An Instructor of Cued Speech certificate is a credential that certifies the holder’s ability to present information about CS and to teach beginning level CS courses. In the future, professional development modules will be made available that will expand the scope of certification to include topics such as cuereading; instructing families; instructing transliterators; instructing professionals in speech, audiology, deaf education, special education, etc.
Five components are required in order to be certified as an Instructor of Cued Speech:
Maintain NCSA membership
Maintain proficiency requirement (currently, as evidenced by either BCSPR or CAECS: specifications for each outlined below)
Maintain continuing education requirement (currently none)
Fulfill training requirement (currently specified as successful completion of Basic Instructor Workshop)
Pass ICS-National Certification exam: written test, Assessment of Cue Errors (ACE) test
The requirements can be completed in any order, but all five must be in place before certification takes effect. Certification is permanent, as long as the first three requirements are maintained (continuing education requirements will be specified in the future as continuing education courses are developed and approved by the committee). However, certification can be revoked from any certified Instructor whose maintenance requirements lapse for more than a year.
NCSA Membership
NCSA membership is an ongoing requirement of Instructor Certification.
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Proficiency
Cost: typically around $55 (varies according to testing agency)
Duration: 3 years
An ongoing requirement of Instructor Certification is evidence of expressive Cued Speech proficiency. This requirement calls for a qualifying score on either the CAECS-E or the BCSPR and must be renewed every three years. Both tests can often be administered through the mail.
The CAECS-E, or Cued American English Competency Screening - Expressive, is offered by the TECUnit. To qualify for certification, a competency level of "acceptable" (3.4 - 4.0) is required.
The BCSPR, or Basic Cued Speech Proficiency Rating, is offered by NCSA-approved testing centers. Contact the NCSA for the testing center nearest you. To qualify for certification, a rating of 2.0 is required. Ratings in the range 2.1 - 2.5 will also be accepted in cases where a total of 3 or fewer consonant (handshape) and vowel (placement) errors were recorded. The NCSA requires a waiting period of no less than 4 months from the date the BCSPR was administered before it can be re-taken for any reason, such as to improve a score. It is recommended that the testee use this time period to practice any suggestions provided in the BCSPR evaluation.
Continuing Education
As continuing education courses are developed, the committee will evaluate courses and set up a CEU system similar to those used in other professions. Until the CEU system is in place, there is no other continuing education requirement.
Basic Instructor Workshop
Cost: typically around $150 (varies according to sponsoring agency)
Duration: 3 years
Registration forms for specific BIWS dates for upcoming events are posted roughly 3 months ahead of time. Earlybird and regular registrations should be submitted via mail, postmarked according to the guidelines on the registration form. The registration fee is non-refundable, unless more than 30 days notice of cancellation is given. In most cases, registration at the door is also possible, subject to the availability of space and is granted at the discretion of workshop instructors on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The BIWS, or Basic Instructor Workshop, is a 2-day intensive workshop taught by 2 qualified instructor trainers. The BIWS was designed to ensure that all instructors are exposed to the NCSA’s current policy on cueing and cueing mechanics standards. However, the workshop alone is not meant to be complete preparation for the national certification exam. Additional reading is recommended in The ICS-National Certification Exam.
As more published standards become available, additional training options can be offered by agencies and individuals outside the committee. Until that time, successful completion of the BIWS is required for certification.
The ICS-National Certification Exam
Cost:Earlybird deadline: $125
Regular deadline: $150
At-the-Door (limited availability): $200
Registration forms for specific BIWS dates for upcoming events are posted roughly 3 months ahead of time. Earlybird and regular registrations should be submitted via mail, postmarked according to the guidelines on the registration form. The registration fee is non-refundable, unless more than 30 days notice of cancellation is given. In most cases, registration at the door is also possible, subject to the availability of space and is granted at the discretion of exam proctors on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The ICS-National Certification Exam battery includes a written test and an Assessing Cue Errors (ACE) test. The written test consists of 100 multiple choice questions, 50 questions drawn from Cued Speech production topics, and 50 questions drawn from the additional topics listed below. The ACE test consists of 30 multiple-choice format test items presented on videotape. Each item may be cued correctly or contain a cueing error. In order to pass, a score greater than 85% must be achieved on both the written exam and the ACE (video errors component) in the same sitting (ie. if you are not satisfied with your result, the test must be re-taken in its entirety). Results of the exam are typically mailed to examinees within 4-6 weeks after the exam.
Topics covered by the exam include the following Cued Speech Production & Reception Topics and Additional Topics:
Cued Speech Production & Reception Topics
Cueing Mechanics
Appropriate Cueing of Words, Phrases, and Sentences
How to Present/Explain/Teach CS to various audiences
Assessing Cueing Errors
Additional Topics
CS History
CS Applications and Transliteration
Linguistics, Speech, and Speechreading
CS Research
Deaf Education, ASL, and Sign Systems (Manually Coded English systems)
Deafness / Audiology Representing the NCSA / Other Deafness Organizations
The exam tests for detailed knowledge of Cued Speech Production and Reception Topics and a basic knowledge of Additional Topics. Some of the topics will be presented in the Basic Instructor Workshop. However, the workshop alone is not meant to be complete preparation for the exam. It is also recommended that the following books and materials be used in preparing for the certification exam:
The Art Of Cueing or any equivalent thorough and current treatment of CS instruction available in print, video, and/or computer programs.
Gaining Cued Speech Proficiency, Beaupre
Cued Speech Resource Book, Cornett and Daisey
Choices in Deafness, Schwartz
NCSA Cueing Mechanics Guidelines
NCSA Mission and Vision Statements
NCSA Position Statements:
Literacy
Bilingualism
Applications, Inclusion and Factual Accuracy The Deaf Child in the Family
Provision of Cued Speech Interpreters and Instruction in Institutions of Higher Learning
Cochlear implants
Key research studies:
LaSasso, C. & M. Metzger. (1998, Fall) “An Alternate Route for Preparing Deaf Children for BiBi Programs: the Home Language as L1 and Cued Speech for Conveying Traditionally Spoken Languages.” Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, Vol. 3, #4, pp. 265-289.
Leybaert, J. and Charlier, B. (1996) “Visual Speech in the Head: The Effect of Cued Speech on Rhyming, Remembering, and Spelling.” Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, Vol. 1, #4, pp. 234-248.
LaSasso, C.J., Crain, K., and Leybaert, J. (2003) “Rhyme generation in deaf students: The effect of exposure to cued speech.” Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, Vol. 8, #3, pp. 250-270
Cued Speech Journal: Special Research Issue (Vol. 4, 1990)
Awareness of other CS Journal issues (how many issues have been published, general topics covered, etc.)
Language and Deafness 2nd ed. (1994), Quigley and Paul
Chapter 1 - Overview of Language and Deafness
Chapter 9 - Conclusion
Accessibility
The NCSA is committed to establishing training and certification procedures that are accessible to anyone interested in seeking certification, whether hearing or deaf. To this end, audio is not included in any portion of the National Certification exam. If deaf cuers who seek certification feel that any component of the process is not accessible, they should notify the committee chair, Jean Krause, in writing. The Instructor Certification committee will review all such requests, and steps will be taken to solve any problem that is identified
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