Certification Levels

Boost your employment prospects and professional credibility in the field of ASL studies with the only national certification in American Sign Language teaching.

ASLTA Certification ensures that teachers possess the skills and knowledge to teach ASL and the culture of the US Deaf community.

ASLTA promotes and rewards professional growth via professional development, networking and opportunity.

Overview

Note for current certification holders:
Current Provisional certification holders are eligible to apply for Qualified, Certified or Master certification.
Current Qualified certification holders will be rolled over to Certified certification or are eligible to apply for Professional or Master certification.
Current Professional certification holders will be rolled over to Master certification.
To apply for Qualified or Professional certification – scroll down to current certification holders on this page.
Renewals and Extensions for current certification holders:
If you currently hold Provisional certification and need to extend your certification, you will need to apply for the next level of certification: Qualified, Certified or Master.
If you currently hold Qualified certification and need to extend your certification, your certification will be rolled over to Certified after you complete the renewal form or you can apply for Professional or Master certification.
If you currently hold Professional certification and need to renew your certification, your certification will be rolled over to Master after you complete the renewal form.
ASLTA Membership:
If you are a new applicant applying for certification, you must be a member of ASLTA at the Associate level.
If you currently hold a certification, you must be a member of ASLTA at the Certified level.
Annual membership dues run on an academic year from September 1 to August 31.

New Certification Applicants

New candidates applying for certification must be members of ASLTA in good standing at the Associate level

Certified Level

FOR PORTFOLIO OF TEACHING EXCELLENCE
Candidates need to submit:

1. Teaching Philosophy Video (2-3 minutes) which includes:

  • Teaching Methods
  • Multiple teaching strategies
  • Examples of how inclusive classroom practices are conducted

2. Teaching Demonstration Video (5 minutes) for a beginning or intermediate level course which includes:

  • Grammatical/linguistic component | Cultural Component | Evidence of Multiple teaching strategies | Use of communication behaviors, classroom layout and other ASLCentric classroom techniques | Creative use of Technology

3. Lesson Plan/Materials Video (5 minutes) which explains the lesson, activities and how this lesson matches your SLOs/Outcomes or Objectives for that specific lesson and explanation of all materials you will use.

4. Assessment Tools/Materials (4 minutes) (Video and Written)

  • An example of an assignment and any grading materials for the assignment
  • Examples of how inclusive classroom practices are conducted
  • An example of a quiz and any grading material for the quiz
  • An example of an exam and any grading material for the exam
  • Video should explain how each of these are used and any objectives or goals measured by each assessment tool. Overall course goals should be explained as well.

FOR THE DOCUMENTATION OF EXPERIENCE
Candidates need to submit:

1. Curriculum Vitae (CV) which includes 4 parts:

  • Educational background
  • Teaching background
  • Professional Development evidence & hours
  • Deaf Community service

2. Transcripts/Degrees (Must have BA or higher)

3. ASLPI score of 3+ or higher, SLPI: ASL rating of Advanced or higher or other proficiency interviews that may be approved in the future

FOR REQUIRED COURSEWORK, CANDIDATES MUST HAVE COMPLETED THE FOLLOWING COURSEWORK:

(3 CREDIT HOURS EACH):

  • ASL Literature
  • ASL Linguistics
  • Deaf Culture/Deaf Community

Candidates without formal coursework evidence can be interviewed to determine if a candidate has sufficient knowledge of the specific field in lieu of coursework. Each course not completed entails a separate interview. Interviews will be at additional cost to the candidate.

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Master Level

FOR PORTFOLIO TEACHING EXCELLENCE
Candidates need to submit:

1. Teaching Philosophy Video (2 minutes) which includes:

  • Teaching Methods
  • Evidence of how you use multiple teaching strategies
  • Examples of how inclusive classroom practices are conducted

2. Syllabus developed for an advanced (3 year or higher course) or specialized level course which was developed by the candidate.

3. Teaching Demonstration/Lesson Plan/Materials Video (10 minutes) for an advanced or specialized level course which includes:

  • Teaching Demonstration
    Grammatical/linguistic component | Cultural Component | Evidence of Multiple teaching strategies | Use of communication behaviors, classroom layout and other ASLCentric classroom techniques | Creative use of Technology
  • Written Lesson Plan
    Vocabulary/semantics | Activities | SLOs/Outcomes/Objectives
  • Materials
    All materials for the lesson must be included and the lesson must be the same as the one being demonstrated

4. Assessment Tools/Materials (Video and Written)

  • An example of an assignment and any grading materials for the assignment
  • An example of a quiz and any grading material for the quiz
  • An example of an exam and any grading material for the quiz
  • Video (4 minutes) should explain how each of these are used and any objectives or goals measured by each assessment tool. Overall course goals should be explained as well.

