Job Description:

Glendale Union High School District

Job Description

Job Title: Sign Language Interpreter

Department: Special Education

Reports To: Local School Principal, Director of Special Education,

Department Chairperson

Prepared By: Personnel Office

Prepared Date: 2026

Terms of Employment

9 month contract

Salary:

Salary as determined by the Classified Salary Placement Schedule 5 approved by the GUHSD Governing Board.

Summary:

A successful candidate for the Educational Sign Language Interpreter will be able

to support deaf and hard-of-hearing students in a high school setting. In this role, the candidate will bridge the communication gap, ensuring our students have full access to the academic, social, and extracurricular aspects of their high school experience.

As a crucial member of the educational team, this position will work closely with general education teachers, special education staff, and administration to facilitate a collaborative and inclusive learning environment. The ideal candidate not only possesses exceptional interpreting skills but also understands the unique social-emotional dynamics of high school-aged students.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include but are not limited to, the tasks listed below:

1. Academic Interpreting: Provide high-quality, real-time sign language interpretation (ASL or PSE, depending on student IEP needs) for lectures, class discussions, tests, and multimedia presentations across various high school subjects.

2.  Extracurricular & Social Support: Interpret for non-academic school activities, including assemblies, pep rallies, field trips, counseling sessions, and after-school clubs or sports as needed.

3. Collaborative Planning: Partner with classroom teachers to review lesson plans, technical vocabulary, and concepts ahead of time to ensure accurate and effective interpretation.

4. IEP Team Participation: Attend and contribute to Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, providing insight into the student’s communication access and needs. Student Independence Advocacy: Foster the student's independence, self-advocacy skills, and peer-to-peer interactions, maintaining the appropriate professional boundaries of an educational interpreter.

5. Professional Standards: Adhere to the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) Code of Professional Conduct and maintain strict confidentiality regarding student records and

6. performance.

7. Performs such tasks as directed by the Principal, Director of Special Education and/or Department Chairperson.

Supervisory Responsibilities: 

Special Education students

Qualifications: 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience: 

• Degree: Associate or Bachelor’s degree in Educational Interpreting, American Sign Language (ASL), or a closely related field.

• Certification: Valid national certification (e.g., RID, NIC) or a state-approved equivalent.

•  EIPA Score: A score of 4.0 or higher on the Educational Interpreter Performance

• Assessment (EIPA) is highly preferred (minimum 3.5 considered based on state regulations).

• Fluency: Native or near-native fluency in American Sign Language (ASL) and strong command of spoken/written English.

•  High School Curriculum Comfort: Ability to interpret advanced high school concepts (e.g., Algebra, Chemistry, US History, and Literature).

• Adaptability: Skill in adapting interpreting styles to match the student's linguistic preferences and cognitive levels.

•  Interpersonal Skills: Strong communication skills with the ability to work effectively alongside teenagers, parents, educators, and administrators.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience working as an interpreter in a secondary education setting (grades 9–12).

• Knowledge of assistive listening devices (ALDs) and other deaf education technologies.

Language Skills:  

Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.  Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.  Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of an organization.

Mathematical Skills:  

Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume.  Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.

Reasoning Ability:  

Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.  Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations. 

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:  

Valid Arizona driver’s license.

Physical Demands:  

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk and hear.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment: 

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. 

Evaluation:

Performance of this position will be evaluated in accordance with the provisions of the Governing Board policy related to evaluation of classified personnel.