Students are awarded the Seal of Biliteracy when they become proficient in two languages. This is awarded when a student has reached a high enough level in two languages.
Graduation is fast approaching, which means students will be getting recognized for things they have accomplished over the past four years. One of the things some students get recognized for is the Seal of Biliteracy.
“The Seal of Biliteracy is a way to acknowledge people who have knowledge of two languages or more,” Spanish teacher Karen Dorsey said.
In order to be awarded the Seal of Biliteracy, there are multiple steps that need to be completed. Students need to be fluent in English and another language.
“So there’s the English part,” Dorsey said. “You need to either complete your graduation requirements of English, which is four years of English with an average of a 3.0 in the English classes, or you can either get met or exceeded in your CAASPP test.”
There is also the completion of another language that needs to be done.
“For the World Language part, you either take through level four or above in a world language,” Dorsey said. “And same thing, you need a 3.0 in those world language classes overall.”
But that doesn’t mean students need to take four years of a world language, they just need to complete up to level four. Some students think that the study of language for four years can be helpful outside of high school.
“I want to study abroad sometime in college,” senior Sophiya Karer, a student who took Spanish for four years, said. “And I want to go to a Spanish speaking country so I can use my Spanish and get better at it.”
Dorsey said she also thinks there is more the Seal of Biliteracy can also help with.
“I think that it’s really good, especially when you’re trying to apply for a job,” Dorsey said. “I just think it’s a good way to show employers and schools that you have language abilities that go beyond the norm. A lot of people now, because there’s more knowledge about it now, a lot of students who know that they will be eligible have been putting it on their college applications.”
Some students have some advice if students want to get the Seal of Biliteracy when they graduate.
“Some people might think that a language is just an elective, but it’s also still a class,” senior Sophia Pestoni, who took Spanish for four years, said. “Just make sure to treat it as a regular class.”