5. Evidence of contribution to the field such as:

Publications | Conference presentations | Mentoring | Service on Board of ASL related organization | Community advocacy | ASL/Deaf Community service

6. Explanation of Advocacy situation (scenario will be provided)

Shows evidence of critical thinking skills | Utilizes appropriate resources | Cites relevant research

7. Select a topic from Teaching Methods related to ASL or Foreign Languages, Assessment, Curriculum Development OR Language Acquisition and develop a mini-presentation of about 30 minutes which includes:

English Abstract (200 words) and ASL Abstract (2 minutes)| Outline or PowerPoint | Bibliography of video or written resources

FOR THE DOCUMENTATION OF EXPERIENCE
Candidates need to submit:

1. Curriculum Vitae (CV) which includes 4 parts:

Educational background|Teaching background | Professional Development evidence & hours | Deaf Community service

2. Transcripts/Degrees (Must have BA or higher)

3. ASLPI score of 4 or higher, SLPI: ASL rating of Advanced Plus or higher or other proficiency interviews that may be approved in the future

FOR REQUIRED COURSEWORK, CANDIDATES MUST HAVE COMPLETED THE FOLLOWING COURSEWORK:

(3 CREDIT HOURS EACH):

  • ASL Literature
  • ASL Linguistics
  • Deaf Culture/Deaf Community
  • Teaching Methods (ASL or Foreign Language)
  • Assessment Tools
  • Curriculum Development OR Language Acquisition
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Renewal Information

Current certification holders must be members of ASLTA in good standing at the Certified level

Either level attained can be permanent with renewal and documentation of continued professional development.  Candidates who attain Master certification will renew every 8 years with a recording of evidence of contribution to the field every year during membership renewal (ie:  service- committee, board; research- presentations, publications; teaching – mentoring).  ASLTA related contribution is strongly recommended for our Master certificate holders. Candidates are encouraged to obtain 10 hours of service a year.  Compiling documentation annually will help members keep up with their certifications.

Candidates who attain Certified level status will renew every 4 years with 40 hours of professional development, contributions etc. To further the mission of ASLTA that all teachers will be competent in ASL as well as social justice, all certified renewals must include at least 5 hours of training related to social justice, diversity or ethnic studies.  Candidates will be reminded every year when they pay their dues to compile 10 hours of documentation to help build their portfolio.   (This reminder will be a courtesy reminder and not be monitored or enforced.)

All candidates for certification must be members in good standing at the Associate or Certified member of ASLTA. Candidates attaining certification at either the Certified or Master level must maintain membership in ASLTA annually in order to hold valid certification.  Failure to pay annual dues will result in forfeiture of certification. Penalties may apply to late payment of annual dues.

For candidates who are not able to meet 40 hours of evidence of contribution to the field or professional development when renewing four years later may apply for an extension.  Only 1 extension lasting one year will be allowed.  Extensions require the certificate holder to be a member in good standing then an additional fee will be applied to extend the current certification in order to allow the member to meet the professional development requirements. Failure to meet the professional development requirements or maintain membership in ASLTA on an annual basis will result in forfeiting certification.

Master Certificate holders may apply for renewal every 8 years.  This process will require the candidate to list 8 years of contributions to the field which include:

    1. Publications
    2. Conference presentations
    3. Mentoring
    4. Service on Board of ASL related organization
    5. Community advocacy
    6. ASL/Deaf Community service

At least 1 national level contribution related to ASL is expected every 2 years.  This can be a form of support or a presentation at ASLTA, CIT, ASLRT or on an international level such as WFD, TISLR, WASLI to name a few.  This field depends on successful collaboration and sharing with our Master Certified teachers.

Complete Renewal Application
Pay for Renewal Fees

Current Certification Holders

Current certification holders must be members of ASLTA in good standing at the Certified level

Qualified

All Candidates for certification must meet the following standards for the Qualified certification level.
QUALIFIED CERTIFICATION
 
Note: If you apply for Qualified certification and pass you will be automatically rolled over to Certified under the new evaluation system. 
 
