David Ward, speech-language pathologist
Wisconsin schools hire educational interpreters who hold a DPI license. This page lists the state's open K-12 interpreter jobs and how to earn that license.
You need a DPI license
Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction (DPI) licenses school interpreters under chapter PI 34 of the administrative code. The five-year renewable license in PI 34.086 has two routes.
The training route has three requirements:
- an interpreter training program certificate from an accredited two- or four-year college, with coursework in ASL-English interpretation both ways, transliterating and oral interpreting, practice in educational settings, and ethics
- a 150-hour practicum in prekindergarten through grade 12 with a licensed educational interpreter as your mentor, or 150 hours of work as an educational interpreter in that setting
- passing scores on the written and performance Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA)
DPI's license page sets the passing performance score for an initial license at 3.3.
The certification route replaces the training program and EIPA with a credential. The rule accepts a sign language interpreter license from the Department of Safety and Professional Services, Board for Evaluation of Interpreters certification at the basic level or above, or several Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf certificates, including National Interpreter Certification and Certified Deaf Interpreter. You still need the 150 PK-12 hours.
Other licenses and renewal
If you finished training but lack the hours or the EIPA score, PI 34.088 gives you a five-year license that cannot be renewed. A district that searched and found no interpreter holding the full license can request a one-year license under PI 34.087 for someone enrolled in an approved training program. At the district's request, DPI can renew it up to five times while you make progress.
To renew the five-year license, you complete five semester credits or 7.5 continuing education units approved by RID or BEI, and pass a skill check: an EIPA renewal score or a credential from the certification route list. An EIPA score of 3.5 or higher removes the skill verification step.
Where to apply
DPI's job links point to WECAN, the Wisconsin Education Career Access Network, and to the State of Wisconsin job site. The page also links application sites for Milwaukee Public Schools and the Madison Metropolitan School District.
The state superintendent governs the Wisconsin Educational Services Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. It runs a school in Delavan for residents ages 3 to 20 whose IEP places them there, and the statute lets it serve students anywhere in the state and open regional satellite sites.
Pay and related licenses
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated a May 2025 median annual wage of $63,390 for Wisconsin interpreters and translators, a group that includes spoken-language work outside schools.
PI 34 also holds the licenses for colleagues on your students' teams: deaf or hard of hearing teacher (PI 34.050) and speech-language pathologist (PI 34.0475).
The listings on this page are Wisconsin's open educational interpreter postings.