opportunity to take your Performance exam. Please check your testing cycle expiration date on your CASLI account to make sure it has not expired. If you are concerned about your testing cycle expiration date that be expiring soon, please contact us as we will assist you with this.

Purchased Exams (prior to June 30, 2021):

For candidates who purchased their exams prior to June 30, 2021, CASLI did alert and announced that candidates would have until June 30, 2022 to either take the exam, request a refund, or lose it the exam if it is not taken or refunded prior to June 30, 2022. We want to remind you of this again especially if you already purchased an exam a while ago and have not yet taken it.  Options are to either take it, get a refund or lose it.

CASLI Testing Manager position:

Lastly, we are excited to let you know that we have a new position with CASLI.  The position is CASLI Testing Manager and we are looking forward to hire someone for that position. For more details, please refer to CASLI website or RID website for the job posting.  If you are interested or know of someone who would be a good fit, please either apply or encourage them to apply.  Deadline to apply is June 6, 2022.  We are excited for the new addition to CASLI team.

Again, if you have any questions, concerns or need for clarifications, please contact us directly. We will be happy to support you in answering your questions.

Thank you for watching and have a great week.


Screen dissolves to show the CASLI Logo.

Closing Slide Image Description:
Sean Furman, Testing Coordinator Testing@CASLI.org  VP/VRS: 571-257-4761

Sami Willicheva, Testing Specialist info@CASLI.org  VP/VRS: 571-357-3896

www.CASLI.org (in black text)