Seal of Biliteracy

• Students must demonstrate proficiency in both English and a world language offered at SAS.

  • Proficiency in English.  To satisfy the English language requirement, a student must meet expectations (i.e., earn a semester grade of B or higher) in any 11th- or 12th-grade English course offered at SAS.

  • Proficiency in World Languages.  To satisfy the world language requirement, a student must demonstrate Intermediate High-level proficiency based on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines in all four modes of communication.  The four modes of communication are speaking, listening, reading, and writing. There are several ways to do this:

    • Students must take school-designated external assessments to confirm that they have reached or exceeded these target levels of proficiency in all four modes.  The school has designated the STAMP assessment as the official external assessments of world language proficiency.
    • To ensure consistency, other assessments of proficiency are not recognized within this process.
       

• Students must submit an online application form - click here.  In order to receive the Seal of Biliteracy at the end of the current academic year, students must submit the form prior to the final day of Semester 1 each year.

As a senior you will have the choice of taking it during regular class or the official days with no cost attached to the SEAL.

• Applying for the Seal of Biliteracy is completely optional. 
• Earning a Seal of Biliteracy will help students to indicate via their resumes that they have high levels of externally validated language proficiency. While the Seal of Biliteracy is not expected to be a differentiator in the college admission process, awareness of the Seal of Biliteracy among employers increases with each passing year, particularly in the United States.
• If a student has successfully completed the Intermediate High multi-year course or the Advanced course at the high school, he/she is likely to be a strong candidate for the Seal of Biliteracy. Those currently enrolled in an Intermediate High world language course should seek the guidance of the current world language teacher.
• The Seal of Biliteracy may not be right for you if you are a native speaker of a world language but have not formally studied the language.
• The Seal of Biliteracy is only offered at SAS for world languages taught at SAS. It is not offered for other languages.

• Following the completion of eleventh grade, enrolled SAS students may request consideration by submitting an application via Google form to the SAS Director of World Languages. This application must be submitted by the final day of semester one each year.
• The Director of World Languages in collaboration with the High School World Languages Department Chair will review each student’s application, register the students for the assessment and make arrangements for the testing, and then make a determination.
• The Seal of Biliteracy is awarded via a certificate ceremony and, if the student graduates from SAS, is acknowledged formally on the high school diploma.

The STAMP assessments will be offered to students ONCE only. This school year, graduating seniors may register by January 12, 2023 to take the assessments after school from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday March 9, or Friday, March 10, 2023.

For more information, please contact contact Zhao-Hui Xu, director of world languages.