Certification Conversion Procedures

PURPOSE: This rule provides information regarding certification conversion procedures. (1) Interpreters who have been certified by a certifying entity other than the Missouri Interpreters Certification System (MICS) may apply for conversion of their certification into an MICS certification. (2) An applicant for certification conversion shall comply with all requirements of the rule established in 5 CSR 100-200.050 for application procedures. (3) An application for certification conversion shall include: (A) A completed application form; (B) A copy of any current and unexpired certification from the previous certifying entity that indicates a level, category or ranking of interpreting skill; (C) An authorization form signed by the applicant for release of information from the previous certifying entity; and (D) The appropriate conversion fee. (4) The authorization for release of information must include the name, address, and phone number of the previous certifying entity in order for the Board for Certification of Interpreters, if needed, to obtain: (A) Evaluation results; (B) Passing criteria; (C) Relevant statutes, codes, and policies concerning the applicable certification; and and Hard of Hearing (D) Description of testing materials, including: 1. Pass/fail, levels, single-level or duallevel certification; 2. Minimum passing score or minimum passing scores for each level; 3. Requirements for evaluators or composition of the evaluation team; 4. Assessment of receptive and expressive skills in the areas of both interpreting and transliterating; and 5. Scoring or rating method. (5) Conversion into the appropriate certification level of the MICS shall be based on a comparison of the evaluation systems, and, if needed, specific information received from the previous certifying entity’s evaluation system, as outlined in section (4) above, will be compared with the MICS. As a result of the comparison, an applicant for conversion may be granted a lower, similar, or higher certification in the MICS than from the previous certifying entity. (6) An application for certification conversion may be denied because of either incompatibility of the evaluation systems or insufficient information from either the applicant or the previous certifying entity as outlined in sections (3) and (4) of this rule. If an application for conversion is denied, the applicant will be notified of the denial by letter, and will be required to take both the written test and the performance test in order to be certified in the MICS. AUTHORITY: sections 209.292(9), RSMo Supp. 2003 and 209.295(3) and (4), RSMo 2000.* Original rule filed April 17, 1998, effective Nov. 30, 1998. Rescinded and readopted: Filed July 26, 2001, effective March 30, 2002. Amended: Filed Nov. 14, 2003, effective June 30, 2004. *Original authority: 209.292, RSMo 1994, amended 2002 and 209.295, RSMo 1994.