SECTION 1. Chapter 6 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2010 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 198 the following section:- Section 198A. The commission shall determine or develop an assessment for communication proficiency in Sign Language for teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing: ASL/Total Communication. The commission shall also determine or develop an assessment for interpreting proficiency in sign language for educational interpreters who use sign language with students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

SECTION 2. Section 38G of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2010 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “successor”, in line 246, the following two paragraphs:-

On or before June 30, 2014 and subject to appropriation, proficiency in  sign language shall be a requirement for  certification as a teacher of students who are deaf or hard of hearing: American Sign Language/Total Communication.  Proficiency in sign language shall be verified through a communication proficiency assessment determined or developed by the commission for the deaf and hard of hearing and approved by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education.

By June 2014, the commission for the deaf and hard of hearing and the department of elementary and secondary education shall jointly develop a timetable for the assessment of registered educational interpreter’s proficiency in sign language interpretation and shall report on the timetable to the Joint Committee on Education. The method of assessment of educational interpreter proficiency shall be approved and administered by the commission for the deaf and hard of hearing and approved by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education.