American Sign Language Teacher Preparation Programs in the United States

Even though ASL isn’t as easy to learn as it may seem at first, more and more students are enrolling in ASL courses at both the secondary and university levels and choosing ASL as a primary area of study. For this reason the demand for ASL teachers is increasing, and the need for ASL teacher-preparation programs (ASL TPPs) has increased. Therefore, to assess present and future standards, an examination of the current ASL TPPs in the United States was called for. This article compares three ASL TPPs and examines them for compliance with national teaching standards. The analysis of each site highlights four areas: (a) the program, (b) curriculum development, (c) admission and enrollment requirements, and (d) the courses. Following the curricular narratives of these schools is a comparison of their programs with the trends in national standards. The article ends with some recommendations for upgrading the existing and new ASL TPPs.