Educational interpreters who work in K-12 public schools in the United States have been shown to be unqualified or under-qualified for the important support service they provide in an attempt to attain equal access for deaf and hard of hearing students in the mainstream.

The Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) is the national diagnostic measurement tool used to gauge improvement of the field. Training/educational programs do not seem to be meeting the need for qualified interpreters as shown by EIPA results. This begs the question whether programs that purport to prepare interpreters for the difficult task of interpreting in the classroom are doing their job.

The purpose of Training and Assessment Systems for K-12 Educational Interpreters (TASK12) is to assess interpreters for their skill in the classroom and make research-based recommendations for improvement. Specific training is also offered, based upon performance, for interpreters who show minimum qualifications as measured by the EIPA.