Candidates must prepare and submit to the Evaluation Committee the following documentation and successfully complete the ASLTA Written Evaluation:
1. Evidence that you presently hold Provisional level certification.
2. A Portfolio, which includes:
    a. Documentation of a minimum of 240 hours of ASL teaching experience. (Up to 120 hours may be in the related teaching area, ex. Deaf Studies, Interpreter Education, Education of Deaf Students) use Appendix C, p. 7)
     b. Documentation of 150 hours of ASL and first/second language teacher training or equivalent. (Use Documentation of Professional Development Forms, Appendixes D & E, pp.9-11). See Appendix I, pp. 15-16 for the list of Suggested Professional Development topics as a guideline.
Note: The ASLTA Evaluation System requires you to have a total of 480 hours of paid ASL and related teaching experience (at least half must be ASL teaching) and 300 hours of professional development in order to complete the Provisional, Qualified and Professional levels. If you are already an experienced ASL teacher and have met these requirements in the last 5 years, you should document ALL your relevant teaching and professional development here (at the Qualified level). You will not have to repeat this paperwork at the Professional level.
3. Completion of the ASLTA Written Exam.
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Professional

All Candidates for certification must meet the following standards for the Professinal certification level.
Professional Certification 
 
Note: If you apply for Professional certification and pass you will automatically be rolled over to Master under the new evaluation system.
 
Candidates for the Professional Certificate must prepare and submit to the Evaluation Committee the following documentation and successfully pass the ASLTA Evaluation Interview.
1. Evidence that they presently hold Qualified level certification.
2. A Portfolio
a. Documentation of a total of 240 hours of ASL teaching experience. (Up to 120 hours of a total of 240 hours may be in a related teaching area, ex., Deaf Studies, Interpreter Education, Education of Deaf Students). Use Appendix C, p. 7. You do not have to repeat information if you have documented more than 480 hours at the Qualified level. Write a note on the form to inform us to look at your Qualified documentation.
b. Documentation of 150 hours of ASL and first/second language teacher training or equivalent (use Documentation of Professional Development Form, Appendixes D & E, pp. 9-11)
c. Documentation (copy of degree or transcripts) that you hold a Bachelors or higher degree
3. Successful completion of the ASLTA Interview. You will be scheduled for an ASLTA Interview at the next available Interviewing date.
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Renewal Information

Current certification holders must be members of ASLTA in good standing at the Certified level

Either level attained can be permanent with renewal and documentation of continued professional development.  Candidates who attain Master certification will renew every 8 years with a recording of evidence of contribution to the field every year during membership renewal (ie:  service- committee, board; research- presentations, publications; teaching – mentoring).  ASLTA related contribution is strongly recommended for our Master certificate holders. Candidates are encouraged to obtain 10 hours of service a year.  Compiling documentation annually will help members keep up with their certifications.

Candidates who attain Certified level status will renew every 4 years with 40 hours of professional development, contributions etc. To further the mission of ASLTA that all teachers will be competent in ASL as well as social justice, all certified renewals must include at least 5 hours of training related to social justice, diversity or ethnic studies.  Candidates will be reminded every year when they pay their dues to compile 10 hours of documentation to help build their portfolio.   (This reminder will be a courtesy reminder and not be monitored or enforced.)

All candidates for certification must be members in good standing at the Associate or Certified member of ASLTA. Candidates attaining certification at either the Certified or Master level must maintain membership in ASLTA annually in order to hold valid certification.  Failure to pay annual dues will result in forfeiture of certification. Penalties may apply to late payment of annual dues.

For candidates who are not able to meet 40 hours of evidence of contribution to the field or professional development when renewing four years later may apply for an extension.  Only 1 extension lasting one year will be allowed.  Extensions require the certificate holder to be a member in good standing then an additional fee will be applied to extend the current certification in order to allow the member to meet the professional development requirements. Failure to meet the professional development requirements or maintain membership in ASLTA on an annual basis will result in forfeiting certification.

Master Certificate holders may apply for renewal every 8 years.  This process will require the candidate to list 8 years of contributions to the field which include:

    1. Publications
    2. Conference presentations
    3. Mentoring
    4. Service on Board of ASL related organization
    5. Community advocacy
    6. ASL/Deaf Community service

At least 1 national level contribution related to ASL is expected every 2 years.  This can be a form of support or a presentation at ASLTA, CIT, ASLRT or on an international level such as WFD, TISLR, WASLI to name a few.  This field depends on successful collaboration and sharing with our Master Certified teachers.

Complete Renewal Application
Pay for Renewal Fees

Have questions about ASLTA certification? Please contact the Evaluation Office (evaluationoffice@aslta.org)