Seal of Biliteracy
D2 recognizes students who have attained proficiency or higher in English and at least one other language with the D2 Seal of Biliteracy. This honor, given at graduation, provides students with a competitive advantage in the employment market as well as increased opportunities for higher education.
This recommendation form should be completed by students to express interest or teachers/staff to recommend a student to test for the Seal.
Interested Seniors must apply to earn the Seal of Biliteracy diploma by completing this application form AFTER taking the exams and meeting the criteria for English coursework.
Seal of Biliteracy Benefits
- increases job opportunities
- boosts salary potential: knowing a second language can increase pay by 10-15%
- provides students with a competitive advantage in the employment market
- increases opportunities for higher education
- improves opportunities for college scholarships
- enhances and honors connections with student's native language
- provides evidence of increased readiness for college and careers
- builds knowledge and understanding across cultures
Requirements
The Seal of Biliteracy is a state-driven opportunity for students to apply to a high school diploma. The criteria are as follows:
- Demonstrate proficiency or higher in English by completing the English Language Arts coursework required for graduation with an overall GPA of at least 3.0 or higher AND one of these requirements:
- Scoring 470 or higher on SAT EBRW
- Scoring 25 or higher on SAT in both English and Reading exams
- Scoring 3 or higher on Advanced Placement (AP) English Language exam
- Scoring 3 or higher on Advanced Placement (AP) English Literature exam
- Scoring 4 or higher on IB English exam
2. Demonstrate proficiency or higher in a language other than English by achieving one of the following:
- Scoring 3 or higher on World Language Advanced Placement (AP) exam
- Scoring 4 or higher on World Language International Baccalaureate (IB) exam
- Completing a 4-year high school course of study of a single World Language with an overall GPA of 3.0
- Advanced Mid (I-4 or higher) on AAPPL (Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish)
- Advanced Mid (I-4 or higher) on ACTFL OPI & WPT (Albanian, Amharic, Bengali/Bangla, Bosnian/Croatian, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Dari, Gujarati, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hindi, Malayalam, Pashto, Polish, Russian, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, Yoruba)
- Advanced Mid (8 or higher) on each section of the Avant STAMP 4S (Arabic, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Spanish)
- If identified language exam is not available, student can submit a language portfolio that includes body of evidence demonstrating proficiency in each mode of communication for the target language
D2 will encourage:
• students to maintain proficiency in native languages
• 8th grade students to enroll in World Language courses as they transition to high school
• 9th and 10th grade students to participate in World Language courses and maintain a GPA of 3 or higher
• 11th grade students on track to apply as a senior (identified by high school counselors) - must take the SAT and score 470 or higher on the EBRW section